Rookie wide receiver Mike Evans scored two touchdowns in the second half to guide the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a 27-7 victory over the Washington Redskins in their NFL clash.
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The Buccaneers were presented with the early chance to put the Redskins under pressure when Robert Griffin III's pass to Niles Paul was intercepted by Danny Lansanah, but the visitors could only put three points on the board through a Patrick Murray field goal.
Tampa Bay extended their lead when Griffin threw his second interception of the day into the hands of Johnathan Banks, who made the pick and ran all the way into the endzone, shaking off a tackle for the 19-yard score.
Murray added his second field goal of the game when Josh McCown moved his side into range after Kai Forbath had missed a 47-yard attempt for the Redskins at the other end.
The Redskins rallied just before the break when Griffin threw a short screen pass to Roy Helu, who ran behind his blockers to find a clear path to the endzone to secure a 30-yard score and get his side on the scoreboard.
In the third quarter, Forbath spurned the opportunity to bring his side within three points when he missed a field goal from 50 yards. Tampa Bay capitalised on his error when McCown fired deep downfield for Evans, who made a 36-yard touchdown grab to put his side in command.
The McCown and Evans combination was proving to be lethal against the Redskins' secondary, and Evans secured his second touchdown of the game when he raided over the top of the defense to haul in a 56-yard strike for a score.
Washington failed to muster any offensive production late in the game as they fell to the heavy defeat at FedEx Field, while the Buccaneers secured their second win of the campaign.
Simon Sinclair
