Who will cover Tampa Bay’s Mike Evans for the Falcons?
FLOWERY BRANCH — With A.J. Terrell working his way through the NFL’s concussion protocol and Jeff Okudah with a tweaked ankle, the Falcons will need a strong plan for Tampa Bay wide receiver Mike Evans, who’s coming off one of his mega-games.
“Evans is playing fantastic,” Falcons defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen said.
The Falcons and Bucs will meet at 1 p.m. Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Evans caught seven passes for 162 yards in a 21-18 win Sunday against the Panthers. He had a 171-yard game earlier in the season against Chicago on Sept. 17.
“He’s a great player,” Falcons coach Arthur Smith said.
Evans became the first wide receiver in NFL history to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark in each of his first 10 seasons. Jerry Rice, the league’s all-time receiving yards leader with 22,895 yards, did so 11 times from 1986-96 and had 14 total 1,000-yard seasons.
“You got to make sure you play your leverage,” Okudah said. “Compete really hard every single play because you know he’s the ultimate weapon.”
Rice had 927 yards in his rookie season in 1985.
“He’s putting together a Hall of Fame career,” Falcons assistant head coach/defense Jerry Gray said. “You look at a guy like that, and he’d been in the league 10 years, and he’s got 10, 1000-yard (seasons).”
In addition to Evans, the Falcons must prepare for wide receiver Chris Godwin.
“Well, the first thing you do is you get the other guys ready to go,” Gray said. “I mean, you can’t sit here and wait. We’ve got to practice. I know Arthur is going to talk about A.J. and (the protocol). For me as a coach, I’ve got to get the other guys ready to go.”
While preparing as if Terrell won’t make it through the protocols, Clark Phillips III will get ready to play.
“The other guys have got to be next man up,” Gray said. “Do we want A.J.? Of course we do. He’s one of our best corners. But if he can’t go, the next guy (must) have his mindset ready to go against Mike Evans and Godwin and all of the other guys.”
Phillips, who received his most extensive action of the season Sunday, played 65 of 68 defensive snaps (96%) against the Jets after Terrell left the game. He finished with four tackles and one tackle for loss.
Also, Mike Hughes, who missed the Jets game with hand injury, and Tre Flowers, who started three games this season, are available.
“You don’t just want to have young guys playing, you want them playing to win,” Gray said. “And to me, that’s a big difference.”
The Bow Tie Chronicles
About the Author
Honored by the Pro Football Hall of Fame in recognition of his "long and distinguished reporting in the field of pro football," D. Orlando Ledbetter, Esq. has covered the NFL 28 seasons. A graduate of Howard University, he's a winner of Georgia Sportswriter of the Year and three Associated Press Sports Editor awards.
