TAMPA, Fla. -- It isn't just a playoff berth on the line for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this week. History is on the line too for wide receiver Mike Evans, who needs 85 receiving yards against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday to reach 1,000 receiving yards for the 11th consecutive season -- which would tie Pro Football Hall of Famer Jerry Rice for the most consecutive 1,000-yard seasons in NFL history.

It's a feat Evans, 31, has talked about since this summer, and even prior to that, and it was threatened by a hamstring injury that forced him to miss three games -- tied for the most missed games in a season in his career. But he's notched 580 receiving yards since his return in Week 12 -- third-most in the league behind Puka Nacua and Jerry Jeudy -- which has made this possible.

That included 97 receiving yards and two touchdowns against the Carolina Panthers last week where Pro Bowl left tackle Tristan Wirfs asked after the game: "He needs 85, 85 yards for 1K?"

"His gold jacket's waiting for him," Wirfs said. "Yeah, we've gotta get that for him."

If history plays a hand in it, it won't be easy for Evans on Sunday (1 p.m. ET, FOX). He has only topped 85 receiving yards three times in his whole career against the Saints (5-11), and the last time it happened was 2018. Evans' career average against New Orleans is 47.5 yards per game -- his fourth lowest against any team. His six career touchdowns against the Saints are also, by far, the lowest of any divisional opponent. He had 34 receiving yards against the Saints in Week 6, and last season, he had 70 in Week 17 and 40 in Week 4.

A longtime nemesis, Marshon Lattimore, is with the Washington Commanders now following a midseason trade, and seven times this season the Saints have given up over 85 receiving yards to a single wide receiver in a game. It has not happened since Jeudy in Week 11. One of those games involved Chris Godwin, who had 125 receiving yards in Week 6 before suffering a dislocated ankle and being placed on injured reserve. The Saints' 3,839 receiving yards given up through 16 games this year are their most passing yards surrendered since 2020. They're also without now-top cornerback Paulson Adebo, whose season ended with a broken femur in Week 7, with Alontae Taylor moving outside.

"I couldn't track it, but I know it's getting close," Evans said of the record in December. "I'm just trying to make every play that comes my way. Obviously it gets bigger and bigger each year -- when you're chasing history, you're chasing greatness. I've been blessed to do that for this many years and be close this year. Hopefully I get it."

Quarterback Baker Mayfield said, "I'm thinking about it more than Mike is," adding that he didn't want to be the quarterback that ended the streak.

"Let's put things in perspective," Mayfield added. "You're talking about tying somebody [in Rice] that has all receiving records across the NFL throughout history. You're talking about somebody that's consistently been somebody in this community that has raised people up, continued to be the face of this franchise and be there for people, so that record is important for us. To get him to that -- obviously, winning is the most important part -- but those two things go hand in hand.

"The most important thing is winning, but how I see it playing out -- if we win, Mike is getting the record."

The recent explosion of the team's now-No. 2 wide receiver, rookie Jalen McMillan, is helping Evans, as teams can't consistently shade a safety over the top of Evans. In fact, McMillan's six receiving touchdowns since Week 14 are the most in the league (Evans has four). 

"When you've got a guy that typically defenses want to cloud and you just stick him out there at No. 1 and say, 'Mike, run vertical,'" offensive coordinator Liam Coen said. "The chances of him getting one-on-one are, at times, little. You've got to pick and choose your spots where you can get him one-on-one. ... Obviously, if you do leave him one-on-one, [Mayfield] is going to probably give him a chance. It's kind of the best of both worlds."

The emergence of the Bucs' ground game with rookie Bucky Irving and Rachaad White has helped too, as could be seen with stacked boxes in both games against the Panthers and against the Las Vegas Raiders. The Bucs faked handoffs to Irving with Evans isolated in both 1 and 2-yard touchdowns last week.

Evans currently ranks fourth in the NFL in TD receptions with 11, and as long as he remains in the top 10, he will earn a performance incentive of $666,668, according to Roster Management System. He's likely to full short of the the other $3.33 million in incentives after missing the three games, but he has already earned his full allotment in incentive-based escalators for $3 million toward his 2025 base salary (from $18M to $21M).

Evans said that no matter what, though, the priority is winning and getting to the playoffs. The Bucs will win the NFC South if they beat the Saints or if the Atlanta Falcons lose to the Panthers on Sunday.

"He probably does care deep down, but he's not letting it show," Wirfs said. "I think we all care a lot more. Because it's something really special."

Something special for someone that's been selfless. When Godwin led the NFL with 50 catches through the first seven weeks, no one was happier for him than Evans, his mentor, even though it meant a dent in his own catches. He also immediately sent McMillan a playbook when he was first drafted.

Evans, the franchise's all-time receiving leader at 12,595 yards, already has the record for the most consecutive 1,000-yard seasons to start a career in NFL history at 10, and he's currently tied with Randy Moss for the second most total all time behind Rice's 14. 

"Mike won't say anything about it, and that's just who he is," Mayfield said. "That's why we love him, that's why everybody loves him, that's why he's been so consistent for so long. It's never been about just himself; it's been about winning and trying to find ways to win."