The Lattimore File
- Won the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award, 2017
- Four Pro Bowl selections, 2017, 2019-2021
- One CFP national championship, 2014
- One First-Team All-Big Ten selection, 2016
Lattimore's Got Beef. Is He Winning?
LeBron and the Celtics. The Yankees and the Red Sox. Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. Some matchups are circled way ahead of time, and for good reason.
For New Orleans Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore, that date comes twice a year. They play the division rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which means Lattimore goes toe-to-toe with wide receiver Mike Evans. The two have...a history of getting physical, inciting penalties, and getting others involved. Now that they've got our attention, it's only fair to try and measure who has come out on top.
Prior to their last matchup of 2021, Evans had racked up 81.7 yards per game against the field. Against Lattimore: 51.4.
Advantage Lattimore, but it might not be that simple.
Pro Football Focus has spent time charting receivers and their success rates against coverages and opponents alike. In 98 man coverage reps against Lattimore, Evans has found success 31% of the time. That mark, coincidentally the same as his numbers against the rest of the league, is elite.
It begs the question: is Lattimore due for regression to the mean? He's getting beat, but for one reason or another, the production hasn't followed.
Like a tree in the woods with nobody around, does it getting open really count if you're not getting the ball? Only time will tell.