The Detroit Lions, who just defeated the Los Angeles Rams 26–20 in overtime, will welcome the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to town on Sunday for another postseason rematch from the previous campaign. To get to the NFC Championship Game, the Lions defeated the Bucs 31–23 at Ford Field in January.
Tampa Bay (1-0, NFC South) will play its first travel game of the season against Detroit (1-0, NFC North), who will wrap up their two-game home stand. The 63rd encounter between the teams will take place on Sunday; Detroit leads the series 33-29.
Tampa Bay began the season with a commanding 37-20 victory over the Washington Commanders on Sunday, which spoiled Jayden Daniels’ debut as the Washington quarterback. With 24 of 30 passes for 289 yards and four touchdowns to receivers Mike Evans (2), Chris Godwin (1), and Jalen McMillan (1), Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield torched the Washington secondary.
Tampa Bay never trailed throughout the game as they scored on their first five drives to take a 23-7 advantage. After a touchdown run by Daniels, the Commanders cut the lead to 23–14, but 14 straight points from Tampa Bay sealed the victory.
The Buccaneers are vying for their fourth straight NFC South championship and have begun 1-0 for four straight seasons.
On Sunday, the Buccaneers’ secondary suffered a setback. On Tuesday, cornerback Bryce Hall was placed on Reserve/Injured due to a dislocated ankle and a fractured fibula. Consequently, the team signed cornerback Keenan Isaac, who played both on Tampa’s main roster and practice squad during his rookie campaign in 2023.
Josh Hayes and Zyon McCollum, two cornerbacks, left Sunday’s game against Washington due to an ankle injury and a concussion, respectively.
Security Right foot injuries are Antoine Winfield Jr.’s current concern. This week’s Tampa Bay injury report featured McCollum, Hayes, and Winfield Jr.
Last meeting: In January, Detroit defeated Tampa Bay 31–23 in the NFC Divisional Round to terminate the Bucs’ season. Jahmyr Gibbs ran for a 31-yard score and quarterback Jared Goff connected with wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown on a 9-yard touchdown pass to establish a lead in a close game that saw both teams knotted at 17-17 at the end of the third quarter. During Tampa Bay’s last chance to tie the game, linebacker Derrick Barnes made the crucial interception that sealed the victory.
Fast hits:
2. Since Dan Campbell and Todd Bowles took over as head coaches of their respective clubs, Detroit has triumphed in both of its meetings with Tampa Bay.
