Tampa Bay's Mike Evans cherishes potential last game at Houston's NRG Stadium

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HOUSTON (AP) — Tampa Bay’s Mike Evans is always thrilled to play in Houston since NRG Stadium is just an hour from where he grew up in Galveston, Texas.

The star receiver in his 12th NFL season expects Monday night’s trip to face the Houston Texans to mean a little more than past visits considering it could be his last time to play there.

“It might be,” Evans said. “Even if I played another three or four years, when is the next time we go back? This might be my last time. So, I’ve got a lot of people coming to this game for that sole reason.”

Evans, who also played collegiately in the state at Texas A&M, is hoping this visit goes better than Tampa Bay’s previous trip to Houston in 2023 when C.J. Stroud’s career-high five touchdown passes allowed the Texans to rally for a 39-37 win in the final minute.

Evans said that loss “broke our heart” and he hopes the Buccaneers can get some payback Monday.

Leading that charge with him will be fellow Texan Baker Mayfield, who is from Austin. The quarterback is also looking forward to the trip to his home state and hopes to grab something from his favorite Texas-based burger chain while he’s in town.

“It’s always awesome,” he said. “It’s always awesome to get Whataburger after the game as well. That’s a really big plus. But yeah, it’s always good to go back to Texas, knowing that there’s a lot of people there to support. We have a bunch of guys that have roots there as well. So, it’s a good time.”

Tampa Bay will try to improve to 2-0 after rallying for a 23-20 win over Atlanta in the opener last week. The Texans are looking for their first win after falling to the Rams 14-9 last week after a late fumble.

Houston coach DeMeco Ryans knows his team will have its hands full dealing with Mayfield and Tampa Bay’s passing game Monday night.

“Baker Mayfield, he’s playing the best he’s played in his career,” Ryans said. “(Coach) Todd (Bowles) has done a really nice job of working with Baker. The passing game ... they were top five in pretty much all the major offensive categories last year. It shows. They have weapons at receiver. Mike Evans has done it for a long time, continues to shine.”

And the Texans understand how potent rookie first-round pick Emeka Egbuka can be, too after he scored two touchdowns, including the game winner in his debut last week.

“Egbuka, has done a really nice job making some explosive plays,” Ryans said. “He showed up big time for them in their game versus Atlanta. Baker, he does a really nice job of just moving around, scrambling in the pocket, keeping plays alive. You see toughness, you see grittiness from Baker, which allows their passing game to thrive."

Evans had five receptions for 51 yards in the opener. The Buccaneers would love to get him the ball more, but Bowles understands that if teams key on him then other receivers will have a chance to shine as Egbuka did last week.

“He’s a big focus of our offense," Bowles said. "Obviously, he’s a focus for defenses when they play us so he’s going to command two or three guys sometimes. So, that opens up the run game, it opens up the other receivers, the tight ends, it helps the quarterback get his read a lot quicker. Mike does a lot of things even when he’s not getting the ball.”

The Buccaneers expect a challenge Monday night from a secondary that includes All-Pro cornerback Derek Stingley and safety Jalen Pitre. The group is looking for a better showing this week after allowing Puka Nacua to pile up 130 yards receiving in the Rams’ win.

“They have a very ball-hawking secondary,” Bowles said. “They keep eyes on the quarterback at all times. From Pitre, the nickel, to the two outside guys, to the edge rushers that make the ball come out. They’re very in sync. DeMeco does a great job and makes sure those guys are going 100 miles an hour at all times.”

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