Detroit’s Divisional Round Win against Buccaneers
The Lions played their second straight playoff game in the Divisional Round against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After beating a tough Rams team, Detroit looked to defeat Tampa Bay to advance to the NFC Championship Game. With both teams fighting hard through the first three quarters, the Lions outperformed the Buccaneers in the forth and defeated them 31-23.
Both teams went back and fourth throughout this game. Going into the half with a score of 10-10. One team needed to show what they were made of. After a tight third quarter, Jared Goff and the Lions scored two touchdowns in the fourth while holding the Buccaneers to only one. The Lion’s defense came into play as well. Baker Mayfield has been playing extremely well and while he threw for 349 yards, his turnovers were ultimately what held him back. Throwing an interception to C.J. Gardner Johnson in the first quarter to a game-sealing interception to Derrick Barnes in the fourth.
Mike Evans had some explosive plays with 147 receiving yards and a touchdown. While Mayfield and Evan’s connection had a significant impact on the game, it was not enough to get past the Lions.
Photo Credit: Nic Antaya
Jared Goff showed up ready to play in their divisional matchup. Goff threw for 287 yards and two touchdowns while completing 30 of his 43 passing attempts. Detroit’s star players Jahmyr Gibbs and Amon Ra St. Brown both had over 70 yards, and each scored a touchdown. The Lion’s offense has been playing extremely well thanks to General Manager Brad Holmes drafting an amazing rookie class. Along with Ben Johnson who is an offensive mastermind.
Photo Credit: Kevin Sabitus
This game was a lot closer than people expected. While Tampa Bay had been playing better throughout their season. The Lions are a more talented team. The Buccaneer’s defense got significantly better late in the season along with Baker stacking touchdowns which helped them keep it close against the Lions. It is clear the Lions still struggle in the secondary as they allow a lot of play-action passes to get by them. Although Detroit’s pass rush did a great job pressuring Baker. On the other side of the ball when Jared Goff is given the time to make his reads thanks to their highly graded offensive line, they work together seamlessly. The Lions are now headed to San Francisco to play in the NFC Championship Game.
