The 5-1 Tampa Bay Buccaneers will travel to Motown in Week Seven to take on the 4-2 Detroit Lions at Ford Field. The matchup will feature two of the NFC's powerhouses on the Monday Night Football prime-time stage, with kickoff at 7:00 p.m. ET on ESPN. The Bucs are coming off an exhilarating 30-19 victory over the San Francisco 49ers with another elite performance by Baker Mayfield and a defense that generated six sacks on Mac Jones and nabbed two interceptions. Meanwhile, the Lions will look to get back on track after a 30-17 pounding by the Kansas City Chiefs. As Tampa Bay faces Jared Goff, Aidan Hutchinson, Amon-Ra St. Brown and the one-two punch of Jahymr Gibbs and David Montgomery, here are five Bucs to observe following kickoff in Detroit:

Jamel Dean

Jamel Dean was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week for Week Six. In Tampa Bay's win over San Francisco, Dean tallied an interception, a sack, a forced fumble, four tackles (one for loss), a pass defensed and a quarterback hit. He became the first cornerback to record each an interception, sack and forced fumble in a single game since Week Seven of the 2024 season (Cobie Durant) and was the first NFC defender at any position to accomplish that feat in 2025. He currently leads the team, and is tied for fifth in the NFL, with two interceptions this season and among all defenders with 15-plus targets in 2025, Dean's 20.8 passer rating when targeted is the best mark in the NFL, per Next Gen Stats. Additionally, his 42.1% completion rate allowed when targeted is tied for the second-lowest among all qualified players, while his 1.4 average yards of separation per target is tied with Pat Surtain II for the second-best mark in the NFL, trailing only Sauce Gardner (1.3). Dean possesses 4.30 recovery speed and lateral quickness and change-of-direction skills to sink and crowd the catch space. For the Lions, Amon-Ra St. Brown has lined up wide on the majority of his snaps and he will face Dean come Monday night. St. Brown leads Detroit in receptions (44), receiving yards (452) and receiving touchdowns (six, first in the NFL). He plays with superb body control and effectively creates tilt from defenders on routes. St. Brown is instinctive and tracks the ball well downfield, while maintaining top speed.

Charlie Heck

The Lions employ Aidan Hutchinson on both edges to wreak havoc and he will see both Charlie Heck, who replaced injured Luke Goedeke at right tackle, and All-Pro Tristan Wirfs at left tackle. Against the Bucs in Week Two of last season, Hutchinson racked up an astounding 4.5 sacks of Baker Mayfield and containing him will be Tampa Bay's top priority in Week Seven at Ford Field. His 6.0 sacks rank fourth in the NFL in 2025 and he plays with a relentless motor. Hutchinson is explosive and often lines up wide, quickly shedding blockers. He possesses a nasty inside spin move and can work power and finesse moves, as well as bend the edge. Hutchinson lives in the backfield and Heck has been part of a protection unit that has allowed the ninth-fewest sacks in the NFL (10.0). He possesses fluidity and the athleticism to stay with targets on the move. Heck is effective on combo blocks and while the Bucs will likely use a collective approach with chips and double teams, this will be a key matchup.

Vita Vea

Against the 49ers in Week Six, Vita Vea recorded a half sack and five quarterback pressures and was double-teamed on 69.7% of Mac Jones' dropbacks. Attention paid to Vea by the opposition created opportunities for other defenders to rack up a season-high six sacks. On one of Yaya Diaby's sacks, Vea pummeled Dominick Puni to the ground and on the takedown he shared with Elijah Roberts, Vea split the double team and utilized a lethal swim move to force Jones out of the pocket. Vea anchors the defensive line and he has reinvented the nose tackle position – one that primarily two-gaps and hold the line of scrimmage – by staying on the field on third down in clear pass rush situations. Vea now ranks ninth in Bucs' history in sacks and he will face Lions' center Graham Glasgow on Monday night. Glasgow served as the left guard for Detroit last season but he moved over to center in 2025 after the retirement of four-time Pro Bowl center Frank Ragnow. Glasgow is part of a line that has allowed the sixth-fewest sacks in the NFL on Jared Goff (9.0) and this will be a pivotal matchup in the trenches.

SirVocea Dennis

The Lions pose a challenge in the backfield with the complementary tandem of Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery. Gibbs is a slasher who can elude tacklers in space. He makes sudden cuts and pairs it with instant acceleration to top speed. Montgomery is a power back with outstanding contact balance and the ability to counteract linebackers flowing laterally. Their styles keep defenses honest and Tampa Bay will have to play gap-sound football. The Bucs held the 49ers' Christian McCaffrey to 3.2 yards per carry on 17 attempts in Week Six and only one of their six opponents thus far has eclipsed 100 rushing yards as a club. Inside linebacker SirVocea Dennis attributed in containing McCaffrey's YAC yards and the Pittsburgh product will need another strong outing in Detroit. Dennis wraps-up ball carriers and can quickly get from Point A to Point B.

Kam Johnson

Against the 49ers, Kam Johnson led the Bucs in receiving with four catches for 64 yards and a touchdown. He helped move the chains and became a go-to target for Baker Mayfield in an offense down Mike Evans, Chris Godwin Jr., Jalen McMillan and Emeka Egbuka. The Barton College star is smooth and explosive in his route running and is adept off end-arounds and sweeps, along with working the middle of the field. The Lions' secondary is injury-plagued with cornerbacks D.J. Reed, Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw all on injured reserve and safety Brian Branch's one-game suspension for Week Seven against Tampa Bay. Detroit is decimated in the secondary and Johnson will look to take advantage.