The New York Giants will face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers tonight on primetime. The 1-6 Giants will be underdogs at home against the 5-2 Buccaneers who have recently emerged as Super Bowl contenders.
The Buccaneers’ offense has been nearly unstoppable in recent weeks as Tom Brady has begun playing at an MVP level. Tom “Terrific” reaps the benefits of having a slew of talented offensive weapons to share the rock with. But this week, one of his top two receivers, Chris Godwin, will be out with a finger injury. This leaves Mike Evans as the Bucs’ primary weapon on Monday night.
Mike Evans will have to face off against Giants cornerback James Bradberry, who is playing at an All-Pro level through the first seven weeks of the season. Bradberry and Evans have a history, as Bradberry formerly played in the NFC South as a member of the Carolina Panthers. This matchup could be the key to victory for the Giants in Week 8.
Mike Evans vs. James Bradberry
James Bradberry and Mike Evans have a long history playing against each other in the NFC South. Bradberry spent the first four years of his career with the Carolina Panthers before signing with the Giants this offseason. Evans and Bradberry have faced off twice per year since Bradberry entered the league in 2017.
In 2020, Bradberry and Evans will only matchup this one time. Based on their previous matchups, the Giants should feel pretty confident that Mike Evans will be contained on Monday night.
Mike Evans vs. James Bradberry in six shadow matchups since 2017:
Week 8, 2017: 5 receptions-60 yards-0 TD (10 targets)
Week 16, 2017: 6-107-0 (8)
Week 9, 2018: 1-16-0 (10)
Week 13, 2018: 4-48-0 (6)
Week 2, 2019: 4-61-0 (8)
Week 6, 2019: 9-96-0 (17)— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) October 28, 2020
James Bradberry has held Mike Evans to mediocre or below-average performances on multiple occasions. Only a couple of times has Evans gotten the best of Bradberry. James Bradberry has never allowed Mike Evans to score a touchdown in his coverage.
This year, it is even more likely that Bradberry contains Evans based on the way James has performed throughout this season. James Bradberry is the fifth-highest graded cornerback in the NFL according to Pro Football Focus. Bradberry made PFF’s First-Quarter All-Pro Team four his dominant first four weeks of the season.
The Giants’ secondary has suffered from a revolving door at the second cornerback position. However, James Bradberry has held the defensive together like glue with consistently excellent play as the primary cornerback. It would be surprising to see Mike Evans break out against the Giants’ defense tonight.