The Tampa Bay Buccaneers could have taken a knee and sealed a trip to the playoffs on the final play of their win over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. Instead, they elected to take care of veteran receiver Mike Evans, helping him reach a $3 million contract incentive and tie a record held by Hall of Famer Jerry Rice.
Bettors rejoiced, too.
The most popular yardage player prop at ESPN BET on Sunday -- both by the number of bets placed and the amount of money wagered -- was Evans to have more than 80 yards receiving against the Saints.
Amid the heavy betting interest, the price to bet over 80 yards for Evans grew from -210 to -325 at ESPN BET.
Evans entered the game with 915 yards receiving and needed 85 yards to reach 1,000 for an 11th consecutive season and trigger the $3 million contract incentive. Rice is the only other player to accomplish that feat.
The Bucs veteran was sitting at 80 yards receiving late in the fourth quarter, with Tampa Bay leading by eight and the Saints driving.
Tampa forced a turnover on downs and took over at its own 36-yard line with 36 seconds left, in position to take a knee, run out the remainder of the clock and clinch the NFC South crown.
Quarterback Baker Mayfield instead hit Evans on a short pass, and he picked up 9 yards, putting him over the 1,000-yard mark for the season and giving him 89 yards for the game, to the delight of both his teammates and the home crowd at Raymond James Stadium.
