Blowup Sunday?

The Bucs are behind 8 balls in the fight for a playoff spot. And Mike Evans is behind the eight ball when it comes to extending his record streak of 1,000-yard receiving seasons.

Evans missed three games with a hamstring injury and also couldn’t really get his defense going before his hamstring injury. Evans will need to average just under 100 yards per game for the rest of the game to maintain his streak.

That’s a high bar for a guy that defenses obviously want to shut down. But could that journey begin on Sunday?

According to Rich Hribar of Sharp Football Analysis, few teams get roasted on third downs as regularly as the Stinking Panthers.

While the Stinking Panthers give up the spoils on third downs, the Bucs are one of the best teams in the league at converting third downs.

* Tampa Bay converted 50.4% of its third downs (2nd) and 33.3% of its third and long downs, the highest rate in the league.

* Carolina has allowed opponents to convert a league-high 49.3% of their third downs.

There you have it. And since Evans will be an ally, someone else should be open as well.

Joe has to remember that it was the terrible Giants that the Bucs faced last week. But man, Joe thought the Bucs looked crisper and sharper in the passing game. It had to be because Evans returned.

Joe knows Bucs offensive coordinator Liam Coen certainly thought so.