When the Saints traded Marshon Lattimore two months ago, it took away one of the most personal, nasty rivalries from the NFC South in his longstanding back-and-forth with Bucs receiver Mike Evans.
Now, a week after Evans beat the Saints to make the playoffs, that rivalry could get a new chapter.
Lattimore has played in only two games since being acquired by the Commanders, but if his hamstring holds up, he'll have a chance to rekindle a colorful history with Evans in Sunday night's wild-card matchup in Tampa.
"They're both great players and they both like to compete," Bucs coach Todd Bowles said Monday of their rivalry. "Mike is a pro and he understands what's at stake. He understands the game. Nothing really needs to be said about that."
We'll say something anyway. These two do not like each other and have gotten under the other's skin throughout eight seasons of going head-to-head. Their on-field fighting has led to multiple ejections and two one-game suspensions for Evans over the years.
"That's a real-life beef," Saints pass-rusher Cameron Jordan said in 2022. "I talked to Mike about it. It went from 'Aw, it's nothing' to 'They don't like each other.' That's what it is. It's a very apparent situation."
You won't likely see Evans make any public comments this week. Sometimes there's a mutual respect and admiration in a career-long rivalry, but it's hard to get much in the way of praise for one from the other.
"We're two competitors, two of the best in the business and we go at it," Evans said in 2022. "We get physical and it's a good matchup."
Washington could definitely use Lattimore on Sunday, as their cornerback depth has been challenged with him on the sidelines. Few teams have held Evans in check over the years
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