To the surprise of absolutely no one, Pro Football Focus named Bucs wide receiver Mike Evans to its Team of the Week for Week 2. This, of course, came after Evans’ big day in Tampa Bay’s 27-17 win over Chicago in which he caught six passes for 171 yards and a touchdown.

Evans had a few big-time plays in the Bucs’ win over the Bears, with the first being a 70-yard catch on a pass from Baker Mayfield to set up the offense’s first touchdown of the day. He later caught a 36-yard pass near the sideline on what appeared to be a broken play.

.@MikeEvans13_ WITH THE SPIN MOVE 🌪️

📺: #CHIvsTB on FOX pic.twitter.com/8ShqPQT4G5

— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) September 17, 2023

“I thought Baker was gonna throw it away because I had a locked hitch outside,” Evans said after the game. “He threw a perfect ball, I caught it, stayed in bounds, made a guy miss. We scored that drive, so that was a huge play by him, just giving me a shot.”

Bucs WR Mike Evans – Photo by: USA Today

The Bucs did score on that drive, and it came courtesy of the Mayfield and Evans connection again. The two linked up for a 32-yard touchdown on 3rd & 14, making it a 20-10 Tampa Bay lead at the time. It was the second time in as many weeks that the new quarterback-receiver duo produced a touchdown.

Of Evans’ 171 yards on Sunday, 82 came after the catch. And through two weeks, he has 12 catches for 267 yards and two touchdowns. Those 267 yards are the fourth-most of any receiver in the league so far, and the two receiving scores tie him with a slew of others for the second-most in the NFL. It sure seems like the 10th-year wide receiver is loving life in Dave Canales’ offense.

Mike Evans Is Building Off A Dominant Training Camp

This hot start to the season for Mike Evans is one that everyone should’ve seen coming, at least based on his performance throughout training camp. Despite turning 30 and entering his 10th season in the league, the 2014 No. 7 overall pick had a phenomenal camp. He and new quarterback Baker Mayfield quickly got on the same page and established some rapport, which showed on the practice fields at the AdventHealth Training Center. Now, it’s translating to Sundays.

“Ideally, that’s what you want to do,” Evans said Sunday. “You work your tail off and you hope that it shows up when the games happen and that’s when it matters. So hopefully we can continue to build on our connection, the offense can continue to be explosive and take care of the ball and hopefully we win more games.”

Bucs WR Mike Evans – Photo by: USA Today

It also helps that Dave Canales’ scheme is more creative and up-to-date by today’s NFL standards. Receivers are schemed open and the system involves a variety of different looks and concepts. That has led to some early success for Evans, who is getting chances to show more of what he has in his skill set.

“I’ve always done everything [I’m doing] in the past, but not as much,” Evans said. “Today I was in the slot a lot. Those are my opportunities to go down the field. So they’re using everything that I can do.”

This Mike Evans is good to see, especially for a Bucs offense still in transition. His two touchdowns in two games already have him with one-third of his touchdown total last season. The pace he’s on might not be sustainable, but if he’s at the double-digit mark by the end of the season, it’ll spell good things for Tampa Bay.

Evans’ six touchdowns in 2022 were his lowest total since 2017, and the team needs him back in the neighborhood of his 13-touchdown and 14-touchdown seasons in 2020 and 2021, respectively. This start to the season is also big for Evans himself, as he is looking to extend his 1,000-yard season streak to 10.

Evans is also looking to position himself for one last big-money contract, whether it comes from the Bucs as he’d prefer or from another team out there next offseason.