New England Patriots will have their hands full with Mike Evans

The New England Patriots will be playing on Thursday Night Football against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That means they will have to deal with the talented Mike Evans.

The New England Patriots defense has been nothing but disappointing through four games this season, giving up big play after big play and a handful of points. As they travel to Tampa for their week five matchup, things will only get more difficult as they will be tasked with the challenge of slowing down Mike Evans and DeSean Jackson.

Evans, who stands at 6’5″ and 225 pounds has been one of the most dominant receivers in the whole league over the past several years. He has big play potential written all over him and has been targeted more than anyone in the NFL on deep passing plays.

Over the last two seasons, Evans has earned the third most targets in the league, trailing only Julio Jones and Tavon Austin. When running deeper routes, he ranks top five in targets, along with teammate Desean Jackson.

A Patriots defense which has had trouble containing Tyreek Hill, DeAndre Hopkins, Devin Funchess, etc. should have their hands full with Evans.

Almost nobody has shown the ability to stop Evans, but slowing him done is a possibility. His pure size posses the biggest difficulty as it makes him impossible to match up with him.

To stop Evans, the Patriots could look at his matchup against the Bears in Week 2. Chicago played mostly a Cover 2 scheme, using a corner in man coverage and a safety over the top. While he still posted a 7/93/1 line, the Bears do not have the defensive talent the Patriots have in their secondary.

The defensive gameplay also limited the Buccaneers’ offense to just two offensive touchdowns. The two touchdown drives were just 13 and 35 yards. The Cover 2 made it difficult for Winston to move the ball, as their average drive was just 34 yards.

New England also has to be careful with their blitzes and must be able to get off the field on third down. Winston tends to target Evans’ more than any other receiver in those situations. Corner blitzes or confusing looks within the front seven could force Winston to look elsewhere or hurry a throw. The Patriots could use that to their advantage forcing incompletions or perhaps a turnover or two.

Next: Pats vs. Bucs: Week 5 Preview

Pairing Evans with the speedster DeSean Jackson makes the task even more challenging. The Patriots have the players to get the job done, but they must be able to turn the page from their first four performances.