Thankfully, Tampa Bay did get the ball back. On their final possession, with the victory and NFC South already secured, the Buccaneers had one goal in mind—get Evans over 1,000 yards. Baker Mayfield quickly connected with Evans on a nine-yard pass, putting Evans at 1,004 yards on the season.

History couldn’t wait much longer. Actually, it was tapping its watch and wondering whether the lights would be turned out Sunday at Raymond James Stadium before Mike Evans could join it. Somewhere between Bucky Irving’s ill-advised touchdown run and Todd Bowles’ concern over giving the Saints another shot at tying the game they needed to win the NFC South,

They were also part of NFL history, with star wide receiver Mike Evans clearing 1,000 receiving yards on the season, extending his record for consecutive 1,000-yard seasons to start a career, and joining Hall of Famer Jerry Rice as the only players to ever achieve that feat in 11 straight years.