ASHBURN, Va. – Get your popcorn ready. The latest Marshon Lattimore versus Mike Evans clash is on.
Lattimore is set for Sunday night’s wild-card round meeting in Tampa Bay after the Washington Commanders cornerback missed two consecutive games with a hamstring injury. Washington acquired the four-time Pro Bowl selection at the league’s trade deadline for matchups against premier receivers. As circumstances dictate, he has a feisty history with the one he will face this weekend.
Evans, coming off an 11th consecutive 1,000-yard season, and Lattimore squared off frequently when both were in the NFC South. Their physical battles sometimes turned into brawls or excessive after-the-whistle tussles, leading to hefty ejections, fines and two suspensions for Evans. The win-or-else stakes on Sunday should quiet any personal animosity, in theory.
“I’m going out there to try and help my team. All the other stuff, if it comes, it comes,” Lattimore said following Friday’s indoor practice.
Don’t expect Lattimore to back down on the field from the towering Evans, who had two of his 11 touchdowns against the pre-Lattimore version of the Commanders in Week 1.
“I want to be physical. I want to be physical with anybody,” Lattimore said. “The extra level because of the past — it’s not really about the mental game. You’re going to know I’m here.”
More importantly, the Commanders have their top cover corner available for only the third time since the Nov. 5 trade with the New Orleans Saints.
“We’re pumped to have him back into the mix,” Commanders coach Dan Quinn said.
Washington sent three picks, including 2025 third and fourth-rounders, to New Orleans. In exchange, the Commanders received a 2025 fifth-round selection — and a dynamic cornerback with a lingering hamstring issue.
Lattimore sat out his final game with the Saints and the first four with the Commanders. Ironically, he returned to the lineup on Dec. 15 in New Orleans, only to re-injure the hamstring the following week against Philadelphia. He practiced in full on Wednesday and Thursday followed by a planned rest day on Friday.
Lattimore and Evans faced off in a Week 6 romp by the Buccaneers without any extracurriculars. Washington faced Tampa Bay in Week 1, falling 37-20. That game seems like a lifetime ago, considering how the Commanders thrived from there.
“We’ll play our best complementary football this weekend,” Quinn said. “This opponent and this game calls for that.”
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(Photo: Jonathan Bachman / Getty Images)
