Buccaneers-Lions Key Matchup: Mike Evans vs. Lions' Secondary
Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers stand in the way of the Detroit Lions advancing to their first NFC Championship Game in 32 years.
Mayfield, the Cleveland Browns castoff, is playing some of his best football headed into Sunday’s divisional playoff game in Detroit.
The 2018 No. 1 overall pick threw for 337 yards and three touchdowns in Tampa Bay’s wild-card round victory over the Philadelphia Eagles last week. And, he’ll have a great chance to replicate close to that level of production against Detroit’s leaky secondary.
Going into its matchup with the Buccaneers, Aaron Glenn’s defense has allowed a 100-yard receiver in four consecutive games.
Last week against the L.A. Rams, it was rookie phenom Puka Nacua who went for north of 100 receiving yards. He thrashed the Lions’ defensive backs, to the tune of nine catches, 181 yards and a touchdown.
Pro Bowl wideout Mike Evans, Mayfield’s favorite target throughout the regular season, could be in line for a Nacua-type day on Sunday.
Evans has been the definition of consistent since entering the league in 2014. He’s recorded 1,000-plus receiving yards in each of his 10 NFL seasons, including 1,255 yards during the 2023 campaign. He also tied the Dolphins’ Tyreek Hill for an NFL-high 13 reception touchdowns this past season.
Standing in at 6-foot-5 and 231 pounds, the former Texas A&M receiver could be a matchup nightmare for Detroit’s defensive backs group all afternoon long.
Expect Mayfield to give plenty of looks to Evans when he’s matched up one-on-one with Cam Sutton and Kindle Vildor, the Lions’ starting outside cornerbacks. Sutton and Vildor each struggled in coverage a week ago against Matthew Stafford and the Rams, and were torched multiple times by Nacua.
Preventing Evans from going off and having a big day won’t be easy. But, as Detroit head coach Dan Campbell emphasized this week, it will be key to stopping Mayfield and Tampa Bay’s air attack.
“(Stopping No.) 13. 13. 13. 13. 13,” Campbell said, when asked about what it’ll take to slow down the Buccaneers’ passing game.
“We’ve got to find a way to squeeze this in on Baker. If you let him sit back there and play with rhythm and a hitch, it’s dangerous, because he will get it up to his guys and he’s going to give them a chance to make a play," Campbell explained further. "But, Evans is – man, he’s an issue. And, our guys know that. We can’t let him go off. You’re watching the New Orleans game from a couple weeks ago (Week 17), they’re going, New Orleans is kind of up, and then all of a sudden, under two minutes, man, three-shot plays. Bam, bam, bam.”
In Tampa Bay’s first meeting with Detroit in '23 (Week 6), Evans amassed just four catches for 49 yards. However, since then, Evans has developed a stronger rapport with Mayfield, and subsequently, I think he’ll be more productive Sunday at Ford Field.
At this present juncture, I’m predicting that the star wideout will notch seven receptions, 88 yards and a score in the Buccaneers’ divisional playoff tilt with the Lions.
