The Detroit Lions are in the NFC Championship Game for the first time since the 1991 season. They defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the divisional game of the NFL playoffs 31:23 and can continue to dream of their first Super Bowl.
Buccaneers @ Lions: At a glance
- After a hard-fought first half in which the Lions left a lot behind, they turned it up after the break and showed how explosive their offense can be. They also set a special record.
- A late rally by the Bucs thanks to the combination of Baker Mayfield and Mike Evans made the game even more exciting late on, but in the end the Lions held on for the win.
- Amon-Ra St. Brown had an initially unremarkable game, but woke up at the right time, had a critical 3rd down conversion and scored the game-winning touchdown.
Buccaneers @ Lions: The Analysis
The visitors’ first drive after a quick 3-and-out by the Lions ended badly: Baker Mayfield threw a deep pass over the middle to Mike Evans, who let the ball slip through his hands and thus delivered it on a silver platter for an interception. Safety CJ Gardner-Johnson said thank you and brought the ball to Tampa’s 41-yard line. The Lions marched to the 4 but settled for a field goal.
The Bucs countered with a field goal from Ryan Succop in the first quarter. What followed was the home team’s best drive to date, crossing the field in 14 plays. In the end, Jared Goff found Josh Reynolds on a deep crossing route in the end zone to give the Lions the lead again to start the second quarter. The defense then got better and each managed a stop before Succop sent another field goal attempt from 50 yards to the left upright.
However, the Lions did not take advantage of the good field position and punted again after a sack by Calijah Kancey. The Bucs started at their own 92-yard line 1:27 minutes before halftime and then marched down the field at lightning speed thanks to the combination of Mayfield and Mike Evans. The highlight was a diving 29-yard catch by Evans at the 2-yard line. Mayfield then threw a fade to Cade Otton in the end zone to tie the game again just before halftime.
The second half started slowly before the Lions picked up momentum again midway through the third quarter. A 29-yard pass from Goff to Brock Wright put his team in position, and Craig Reynolds ultimately scored the touchdown on a fourth-and-goal at the 1. The Bucs responded with a quick drive that included several long catches from Cade Otton before Mayfield found running back Rachaad White on a screen for a 12-yard touchdown. The Bucs were lucky shortly beforehand, however, because Mayfield received what was supposed to be a sack, but according to the referees, got rid of the ball before his calf touched the ground. However, the video images suggested otherwise.
Buccaneers @ Lions: Decision in the final quarter
The Lions then only needed five plays to respond: In the end it was Jahmyr Gibbs who ran for a 31-yard touchdown. The Lions had a 24:17 lead at the start of the fourth quarter and then managed a defensive stop.
The Lions then faced a 3rd & 15, but Goff found Amon-Ra St. Brown, who caught the ball just before the marker but then gained the remaining yards for a new 1st down against Zyon McCollum. Things then moved quickly, as just a few plays later, Goff found St. Brown again, this time in the end zone for the nine-yard touchdown with six minutes on the clock.
However, the Bucs came back and Mayfield found Evans again for a touchdown. The subsequent two-point conversion – a fade towards Evans – went wrong, also because the referees overlooked a clear pass interference from Ifeatu Melinfonwu, who did not play the ball. As a result, the Lions got a few 1st downs, but had to punt again before the two-minute warning. The Bucs then had 1:59 left with a timeout at their own 10.
Shortly afterwards it was over, as Mayfield threw under pressure over the middle, where Derrick Barnes caught the interception for the victory. Game over! The Lions are in the NFC Championship Game for the first time since the 1991 season and for the second time ever and will face the San Francisco 49ers next Sunday.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (#4) @ Detroit Lions (#3)
Result: 23:31 (3:3, 7:7, 7:7, 6:14) BOXSCORE
Buccaneers @ Lions: Key stats
- The Gibbs touchdown in the fourth quarter was the Lions’ 25th touchdown of the season (including playoffs) scored by a rookie. That’s a record for most rookie touchdowns in a season in the Super Bowl era. They overtook the 1999 Colts (24).
- The Lions have twice as many playoff wins this season (2) as they did in the years 1958 to 2022 combined (1).
The star of the game: Jared Goff (quarterback, Lions)
Goff didn’t play spectacularly at first, but he played flawlessly. When it came down to it, he also turned up the heat and delivered some critical passes. He led the Lions to victory in the second half.
The flop of the game: Zyon McCollum (Cornerback, Buccaneers)
McCollum received five passes his way and they all arrived. He also failed to stop St. Brown from the all-important 1st down in the fourth quarter because he didn’t bring him down and was then also beaten by St. Brown for the decisive touchdown. Not a particularly good performance from the cornerback.
Analysis: Buccaneers @ Lions – that stood out tactically
- In the meantime, the Bucs only tried to create pressure with their front line. However, that hardly worked and gave Goff a lot of time to pass, especially since he made a lot of use of the quick passing game, especially at the beginning. Accordingly, Todd Bowles switched to a more aggressive approach with more blitzes in the second quarter. The bottom line, however, was that flashes were flashed less frequently than usual.
- The Lions surprised a bit with the frequency with which they attempted to cover Evans one-on-one with Sutton. After Mayfield overlooked this on a critical 3rd down, he took advantage of it several times on the final drive before halftime with several longer passes on vertical routes.
- It wasn’t until the second half that Sutton got help in such situations from a safety over the top.
- The Lions relied on easy boxes, which Tampa Bay repeatedly exploited with longer runs. They gave their opponents a lot of trouble, especially after the break. Meanwhile, they surprisingly rarely relied on play action, which is otherwise one of Mayfield’s strengths.