Baker Mayfield and Chris Godwin Theatrics
In a Motor City rematch of last year's Divisional Round playoff matchup between these two clubs, quarterback Baker Mayfield and receiver Chris Godwin led the charge in Week Two for the Buccaneers. Mayfield completed 12 of 19 passes for 185 yards and one passing touchdown, earning a 90.9 passer rating. The Lions play a trademark brand of bully-ball and Mayfield matched their physicality with some of his own moves on the ground. He used his legs to elude pressure and either stepped up to find Godwin downfield or maneuvered for positive yardage himself. Mayfield scored from 11 yards out to record his first rushing touchdown of the season and the eighth of his NFL career in the third quarter. The play prior, Mayfield juked Malcolm Rodriguez with a Barry Sanders-esque cut inside to gain the first down. Then the signal-caller turned on the jets again, taking off and bouncing to the outside to escape four Lions' defenders to lunge into the end zone. The 11-yard run marked the longest touchdown run of Mayfield's career. His 34 rushing yards in the game are the fifth-most of any game in his NFL career.
Godwin led the Bucs with seven receptions for 117 receiving yards and one touchdown. All 117 of his receiving yards came in the first half, which counted as the sixth time in his career in which he went over 100 receiving yards in a single half. Godwin's 117 receiving yards in the first half were his third-most in any single half of his career, and his most since 11/24/19 when he had 151 yards in the first half at Atlanta. Through Sunday's 1 p.m. games, Godwin's 117 receiving yards are the second-most by a player this season in a single half, trailing only Justin Jefferson's 133 in the first half against San Francisco. In the first half, in comparison to Godwin's 117, the rest of the Bucs' offense accounted for 16 yards through the first two quarters. In the second quarter, after a third-and-long conversion and another first down to bring Tampa Bay into Lions' territory, Godwin crossed the goal line. On the play, Bucky Irving went in motion and drew Amik Robertson in the flat. Mike Evans stole the attention of Terrion Arnold over the middle of the field and Godwin delayed his release, appearing to block Robertson as a decoy. Once Robertson took the bait and moved towards Irving, Mayfield delivered a perfect pass to Godwin down the left sideline. He ran it in for a 41-yard touchdown, providing the visiting team with a momentum advantage in front of the deafening crowd.
Defensive Surge
Without starting All-Pro safety Antoine Winfield Jr., starting three-technique Calijah Kancey, along with cornerback Zyon McCollum (concussion) and nickel Tykee Smith (illness) who practiced in a limited capacity during the week, the Bucs' defense led a master class in the red zone at Ford Field. Tampa Bay's defense allowed a touchdown on just one of seven red zone drives for Detroit (14.3%), limiting the Lions to just 16 total points – the third-fewest points scored by the Lions since the start of the 2023 season, including playoffs. Since 2000, the Buccaneers have allowed six or more red zone drives in a single game 15 times, but Sunday marked the first of those games in which Tampa Bay held its opponent to one or fewer touchdowns. The Lions were not able to reach the end zone until the third quarter, as the unit rallied to the football. The Bucs' defense showcased their resiliency and heart, stepping up in critical moments to stall drives.
On the Lions first offensive play from scrimmage, McCollum picked off Jared Goff to record his first career interception, returning it 14 yards. McCollum's interception marked Tampa Bay's first takeaway of the 2024 season. Jameson Williams collided with Christian Izien and McCollum took advantage with the pick. The second-year corner finished with a single-game career high four passes defensed, while adding six tackles. His performance just outside the 10-second mark late in the fourth quarter became a microcosm of the day for McCollum. From third-and-10, McCollum halted the Lions' comeback bid. He broke up a pass intended for Jameson Williams on a quick out route, setting up fourth-and-10. McCollum also had a near-second interception in the third quarter on a deep in-route by Amon-Ra St. Brown but the Lions' receiver dislodged the ball from McCollum's hands.
"Zyon is a very good corner," described Head Coach Todd Bowles. "Coach [Kevin] Ross does a great job with him. The mental part of the game has slowed down for him. He understands where his help is, he understands what he's seeing, he's a heck of an athlete. He wants to get better, he's out there every day before warmup trying to get better and work on things and it's all coming together for him. We think he's a heck of a player."
For the second game in a row, Jordan Whitehead led the team in tackles, finishing with a career-high-tying 11, including one for loss, and one pass defensed. No. 3 was consistently around the football, disrupting the Lions' offensive rhythm with tone-setting hits and a heat-seeking charge. From bracket coverage in the red area on Williams to prevent a touchdown, flying off the edge to clip David Montgomery's legs, dropping Jahmyr Gibbs for a four-yard tackle for loss immediately following the handoff (set up second-and-14), to stopping Gibbs short of the sticks on the pivotal fourth-and-eight play late in the fourth, Whitehead spurred the defense in Motown.
In his first start of the season filling in for injured Winfield Jr., Christian Izien claimed Goff's second interception of the day, marking his first of the season and the third of his NFL career. He displayed his downhill burst to prevent weapons from turning upfield and SirVocea Dennis recorded a career-high 10 defensive tackles. Dennis showed off his read-and-react skills throughout the NFC battle, making a mark on clear passing downs.
