Rematches continue to be in style this postseason as the No. 4 Buccaneers travel to Detroit to face the No. 3 Lions in a rematch of Week 6.
On a Sunday in October, Detroit defeated the Bucs in Tampa, 20-6. This loss commenced the 1-6 stretch that saw Todd Bowles’s unit sink from a 3-1 start to finish November with a record of 4-7. Tampa meets Detroit this time having won six of its last seven games, including their Wild Card blowout of Philadelphia last weekend.
The last regular season meeting between these teams in Detroit was in 2020 when Tampa blew Detroit away by the final score of 47-7. To say Detroit is a changed team in the three years since that last contest at Ford Field may be an understatement.
The Lions gave their fans a reason to celebrate amidst a year in which the city’s other professional teams continued their struggles, slaying their playoff demons in a win over the Rams last weekend. To win once again, Jared Goff will have to repeat his 353-yard performance from these teams’ Week 6 contest where he also tossed zero interceptions. Similarly, Goff’s No. 1 target in Amon-Ra St. Brown will look to match a big performance in which he delivered 12 catches for 124 yards and a touchdown.
For Tampa, while Baker Mayfield did record his second career playoff victory, a near-perfect performance may be necessary in order to stun Detroit. They will need to rely on the Mayfield-to-Mike Evans connection. Evans hauled in 10 passes for 181 and two touchdowns during that 2020 contest in Ford Field. Another focal point will be the defense, which held Philadelphia to only nine points last Monday.
Mike Evans is a legend 🐐 pic.twitter.com/MEeW6603xQ
— Footballism (@FootbaIIism) January 16, 2024
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Buccaneers vs. Lions Game Info
Date: Sunday, Jan. 21, 2023
Start time: 3:00 p.m. ET
Location: Detroit, Mich.
Stadium: Ford Field
TV Info: NBC, Peacock, NFL+, Sunday Ticket
Betting Odds
Odds courtesy of DraftKings.
Point Spread: TB +6.5 (-110), DET -6.5 (-110)
Moneyline: TB (+230), DET (-285)
Over/Under: O/U 49 (-108)
Tampa enters as 6.5-point underdogs.
What To Watch For
Ford Field will be rocking on Sunday afternoon as Lions fans return to Ford Field twice in one postseason. Regardless of the outcome, the winning team will likely travel to San Francisco next weekend for the NFC Championship. Kyle Shanahan will be watching closely and preparing his game plan no matter who comes out of this contest victorious. Of course, if the Packers do the unthinkable and upset San Francisco, the winner of Buccaneers-Lions will host Green Bay next Sunday.
I’m gonna go ahead and guess this is the moment that #Lions fans got Ford Field up to 133.6 decibels pic.twitter.com/2y2su0JBlu
— Erik Schlitt (@erikschlitt) January 17, 2024
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