The Tampa Bay Buccaneers saw a two-game winning streak snapped on Monday Night Football, as a visit to the Detroit Lions ended in a desultory 24-9 loss. It was the first time in four road trips this season that the Buccaneers came out on the losing side, and it was a struggle from start to finish. The Buccaneers finished with just 262 yards of offense and 15 first downs, and converted four of 16 third-down opportunities.
"It's just doing the little things, attention to detail," said Head Coach Todd Bowles. "It was a heavyweight fight and if you don't cross your T's and dot your I's the other team is going to win. Dan [Campbell] did a great job getting his guys ready and it starts with me."
Even after the loss, the 5-2 Buccaneers remained tied for the NFC's best record with the Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams. Tampa Bay's lead in the NFC South is by one game over the 4-3 Carolina Panthers.
The Buccaneers' offense failed to take advantage of a Lions' secondary depleted by injuries, as QB Baker Mayfield was held to 228 yards on 22 of 28 of 50 passing, with one touchdown and one interception. He was sacked four times and pressured often as the Bucs' passing attack was held to a season-low average of 3.9 yards per pass play.
"I thought Detroit did a really good job of keeping [Mayfield] in the pocket," said Head Coach Todd Bowles. "They kept him in the pocket and they got pressure from within, so that's important. We've got to block it better, we've got to protect him better."
Tampa Bay got WRs Mike Evans and Emeka Egbuka back from injury for the game but Evans subsequently suffered a concussion and a shoulder injury and was out for most of the second half. Egbuka caught four passes for 58 yards. Bowles said after the game that Evans was likely to miss most of the rest of the regular season due to a broken clavicle.
"It's a tough blow," said Bowles of Evans' injury. "But we've been holding it down since he's been gone and we've just got to regroup and come back."
Detroit scored on the game's opening possession on Jared Goff's 27-yard touchdown pass to WR Amon-Ra St. Brown, then doubled its lead in the second quarter on Jahmyr Gibbs' 78-yard breakaway touchdown run. St. Brown caught six passes for 86 yards and Gibbs accounted for 218 yards from scrimmage as Detroit gained 379 yards of total offense.
"He got the one big run, he got 78 yards," said Bowles. "We were out of our gaps. We've got to coach it better, we definitely have to play it better and we've got to give him credit. He's a talented running back and if you give him a crease he's going to make you pay, and he made us pay."
Penalty problems contributed to Tampa Bay's slow start to the game. An illegal contact penalty on third down kept Detroit's game-opening touchdown drive alive, and a holding call on the subsequent kickoff brought back a 51-yard kickoff return by Kameron Johnson that would have given the Bucs excellent field position. Not long after, a third-down illegal contact penalty on Jamel Dean revived a Lions drive shortly before Gibbs' breakaway run.
The Bucs made a bid to get back into the game early in the second half after Detroit took a 14-3 lead into halftime. Mayfield engineered an 11-play, 67-yard drive that ended in a nifty 22-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown by rookie WR Tez Johnson. The Buccaneers unsuccessfully went for two after the score and never found the end zone again. Three straight drives in the fourth quarter ended in turnovers on downs, including one that reached the Lions' 12-yard line with roughly four minutes to play. The Lions added a five-yard Gibbs touchdown run and a 58-yard field goal in the second half to put the game out of reach.
The Bucs' defense did periodically get pressure on Lions QB Jared Goff, who completed 20 of 29 passes for 241 yards, one touchdown and one interception. S Tykee Smith, LB SirVocea Dennis and OLBs Yaya Diaby and Anthony Nelson each registered sacks and Smith added a team-high 13 tackles, plus two tackles for loss. CB Jamel Dean picked off his third pass of the season and rookie DL Elijah Roberts recovered a fumble after a first-half strip-sack by OLB Yaya Diaby.
The home team dominated the first half, although the Buccaneers' defense was able to keep its team in the game despite a total yardage edge of 275-58. That effort included two takeaways and holding the Lions to one conversion on six third-down attempts. The Lions also missed a 54-yard field goal attempt and three sacks of Jared Goff helped cut several drives short. The Bucs narrowly avoided their first scoreless first half in a game since 2023 when Chase McLaughlin drilled a 53-yarder as time expired.
The Bucs won the opening toss and deferred their decision to the second half, which meant Detroit got the game's first possession. The drive started at the Lions' 31 and Goff's first pass, in Amon-Ra St. Brown's direction was thrown under pressure and incomplete. However, Gibbs took a swing pass out to the left on the next snap and side-stepped two would-be tacklers to find open field for a gain of 30 to the Bucs' 39. Two Jahmyr Gibbs runs got a total of four yards, and the Bucs got quick pressure on a four-man rush and forced an incompletion. However, there was an illegal contact flag thrown on Jacob Parrish, which made it first-and-10 at the Bucs' 30. Two plays later, St. Brown got open on a crossing route and easily loped into the end zone on a 27-yard score.
Kameron Johnson got the ensuing kickoff out past midfield but all of it came back on a holding call on S Kaevon Merriweather, forcing the Bucs to start at their own 15. White got the first-down handoff and lowered his shoulder to gain five yards up the gut, but Mayfield tripped while scrambling on second down, making it third-and-six. Mayfield had to throw on the run on third down, and while he got the ball to Sterling Shepard it came up short of the line to gain and the Bucs had to punt. It was fair caught at the Lions' 35.
St. Brown got wide open on the first play of the next drive and caught a 24-yard pass to get the ball into Buccaneers territory again. David Montgomery's first carry of the game only gained a yard thanks to a backside run blitz by S Tykee Smith, and two plays later the Lions faced a third-and-four at the Bucs' 35. Diaby beat his man to get behind Goff and swiped at the quarterback's arm, forcing a fumble that Roberts recovered at the Bucs' 40.
The Bucs' penalty woes continued with a false start on their next snap, and a sideline downfield shot to Evans was incomplete. TE Cade Otton held onto a tipped ball for eight yards on second down, but LB Jack Campbell defended a screen pass to White perfectly and dropped him for a loss of two, leading to another punt.
The Lions started anew at their 14 after a fair catch and Gibbs got just three into the arms of Logan Hall on first down. St. Brown caught a short out and once again slipped a tackle to get 16 yards and a first down at the 33. Two more Gibbs runs amounted to 14 yards and a first down at the Bucs' 47, after which Goff ran a play-action rollout right and chose to keep it for a six-yard scramble. A short pass out to the right to Gibbs got him free for a gain of 24 to the Bucs' 23. DL Vita Vea blew up the next play to give Gibbs a loss of three; two plays later, on third-and-nine, Goff hit WR Kalif Raymond over the middle for seven yards. The Lions left their offense on the field, and turned it over on downs when a shot to rookie WR Isaac TeSlaa on a go route was overthrown.
The Bucs thus took over at their own 15 in the final minute of the first quarter. A two-yard White run brought the first quarter to a close. Another sideline shot to Evans worked better this time, with the receiver drawing a 28-yard pass-interference call. That put the ball at the Bucs' 40, and two plays later the offense faced a third-and-three, with Mayfield's pass getting batted down at the line. The resulting punt was fair caught at the 14.
An outlet pass to Montgomery sprung the back for a 15-yard gain to give the Lions' offense some breathing room, but Smith dropped him for a loss of two on the next handoff. That was followed by a false start to make it second-and-17, but a seam pass to St. Brown got 12 and made it a manageable third down. The Bucs blitzed on third down and Dennis broke through to drop Goff for a loss of 12.
After the punt, the Bucs had the ball at their 36 with 10 minutes to go in the half. A downfield shot ended up incomplete with Evans and Tez Johnson colliding, and a second-down completion to Egbuka was limited to four yards. Mayfield scrambled forward on third down and got off a low pass to TE Cade Otton for just enough for a first down. Miscommunication on yet another deep sideline pass intended for Tez Johnson was incomplete, and two plays later, on third-and-six, Evans grabbed a deep out but couldn't get a second foot down to make it a reception. Riley Dixon's fourth punt was fair caught at the 13.
A late shift by the Bucs' defensive line prompted a Lions false start, and they drew an illegal-block-in-the-back call on the next snap. That moved the ball back to the six-yard line and made it first-and-17. The Lions shortly faced a third-and-six at their 17, and threw incomplete but had their drive saved by an illegal contact call on Jamel Dean. On the very next play, Gibbs broke free for a 78-yard touchdown run up the right sideline.
A touchback on the ensuing kickoff put the ball on the Bucs' 35 with just under six minutes left in the half. White stiff-armed a defender and cut back for five yards on a first-down carry. Mayfield launched a deep pass to Evans on the next play and the receiver couldn't hold onto the ball through contact with the ground. He had to be helped off the field, and on third down Mayfield was swarmed over before he could get off a throw, leading to a punt with four minutes left. It was fair caught at the Lions' 14.
An offensive pass interference call on WR Jameson Williams put the Lions into a second-and-15 at their nine and a sideline shot to St. Brown was well-covered and incomplete. On third down, Roberts got into the backfield quickly and broke up a pass to forced a punt. On the first play of the ensuing drive, Shepard caught a short pass over the middle but had the ball punched out of his hands by CB Amik Robertson. Hutchinson recovered the loose ball at Tampa Bay's 41.
Two Montgomery runs left Detroit in a third-and-five as the two-minute warning arrived. After the break, Goff threw incomplete in Williams' direction and the Lions sent out K Jake Bates to try a 54-yard field goal. Bates pulled it wide left with 1:52 left in the half.
The Bucs had a chance to cut into the lead before halftime but immediately suffered another turnover. Otton made a nice one-handed grab of a short pass over the middle but on the ensuing tackle by CB Arthur Maulet the defender was able to wrestle the ball loose for an interception.
The Lions took over at the Bucs' 48 and got a one-yard run by Gibbs and an eight-yard grab on an out by St. Brown. Detroit let Goff keep it on a sneak up the middle and he powered for enough to move the chains as the clock tied down to 46 seconds. The Lions promptly spent their first timeout of the half. On the next play, Smith timed his blitz perfectly and swarmed over Goff for a nine yard sack. After a second timeout, Goff tried to hit St. Brown down the left sideline but Dean intercepted the pass at the 30 and returned it to the 43 with 21 seconds left.
That was enough time for Mayfield and McLaughlin to get the Bucs on the board. Mayfield completed passes over the middle of 11 yards each to Shepard and Tez Johnson to get the ball to the Detroit 35 and McLaughlin came on to easily drill a 53-yard three-pointer.
The Bucs got the ball to start the second half after a kickoff return out to the 33 by Kam Johnson. Mayfield then found Egbuka on a crossing route for 18 yards to the Detroit 46. After a seven-yard run by White, Mayfield took a shot to Egbuka in the end zone but it was broken up. A quick pass underneath to Shepard gave the Bucs enough for a first down at the Lions' 36, but a one-yard run by White and a false start by Charlie Heck put the Bucs into a second-and-14 hole. Mayfield had Tez Johnson in his sights on second down but his pass was broken up at the line by Barnes. After a 12-yard catch-and-run by Tez Johnson, the Bucs went for it on fourth down and got it on a four-yard run over left tackle by White. Two plays later, Mayfield just got a screen pass out to Tez Johnson over a leaping defender and the rookie did the rest, weaving through traffic to score on a 22-yard catch. The Bucs went for two but failed, leaving the score at 14-9.
The Lions' next drive started at their 27 and Zyon McCollum made a quick stop on a second-down stop by TE Sam LaPorta to make it third-and-two. TE Brock Wright got wide open on a third-down release out to the left and got 14 yards for a first down at the 49. Gibbs then broke free for a 15-yard gain into Bucs territory, and two plays later took a swing pass down the right sideline all the way to the Bucs' five, with S Antoine Winfield Jr. just saving the touchdown. Rather, the touchdown was delayed, as Gibbs spun away from a defender on the next snap and ran it in for the score to make it 21-9 with just under five minutes left in the third quarter.
Kam Johnson ran across most of the field horizontally on the ensuing kickoff return but only got to the 21. A reception and a counter run by White picked up a total of seven yards, and Mayfield's third-down pass in Egbuka's direction was off the mark, leading to a punt. The kick wen tout of bounds at the Detroit 25.
The Bucs' defense got to Goff quickly on first down and forced a throwaway, and Montgomery's second-down run only got two. However, a quick curl down the left seam by LaPorta got him open for a gain of nine and a first down. Three plays later, the Lions faced a third-and-two just shy of midfield and gave it to Montgomery, and he came up a yard shorts as the third quarter came to an end. The Lions went for it on fourth down with a tricky option play that ended up with Montgomery fighting through several to get the first down. However, the Bucs' defense stood up at that point and forced a punt, which Kam Johnson fair caught at the 11.
Mayfield got the drive going with a precise 20-yard pass to Otton up the left sideline. An incompletion in Egbuka's direction down the right seam followed, but the two hooked up for six yards on second down. After a third-down incompletion, the Buccaneers went for it on fourth down and appeared to move the chains on a wild play that involved Otton catching a short pass, fumbling and G Ben Bredeson falling on the loose ball at the 41. The Lions challenged the play and lost, but the officials then took what they termed a second look and determined that Otton was tackled short of the line to gain.
Detroit thus took over at the Bucs' 40 with 11:31 to go. The Bucs' defense got a quick stop, with Vea dropping Gibbs for no loss and OLB Anthony Nelson getting a second-down sack. The Lions sent out Bates again and this time he drilled a 58-yard field goal to make it 24-9 with 10 minutes left.
The Bucs started their next drive at their 29 and got a quick 13 yards on a seam route to Otton. Two plays later, another completion to Otton got eight and left the Bucs in a third-and-two. Mayfield handed off to White on third down and the back powered for just enough to move the sticks. After two incompletions, and a declined holding call, Mayfield once again kept the drive alive with a 13-yard pass to Tez Johnson over the middle, down to the Lions' 35. Two snaps later, Mayfield had the ball stripped from his grasp but T Tristan Wirfs was able to pounce on it at the 29 to make it third-and-four. Mayfield was forced into an incompletion on third down, but he found Otton on an in-breaker on fourth down for seven yards to the 22. It was third-and-eight moments later, and a crossing route to Shepard got just five. On fourth down, CB Arthur Maulet was flagged for pass interference, leading to a first down for the Bus at the Lions' 14 with 5:20 left. Two plays later, Mayfield got off a pass to Egbuka in the end zone but CB Nick Whiteside made an amazing last-second knockdown to prevent the touchdown. After an incompletion in White's direction on third down, the Bucs once again went for it on fourth down and Mayfield's pass in Egbuka's direction was broken up in the end zone.
The Bucs used all three of their timeouts on the ensuing drive to get the ball back and forced a punt that put the ball back at Tampa Bay's 33. Two incompletions were sandwiched around an 11-yard sack of Mayfield, and on fourth-and-21 Mayfield's completion to Ryan Miller came up seven yards short. The Lions were able to run out most of the remainder of the clock and, after a punt, the Bucs kneeled to end the contest.
