TAMPA, Fla. _ Chris Godwin was mad at himself. He made a catch and had run through what amounted to the Rams team picture earlier in the game but fell a few yards shy of the goal line.
"I got to find a way to get into the end zone," Godwin said. "That's always been a part of my game. I feel as a receiver, the times we get the ball can be few and far between. Anytime I get the ball I'm trying to score."
So when Jameis Winston threw a quick screen to Godwin in the second quarter of Sunday's 55-40 win over the Rams, this time he gathered more steam and bulldozed over cornerback Aqib Talib, who offered all the resistance of an end zone pylon.
With the Rams doubling Mike Evans, Godwin overcame a hip injury that prevented him from practicing until Friday and led the Bucs with 12 catches for 172 yards and a touchdown. The one time the Rams left Evans in single-man, he torched them with a 67-yard TD reception.
Evans did a LeBron James-like celebration and got a shot out from King James on Twitter.
Evans and Godwin, the only receiving tandem ranking in the top six in yardage, have combined for a league-high eight touchdowns.
There may be more balletic receivers or faster receivers or flashier receivers in the NFL. But there aren't any more productive pass catchers and physical receivers than Evans and Godwin. The NFL's version of the "Bruise Brothers," inflict punishment when they have the football or as run blockers.
"It's early in the season," Evans said. "I've said it at the beginning of the year and I'm going to stick with it. I wouldn't trade our receiving room for any in the league. The production is there and it shows. Not every receiver is going to get the ball a lot. We do a really good job of feeding off each other and Jameis has been playing great this year."
Godwin leads the Bucs with 28 catches for 386 yards, which ranks third in the NFL, and four touchdowns. Evans has 18 receptions for 368 yards and four scores. They are tied with six others for the most receiving TDs in the league.
The Browns' Jarvis Landry (18 receptions for 328 yards and 0 TDs) and Odell Beckham, Jr. (21 catches for 308 yards and 1 TD) stand as the second most productive receiving tandem.
Great receiving tandems often have a different set of skills that complement each other. Lynn Swan was smooth and acrobatic while John Stallworth was big, fast and physical. Randy Moss stretched the field with his speed and Cris Carter worked underneath routes with his flypaper hands. But they also can be cut from the same mold, like Evans and Godwin.
Both are big. Evans is 6-5, 225. Godwin goes 6-1, 209. And they are deceptively fast.
"CG is a complete receiver," Evans said. "He can do it all. We both line in up in the slot. He can play the three spot, he can play in the No. 1 or the No. 2 spot. He's our blocking receiver now. I used to be that guy my rookie year, so now I understand how tough that is and he does it with ease ... We're all about giving off positive energy to our teammates. If they see the highest-paid receiver on the team blocking, and then Chris Godwin getting in there down and dirty, then they're like, all right, I need to do that too."
Off the field, Evans and Godwin are even closer than they are in the huddle. Their lockers are side by side and their relationship has morphed from mentor to student to just contemporaries. What makes them special?
"Really, I think it's our relationship," Godwin said. "We're such good friends off the field. I look at Mike as an older brother and a friend. Ever since I've been in the league, he's been there if I had any questions to answer them and he's helped me come along and I think because of that, on the field, we want the best for each other."
The past two seasons, Godwin saw his opportunities limited by the arrival of free agent receiver DeSean Jackson. But after the Bucs traded Jackson to the Eagles, he has been the Bucs 1B pass target to Evans' 1A.
Over the past few years, one of the NFL's best air shows operated in Atlanta. First it was Julio Jones and Mohamed Sanu. Then last year, the Falcons used a first round pick on fellow Alabama receiver Calvin Ridley.
Both the Rams and Chiefs are loaded with receiving talent. But you won't find two more complete receivers also willing to help in the run game than Evans and Godwin.
"It's just their love for the game," Winston said. "Those two are two of the most unselfish players I've ever played with just because they want to see the team succeed."
And right now, they're playing better than any two receivers in the league.
"They can do so many different things," Coach Bruce Arians said. "They're not always sitting in one spot. They're both good blockers so they can get through play action because they block. They have great hands and they're good receivers. Just keep throwing the damn ball to them."
