BucsGameday Staff Score Predictions: Tampa Bay Buccaneers At Detroit Lions
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been the underdog that was counted throughout the season. That hasn't mattered to the players and coaches inside the building as they've proved the doubters wrong week after week by winning the NFC South and pulling off a postseason upset of the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Buccaneers will continue their revenge tour against another opponent that defeated them earlier in the year. The venue will be different this time as Tampa Bay travels to take on the red-hot Detroit Lions. Head coach Dan Campbell and the Lions are coming off their first playoff victory in 32 years after defeating the Los Angeles Rams in the Wild Card round.
The Lions finished 12-5 during the regular season and are one of the most complete teams remaining in pursuit of a Super Bowl. Quarterback Jared Goff and wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown lead the way on offense while defensive end Aidan Hutchinson and linebacker Alex Anzalone are some names to watch on defense.
Our staff provides their predictions and analysis as the Buccaneers prepare to take on the Lions at Ford Field.
Dustin Lewis (@DustinLewisNG)
The Buccaneers really are a special group this year and their heart was on full display in the upset against Philadelphia. When Baker Mayfield is locked in and the defense is firing away, Tampa Bay has proven to be a tough team to grapple with. The team has really hit its stride over the last couple of weeks.
After taking down one franchise that defeated them earlier this season, can the Buccaneers pull off another revenge game? It won't be an easy task to travel to Detroit to take down Jared Goff and the Lions. However, it's certainly not impossible either with the inconsistencies that the team displayed in the second half against the Rams.
Tampa Bay is going to be tested on Sunday but this unit has blinked on the road all year. I think this game will come down to a defensive effort but I'll roll with the Buccaneers pulling off another unlikely victory.
2023 Season Prediction Record: 12-6 (1-0 playoffs)
Buccaneers 17, Lions 16
Logan Robinson (@LogansTwitty)
This game is going to be a fun one but not easy for Todd Bowles and the Buccaneers. It’s going to be a hostile environment but we’ve seen this Tampa Bay team play well in those situations dating all the way back to Week 1 to Minnesota. My biggest thing is if Baker Mayfield can play the way he did against the Eagles but do it even better.
Philadelphia’s secondary was awful in that game and has been the latter half of their season. It’s going to be more of a challenge for Mayfield in this game and he’ll have to hold onto the ball. Lastly, Bowles is going to have to find ways to interrupt Jared Goff’s passing attack. He’s playing excellent and is extremely comfortable in the pocket no matter what looking downfield. Blitzes and fake blitzes from Bowles will be huge to affect his gameplay.
I like the Bucs to keep this one very close until the end but I just don’t think it’s Tampa’s year just yet but it says a lot about Bowles and Jason Licht in what they were able to accomplish with the team they put out there on Sundays.
2023 Season Prediction Record: 11-7 (1-0 playoffs)
Lions 27, Buccaneers 20
David Harrison (@DHarrison82)
This one is going to be a bit tougher than the last, and I don’t think anyone expected to say that at this point. But the Buccaneers can beat Detroit. Will they?
In order to do so they’ll have to beat not only the Lions, but a stadium full of hungry fans. This one is tougher and I do expect Tampa Bay to keep it close.
2023 Season Prediction Record: 11-7 (1-0 playoffs)
Lions 27, Buccaneers 23
Collin Haalboom (@SI_Buccaneers)
The Bucs face the Lions for the second time this year, except this time it's with a trip to the NFC Championship on the line.
The Lions are a talented, physical football team with dynamic skill position players. But the Buccaneers seem to be hitting their stride, and their head coach and defensive coordinator, Todd Bowles, has a strong track record of putting together excellent game plans when he sees an offense for the second time in a season. Just like he did last week vs. Philadelphia.
I think the Bucs offense keeps it rolling, and the defense is able to force a couple of turnovers from Jared Goff and company.
2023 Season Prediction Record: 12-6 (1-0 playoffs)
Buccaneers 31, Lions 24
Caleb Skinner (@chsnole)
The Buccaneers throttled the Philadelphia Eagles in their Wild Card matchup and now will head to Detroit to take on the Lions who were in a nail-biter against the LA Rams before coming away with the victory for their first playoff win in decades. The Lions have a high-flying offense and despite Detroit winning 20-6 in the regular season, the Bucs were able to temper their offense enough to give them a shot.
If the Buccaneers' offense can continue their strong play against a less-than-stellar Lions' defense then they should be able to compete in this one. The Bucs' defense will need to play at a high level like they did in the first matchup and the Wild Card against the Eagles. They should continue on their revenge tour in the hopes of moving on to the next round, but they will have to do so in front of a raucous crowd at Ford Field.
I fully expect this one to come down to the last seconds and have the Bucs coming away with another shocking underdog upset as they continue their strong play and play for each other.
2023 Season Prediction Record: 10-8 (1-0 playoffs)
Buccaneers 28, Lions 25
JC Allen (@JCAllenNFL)
The revenge tour continues for the Bucs with a close win in Detroit. While the Lions boast a litany of offensive weapons, Tampa Bay’s defense has been playing their best football over the last six weeks. It all starts up front stopping the run. If they can do that and generate pressure they can affect Goff’s game. Winning the turnover battle will be huge for the Bucs to pull off the upset.
While the Lions have some players on defense, the Rams threw for over 300 yards and came away with six explosive plays down the field. The duo of Mike Evans and Chris Godwin should give the Detroit secondary fits as long as Baker Mayfield can play close to the way he did against the Eagles. The Bucs will need to try and establish some sort of running game against a talented front, but if they can do that and not beat themselves there’s no reason they can’t move on to the NFC Championship round.
2023 Season Prediction Record: 14-4 (1-0 playoffs)
Buccaneers 27, Lions 24
Kade Kimble (@kadekimble)
While the Lions are coming off a close win against the Rams, they come into this game as a near-touchdown favorite. The Buccaneers are playing well as of late, but traveling to Ford Field will prove to be too much late in the game as they’ll lose a close one. The game will provide a good atmosphere in a game that could be determined on the final drive.
2023 Season Prediction Record: 12-6 (0-1 playoffs)
Lions 30, Buccaneers 27
Ben Meyerson (@ByBenMeyerson)
Baker Mayfield posted his lowest passer rating of the season (56.1) in Week 6. But Detroit's defense has been a tale of two seasons. In Weeks 1-9, they ranked 8th in EPA/Play and in Weeks 10-18 they ranked 27th, Luke Goedeke had an excellent game against Aiden Hutchinson.
If the offensive line can continue to give Baker time the offense will have a much better outing than they did in October. On defense, Todd Bowles vs Ben Johnson is a fun matchup. The big change from the regular season is the emergence of Jahmyr Gibbs.
They are trusting him on third down more often and that may be where the Bucs can gain an advantage of him in pass protection. But St. Brown and LaPorta will make plays and this offense will roll. Unless the Bucs are able to consistently disrupt Goff it will be difficult to slow them down.
2023 Season Prediction Record: 11-7 (1-0 playoffs)
Lions 28, Buccaneers 20
Cody Haynes (@codyh33)
Let me start off by saying, the Bucs absolutely destroyed the Eagles all game in the wild-card round, proving they belong in the playoffs. The whole game, Todd Bowles and Dave Canales had their number on both sides of the ball. This week is going to be a bit more challenging. The Lions are playing good football and they won their first playoff game in thirty years. Ford Field is going to be rocking for sure.
The Bucs offense will have to find a way to keep the positive momentum flowing on the field with a lot of crowd noise. The defense just needs to do exactly what they did against the Eagles. Take away Detroit’s strong run game and make Goff uncomfortable in the pocket. The Lions' defense flashes at times, especially on the edge, but it’s not one of the league's best.
The Bucs' offense should get some opportunities to make plays. If the Bucs continue to play like they did in the wild-card round, I think they can pull off a close one.
2023 Season Prediction Record: 9-5 (1-0 playoffs)
Buccaneers 24, Lions 23
Matthew Hewitt (@BucsTrackerNFL)
The Bucs are hot and playing fun football. I think the Bucs continue this hot streak and play freely against the Lions. If the Bucs can get to Goff, they will be successful.
2023 Season Prediction Record: 9-5 (1-0 playoffs)
Buccaneers 28, Lions 27
CONSENSUS: Buccaneers (6-4)
Stick with BucsGameday and the Locked On Bucs podcast for more coverage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers throughout the 2023 season.
