A week after several drops, Evans responds in a big way in Bucs’ win Ira Kaufman, The Tampa Tribune, published 16 November 2015 Mike Evans couldn’t stop smiling Sunday, relishing the game within the game. After setting a Bucs rookie record in 2014 with 12 touchdown catches as a first-round draft pick out of Texas A&M, Evans has struggled with focus this season. He dropped five passes last week in a loss against the Giants, but the 6-foot-5 wide receiver played big against the Cowboys with eight catches for 126 yards. Rookie quarterback Jameis Winston targeted Evans on 13 of his 39 pass attempts, and Evans and cornerback Morris Claiborne went at it during the first half before Claiborne departed with a hamstring injury. Veteran corner Brandon Carr was then assigned to shadow Evans, who posted his fourth 100-yard game of the season and seventh of his young career. “It was fun,’’ Evans said of the competition. “I heard some guys out there saying something about coming over the top against me, but it didn’t faze me. Those are both good corners and Carr’s much bigger than I thought he was. They both played pretty good and it’s fun to battle those guys.’’ Before Tampa Bay staged its late, game-winning drive, it was Evans who caught a 26-yard pass on first-and-20 as the Bucs crossed midfield before Winston was intercepted by safety Jeff Heath for the second time. “Mike Evans is a beast,’’ said Winston, who threw 134 consecutive passes without being intercepted before Heath’s second-quarter theft. “You know he is going to come day-in and day-out and work hard and keep making plays. You know everyone makes mistakes, but Mike Evans, when he wants to, he’s hard to stop.’’ When Winston’s fumble at the goal line was nullified by a holding call against Heath, Evans experienced the full gamut of emotions. “I saw the flag and then I saw the game-winning touchdown,’’ Evans said with a smile. “I was nervous at the time and we were lucky that flag came out. We didn’t want to settle for a field goal on that final drive — we wanted to win the game.’’ Evans was well aware of the barbs leveled by his detractors this season regarding his erratic concentration. “I played terrible last week, the worst game in NFL history probably,’’ he said. “It is what it is, but I’m not going to stop playing football. This is my job and I’m going to try to be the best I can be. At times like this, you have to be mentally strong and go back to your practice habits.’’