LANDOVER, Md. — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had lost five straight games and were just 1-8. However, the host Washington Redskins had no answer for Mike Evans.

The Buccaneers rookie receiver caught seven passes for 209 yards and two touchdowns as Tampa Bay cruised to a 27-7 rout of the Redskins (3-7) on Sunday.

As Evans, the seventh overall pick in this year’s draft, went in motion with less than five minutes left in the third quarter and the Buccaneers leading just 13-7, he told quarterback Josh McCown that he could beat the coverage of Redskins safety Ryan Clark deep and cornerback Bashaud Breeland. Seconds later, Evans was behind Clark for the 36-yard touchdown. Clark took the blame for the score.

Just 5:29 later, inside linebacker Perry Riley was left in single coverage on Evans, who easily beat him for a 56-yard bomb from McCown (15-of-23, 288 yards) to make it 27-7.

“When I have a game like that, it feels like getting hot in basketball,” said Evans, who had seven catches and fell just seven yards shy of teammate Vincent Jackson’s franchise record of 216.

The game got off to a bad start for Washington, which was coming off its bye week. Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III’s first pass bounded off the hands of tight end Niles Paul and into those of Tampa linebacker Danny Lansanah at the Washington 29-yard line. Seven plays later, Patrick Murray’s 32-yard field goal gave the Buccaneers a 3-0 lead.

“A quick takeaway kind of set the tone,” Buccaneers coach Lovie Smith said. “We had great pressure from our front (which recorded all six of the sacks from a defense that had produced just 14 in its previous nine games). They really played well, kind of set the tempo.”

The Redskins’ second series ended in more painful fashion as two-time Pro Bowl left tackle Trent Williams with an injured right MCL and a sprained ankle that happened when Buccaneers defensive tackle Gerald McCoy — his buddy from their days at Oklahoma — was blocked into him from behind.

Washington’s third possession was also catastrophic. Griffin’s third-down pass intended for receiver Pierre Garcon was tipped by linebacker Mason Foster into the hands of cornerback Johnthan Banks, who returned it 19 yards for a touchdown. The Buccaneers had 52 yards of offense but led 10-0.

“I have no explanation right now,” Redskins rookie coach Jay Gruden said after the defeat. “(The Buccaneers) came in and played with a greater effort, made plays in key situations and we didn’t. We gave up six sacks, turned the ball over three times and created none except on special teams. … It was a struggle all the way across the board.”

What the Buccaneers said:

“He was going in motion and asking me to (make) a last-second adjustment. It’s a great pleasure to throw to Mike.” — Quarterback Josh McCown on rookie wide receiver Mike Evans.

“When you’re on a losing streak, you just want to get that one (victory). That 40-minute ride back to the airport would’ve sucked if we had lost.” — Defensive end Gerald McCoy on the Bucs ending their five-game losing streak.

What the Redskins said:

“Nobody has proved that they deserve to start anywhere after … this horrific game. But (Robert) has a lot of improvement to do, obviously.” — Coach Jay Gruden on quarterback Robert Griffin III, who blamed himself for the six sacks, raising his total to 15 in 115 dropbacks.

“I’m a very optimistic guy … but you have to say, ‘Look, we’re 3-7. We’ve got to find any kind of way to get better. … Right now, we have no Pro Bowl players. We aren’t playing that way.” — Quarterback Robert Griffin III, who is just 4-13 as a starter since the 7-0 run that ended his magical rookie season of 2012.

What we learned about the Buccaneers:

1. Rookie wide receiver Mike Evans is special. He’s the first NFL rookie with two touchdowns and 200 receiving yards in a game since Arizona’s Anquan Boldin in 2003.

2. A running game doesn’t matter when Josh McCown and the passing game are flying high. The Bucs gained 48 yards on 21 carries but still won easily.

–WR Mike Evans joined former receiver Antonio Bryant as the only Bucs with three straight 100-yard games with a touchdown. All seven of Evans’ touchdowns have come in the last six games.

— DE Jacquies Smith, who had just one sack in his previous 24 career games, had two on Sunday.

— RB Doug Martin (ankle) was inactive Sunday for a third straight game.

–CB Alterraun Verner (hamstring) was sidelined for a second straight game.

What we learned about the Redskins:

1. If they can’t get big-play receiver DeSean Jackson open deep against a cover-2 defense like Tampa Bay’s, they’re in trouble. Jackson, who came in averaging an NFL-high 21.8 yards per game, was held to just four catches for 35 yards.

2. Their pass defense needs plenty of work. They surrendered 19.2 yards per catch on 15 catches and sacked Bucs quarterback Josh McCown just twice in 15 dropbacks.

–QB Robert Griffin III was sacked six times, raising his total on the season to 15 in 115 dropbacks.

–RB Alfred Morris’ 31 games with at least 70 rushing yards over the last three seasons lead the league. He had 96 yards on 20 carries against the Bucs.

–LG Shawn Lauvao departed in the fourth quarter with a concussion.

–LT Trent Williams departed Sunday’s game with knee and ankle injuries. The two-time Pro Bowler will have an MRI on Monday on his right knee.