Buccaneers Mike Evans, Tom Brady recognized for their performances in Week 17

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans and quarterback Tom Brady finally connected this past Sunday the way we’re used to seeing them connect. In fact, they connected in a big way. So big, they both were recognized for weekly honors this week.

Evans was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week while Brady was named the FedEx Air Player for Week 17.

The veteran receiver contributed 10 receptions for 207 yards and three touchdowns in Tampa Bay’s division-clinching win over the Carolina Panthers in Week 17. He led all players across the league in receiving yards, yards from scrimmage, receiving touchdowns and touchdowns from scrimmage. The 207 receiving yards marked the fourth-most in a single game in franchise history and his three touchdowns were tied for the second-most in a single game in club history. His 10 receptions were the second-most by any player in Week 17. Sunday’s game marked Evans’ second 200-yard receiving performance, his seventh with 175-or-more yards, his 11th with 150-or-more yards and the 33rd 100-yard performance of his NFL career. Evans and Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill are tied for the most games in league history with 175-or-more receiving yards and multiple touchdown receptions, with five-such performances each.

With his performance, Evans recorded his ninth-consecutive season of 1,000 receiving yards.

For Brady, the future Hall of Famer hit on 34 completions off 45 attempts (75.6 percentage), 432 yards, three touchdowns (all to Evan’s), and a passer rating of 127.3 in the Bucs’ clinched the NFC South-clinching victory over the Carolina Panthers.

By winning the FedEx Ground NFL Player of the Week Award, FedEx will make a $2,000 donation in Brady’s name to a Historically Black College or University (HBCU), which will be applied towards needs-based scholarships to deserving HBCU students.

(Parts of this report comes courtesy of their respective press releases.)