The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are preparing for their first road trip of the 2024 season, as they head back to Detroit for the second time in nine months. Kickoff against the Lions is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. ET at Ford Field, and the game will be broadcast locally by FOX.
The game is a rematch of the one that bounced the Buccaneers from the playoffs last January. Detroit advanced to the NFC Championship Game with a 31-23 win that was tied heading into the fourth quarter. Baker Mayfield threw for 349 yards and three touchdowns and led a spirited comeback in the final period after two Detroit touchdowns but was intercepted by linebacker Derrick Barnes on the Bucs' final possession.
Tampa Bay and Detroit are once again prime playoff contenders in 2024, and both got off to encouraging starts with wins in Week One. The Buccaneers handled Washington fairly easily in a 37-20 that was propelled by four Mayfield touchdown passes, two to Mike Evans. The Lions had a prime-time stage to start the season and beat an impressive Rams team, 26-20, in overtime on Sunday Night Football. Detroit's run game was powerful behind David Montgomery, and utterly decisive in the extra period, and the Lions' pass rush hounded Matthew Stafford all night.
The Buccaneers and Lions have a chance to greatly bolster their playoff aspirations in Week Two. Here are four major storylines and four head-to-head player battles to keep an eye on as the Bucs get ready for a rematch in Motown.
TOP STORYLINES
In the Trenches – Detroit boasts one of the NFL's most powerful offensive line, anchored by All-Pro left tackle Penei Sewell, and they lean on that unit to power an offense that ranked fifth in the league in rushing yards in 2023 and picked up where it left off in the opener. Montgomery picked up 45 of his 91 rushing yards – part of an overall 163-yard ground attack – in overtime on Sunday night as that front line took over against a weary Rams defense. The Buccaneers have spent a lot of draft capital on their interior defensive line in recent years, so would normally be well-suited for facing that dominant Lions front, but injuries have thinned the ranks in that unit. Calijah Kancey, the 19th overall pick in the 2023 draft, and Logan Hall, the 33rd selection in the 2022 draft, both suffered practice-field injuries at the end of the preseason and were unable to suit up in the opener. With Earnest Brown also going to injured reserve last week, the Bucs' rotation up front included Ben Stille, just signed off Arizona's practice squad, and a pair of practice squad elevations in C.J. Brewer and Mike Greene. Those three helped Vita Vea and Greg Gaines hold Washington running back to 50 yards on the ground, but the challenge will be stiffer in Detroit and both Kancey and Hall could still be sidelined.
Secondary Concerns – Speaking of injury-plagued units, the Bucs' secondary was hit hard in the win over Washington. Cornerback Bryce Hall suffered a serious ankle injury and was placed on season-ending injured reserve. Starter Zyon McCollum and reserve Josh Hayes are both question marks this week after sustaining a concussion and an ankle sprain, respectively. Safety Christian Izien played the second half against the Commanders at outside cornerback, a position he hadn't manned since high school. The Buccaneers have re-signed former undrafted free agent Keenan Isaac and should have undrafted rookie Tyrek Funderburk available in Week Two, but the safety spot may also be thinned if All-Pro safety Antoine Winfield Jr. can't go. Whoever the Buccaneers put on the field in their secondary will have to deal with Jared Goff, who signed a lucrative new deal in the offseason, Amon-Ra St. Brown and potential third-year breakout player Jameson Williams (more on him below).
Two Number Ones – Like Goff, Baker Mayfield signed a new multi-year deal with his team this past offseason, and there are definite similarities in how both quarterbacks got to their current situations. Goff was the first overall pick in the 2016 draft by the Rams, while Mayfield went first overall two years later to the Browns. Both enjoyed some early success with their original teams but were eventually traded when those teams sought out a more established option. For Goff, he was included in the same deal that sent Matthew Stafford to the Rams in 2021, and he was initially viewed by NFL analysts as something of a throw-in rather than a long-term solution in Detroit. Mayfield was shipped to the Carolina Panthers in July of 2022 after the Browns had swung an enormous deal with the Texans to acquire Deshaun Watson. He was later waived by a struggling Carolina team and finished the 2022 season with the Rams before signing with Tampa Bay and becoming Tom Brady's successor. Both Mayfield and Goff have settled in very nicely in their new homes. Mayfield earned his first Pro Bowl invite in 2023 after throwing for career highs in yards (4,044) and touchdowns (28). Goff racked up 4,575 passing yards and 30 touchdown passes in 2023 and was a Pro Bowler in 2022. Mayfield and Goff won't battle each other directly on the field Sunday, but it's always a major storyline for a game when two former number-one picks oppose each other.
Third and Go – The Buccaneers and Lions got off to relatively strong starts on offense in their respective wins, and one key reason is that both teams were adept at converting third downs into new sets of downs. The Buccaneers were nine of 13 on offense, for a 69.2% conversion rate that led the NFL in Week One. The Lions succeeded on six of their 13 tries (and one fourth-down attempt) to tie for 10th in the league. In Tampa Bay's case, the defense excelled in this area as well, holding Washington to just two conversions in eight tries, and no conversions via the passing game. Detroit's game with the Rams was closer in part because the Lions' defense allowed a 41.7% third-down conversion rate. This was an area that tilted in the Lions' favor last January. Both teams gained roughly 400 yards of offense in the Divisional Round game but the Lions' converted 42.9% of their third downs compared to 33.3% for the Buccaneers. Both teams boast quarterbacks playing at the top of their games and a wide array of offensive weapons. It may be hard for either team to fully contain the other squad's offense, but getting off the field on third down could be the key to at least keeping them from fully dominating.
KEY MATCHUPS
- Lions T Taylor Decker vs. Buccaneers OLB Joe Tryon-Shoyinka
In the first game of his fourth NFL season, former first-round pick Tryon-Shoyinka was one of the Bucs' most impactful pass rushers against the Commanders' elusive rookie quarterback, Jayden Daniels. He had one of the team's two sacks, which also caused a fumble that Washington managed to recover. He also had another sack that was erased by an unrelated penalty. Tryon-Shoyinka has an impressive athletic profile and great length, but at times during his career he hasn't been able to convert as many of his pressures into sacks as he and the team would like. That could change in 2024. Given the Bucs' many injuries in the secondary, it would help the defense significantly if they can get consistent pressure on Jared Goff, especially if they can do so without blitzing. Last year, Goff was one of the best quarterbacks against the blitz, but mainly when blitzes didn't succeed. When he threw under pressure during the 2023 regular season, Goff had a 3-8 TD-INT ratio and a passer rating of 62.9. Of course, defeating the Lions' top-notch offensive line to get that pressure isn't easy. Tryon-Shoyinka rushed mainly from the right end of the Bucs' defensive front in Week One, which would put him primarily in contention with Lions left tackle Taylor Decker, a long-time stalwart on Detroit's O-Line. Decker did surrender his highest pressure rate since 2018 (11.1%) but he has long been considered in the upper echelon of NFL left tackles.
- Buccaneers WR Chris Godwin vs. Lions CB Amik Robertson
Things are breaking right for Godwin at the start of his eighth NFL season. He's feeling healthier than he has been at any time since sustaining a bad knee injury near the end of 2021. He's back to playing primarily in the slot, where he has had his best seasons. And he's a perfect fit in Liam Coen's new offense and clearly a favorite of Baker Mayfield in critical situations. In the opener, seven of his eight catches produced first downs and four of them converted third downs. Godwin is a savvy route runner in the middle of the field and he routinely picks up more yards than expected on tunnel screens. The Lions overhauled their secondary for the second straight offseason in 2024, and one of the new additions is former Raiders cornerback Amik Robertson, who is starting in the slot. Robertson had four interceptions and 15 passes defensed over his final two seasons in Las Vegas. At 5-9 and 183 pounds, he will give up a bit of size to Godwin but he is adept at maneuvering in traffic in the middle of the field. Robertson is the type of "feisty and competitive" (in Dan Campbell's words) player that Campbell's Lions have built their ascension on in recent years. Robertson definitely won't back down from challenging Godwin early in his routes.
- Lions WR Jameson Williams vs. Buccaneers CB Jamel Dean
In many ways, the Lions' offense in 2024 looks a lot like it did in 2023 and 2022, but there could be one key difference this season: wide receiver Jameson Williams. The 12th overall pick in 2022, Williams had just 25 catches and four touchdowns (one rushing) in his first two seasons in Detroit. His performance in the Lions' win over the Rams suggest he'll be featured quite a bit more in 2024. The explosive Williams turned five catches into 121 yads and a touchdown and he even added a 13-yard run for a first down. Goff targeted the speedy receiver nine times, meaning Williams very well could have had a bigger evening. On his 52-yard touchdown, Williams froze cornerback Tre'Davious White for just a moment with a stutter, then blew by him to get nearly five yards of separation in an instant. The Buccaneers will be facing Williams, Amon-Ra St. Brown and the rest of the Lions' passing attack with a secondary that could be missing several pieces, as noted above. The last veteran standing is Jamel Dean, who does have the speed and recovery ability to stay with Williams, and he plays the boundaries very well. Dean is now the elder statesman in the Bucs' cornerback room, and he needs to lead the way while the defense is working through a litany of injuries, forcing young players into the mix.
- Buccaneers RB Rachaad White vs. Lions S Kerby Joseph
Just as he did all of last season, White produced big numbers in the passing game in the Bucs' season opener, finishing with 75 yards on six catches and snaring every pass thrown his way. Because most of his work was done on screens on which he caught the ball behind the line of scrimmage, he actually recorded a career-high 107 yards after the catch. White has great vision in the open field and he follows his blocks well, and the Bucs' offensive linemen pulled out in space to help him very adeptly in the season opener. Joseph was the Lions' third-leading tackler lats season and he notched six stops plus an interception in the Lions' Week One win. He is particularly trustworthy when making one-on-one tackles in the open field, which is obviously a scenario that could come into play if the Bucs continue to throw it to White. In coverage last season, Joseph allowed no touchdowns and a passer rating of 57.1.
