After the Lions beat them in Week 6 last season and later ended their season in the Divisional Round of the NFC playoffs, the Bucs headed up to Detroit again for a Week 2 matchup at Ford Field looking for some revenge. And against the odds, Todd Bowles’ team did just that, using a huge game from Chris Godwin and the short-handed defense to beat the Lions 20-16 and improve to 2-0 for the fourth consecutive year.
Tampa Bay came into the game banged up, missing starting right tackle Luke Goedeke, All-Pro safety Antoine Winfield Jr. and star defensive tackle Calijah Kancey. It didn’t help matters that the team then lost Vita Vea to a knee injury in the second half of the game. But the Bucs overcame those injuries and put the rest of the NFC on notice with an impressive win in a hostile environment.
Here’s a recap of all the action from Sunday’s gutsy win in Detroit.
Bucs 20, Lions 16
Baker Mayfield and the Bucs offense got the ball to open the game and quickly put themselves in position to strike first. An 18-yard pass from Mayfield to Chris Godwin got things going, then Trey Palmer drew a 41-yard defensive pass interference penalty.
But just when it looked like Tampa Bay would have a golden opportunity to snap its long streak of games without an opening-drive touchdown, the drive stalled. A third-down sack-fumble by Aidan Hutchinson was recovered by Justin Skule, and the Bucs settled for a 30-yard field goal by Chase McLaughlin to take an early 3-0 lead.
The offense got right back on the field after that, though, as some contact from Christian Izien disrupted Jameson Williams’ route and led to a Zyon McCollum interception of Jared Goff. But Tampa Bay couldn’t convert that turnover into seven points, with another Hutchinson sack setting the drive back. However, a 19-yard catch by Godwin on 3rd & 22 set McLaughlin up for a 55-yard field goal, which he nailed to make it a 6-0 game.
The Lions went right after the Buccaneer defense on their next drive, with Goff and Williams connecting for a 50-yard gain deep into plus territory. A roughing the passer call on Yaya Diaby set up 1st & Goal after that, but the defense stood tall inside the 10. Jake Bates came on to drill a 22-yard field goal, cutting the Detroit deficit to 6-3.
Tampa Bay still had no answer for Hutchinson on its next possession, with the talented pass rusher getting his third sack in three drives. That forced Jake Camarda’s first punt of the day.
Goff was surgical on the ensuing possession, working the Lions offense down the field with little resistance from Todd Bowles’ defense. But once they got in the red zone, the defense stepped up. A stop on 3rd & 10 forced another Bates field goal, which tied the game at 6-6 early in the second.
The Bucs offense responded well, thanks again to the connection between Mayfield and Godwin. They linked up for 17 and 11 yards to get the drive going, then exploded for a 41-yard touchdown that put Tampa Bay 13-6. To that point, all 107 of Mayfield’s passing yards were a product of six passes to Godwin.
Tampa Bay’s defense then got a stop on the next possession… eventually. The Lions converted a fake punt from their own 20 and later converted another fourth down, but the drive still stalled out and resulted in a punt anyway. Mayfield and the offense retook the field with a chance to go up two scores, but Brian Branch came through with an interception just after the two-minute warning to get the ball back to Detroit’s offense.
The Lions put together a good drive and looked primed to cut into the deficit before halftime, but as Goff was set to stop the clock with a spike, the field goal team was running onto the field. As a result of the “too many men” penalty, there was a 10-second runoff and the half ended with the Bucs up 13-6.
Tampa Bay’s defense bent but refused to break again to start the second half, letting the Lions get inside the red zone before holding them to another field goal. That made it a 13-9 game. And the Buccaneer offense didn’t help matters on its first drive of the third quarter, with a fourth sack by Hutchinson forcing another punt.
The Lions killed a large chunk of the clock in the third quarter from there, putting together a 12-play, 68-yard drive in 6:07. The drive ended with a 1-yard touchdown by David Montgomery, which put them up 16-13 with 3:26 left in the third.
Tampa Bay’s offense responded in a big way. After a couple of 6-yard runs by Bucky Irving and a facemask penalty, Mayfield hit Jalen McMillan for a 21-yard gain. Then, Mayfield took over himself. He danced around the pocket and eventually took off for an 11-yard gain, which saw him shake Malcolm Rodriguez out of his shoes. On the next play, Mayfield took off up the middle on a designed run and scored an 11-yard touchdown to put the Bucs back on top. With that, the visitors took a 20-16 lead into the fourth quarter.
The Buccaneer defense came up with a big stop of the Lions to start the fourth, giving the offense a chance to get some separation late in the game. But they didn’t take advantage of that opportunity, with a fifth Aidan Hutchinson sack ending the drive and forcing another punt with the game still at 20-16.
Detroit took over with great field position, and a 24-yard run by Jahmyr Gibbs put the offense in an advantageous spot. But after a Frank Ragnow holding penalty, Lavonte David and C.J. Brewer pressured Goff into a throw that went right to Christian Izien, who picked it off for a crucial turnover.
Tampa Bay’s offense did nothing with the turnover and only took two minutes off the clock, so after another punt, Goff and the Lions offense got the ball back at their 18 with 5:12 to go. They worked their way into Buccaneer territory quickly, but a Tykee Smith tackle for loss set up a 3rd & 7 at the 42 on the other side of the two-minute warning. After the break, Goff connected with Sam LaPorta for six yards, setting up a 4th & 1.
On that 4th & 1, Gibbs broke free for a 23-yard gain to the 13. Joe Tryon-Shoyinka stepped up with a big tackle for loss on first down, then Detroit got five yards back on a pass to Williams. SirVocea Dennis then made a huge stop on third down, setting up a 4th & 8 for the game. Goff completed his fourth-down pass to Gibbs, but Izien and Jordan Whitehead came up to make the stop. That gave the ball over to Tampa Bay on downs, meaning the offense just needed a first down to close out the game.
Only the offense couldn’t muster up anything. Two Rachaad White runs went nowhere, then Mayfield had a pass batted down at the line. That brought Camarda out for another punt, and Detroit took over at the Tampa Bay 44 after a poor punt.
Amon-Ra St. Brown caught a 9-yard pass over the middle of the field, but had to be helped off the field as the Lions burnt their last timeout. Gibbs then caught a 9-yarder and Goff clocked it with 14 seconds to go. Three incompletions later, Tampa Bay escaped with one of the more impressive wins of the Bowles era.
Baker Mayfield completed 12 of his 19 passes for just 185 yards, a touchdown and an interception in the game, but he also finished as the team’s leading rusher with 34 yards and a touchdown on five carries. Chris Godwin was the star of the offense, catching seven of his eight targets for 117 yards and a touchdown.
Defensively, Jordan Whitehead, Tykee Smith, Joe Tryon-Shoyinka and Yaya Diaby all registered tackles for loss while Zyon McCollum recorded an interception and four passes defensed. Christian Izien chipped in with an interception and two passes defensed as well, and the Buccaneer defense buckled down just enough in the red zone to nullify the Lions’ 463-216 edge in total yards.
The Bucs (1-1) will now look to get a little healthier as they return home to host the Denver Broncos next Sunday, with kickoff set for 1:00 p.m.