In prime time, the Detroit Lions handed the Tampa Bay Buccaneers their first road loss of the season at Ford Field in Week Seven, 24-9. The Bucs concluded the NFC matchup with just 262 total yards of offense and 15 first downs, converting four of 16 third-down attempts. The Lions got off to a fast start and never relinquished control, firing on all cylinders in the Motor City.
Offensive Rundown
Against a barrage of injuries to the Lions' secondary, Baker Mayfield was held to 228 yards on 28 of 50 passing, with one touchdown and one interception. Mayfield was sacked four times and pressured often as the Bucs' aerial attack was uncharacteristically held to a season-low average of 3.9 yards per pass play. Tight end Cade Otton led the squad with seven receptions for 65 yards receiving in Week Seven, surpassing Jackie Harris (1,634) for the seventh-most receiving yards by a tight end in franchise history.
Over the past three games, Otton has hauled in 16 receptions for 197 yards – the second-most receiving yards by a tight end in Weeks 5-7. Rookie receiver Tez Johnson contributed four receptions for 58 yards, including a 22-yard touchdown off a screen in the third quarter to mark his second touchdown in as many games. Both Mike Evans and Emeka Egbuka returned to action against Detroit but Evans exited the matchup with a concussion and shoulder injury and missed the majority of the second half.
Defensive Overview
Defensively, the Bucs held the Lions to just three of 13 (23.1 %) on third down – the lowest third-down conversion percentage for Detroit in 2025. As a club, Tampa Bay tallied four sacks, seven tackles for loss and two takeaways. For the season, the Bucs rank sixth in sacks (20.0), second in tackles for loss (45) and are tied for 11th in takeaways (eight).
Tykee Smith recorded his second career sack off a safety blitz, leading the team with a career-high 13 tackles, including two for loss. Monday's game marked the third of Smith's career with 10-plus tackles. Smith is one of even players this season, and one of two defensive backs, with 10-plus tackles, a sack and multiple tackles for loss in a single game (Daiyan Henley, Derwin James, George Karlaftis, Patrick Queen, Jamien Sherwood and Bobby Wagner).
Jamel Dean brought in his third interception in the past four games. His three interceptions in 2025 mark a new single-season career high and are tied for the third-most in the NFL this season. In Cover Two, Dean was responsible for the flat and once that area was not threatened, he continued dropping and drove on the football to put Mayfield and company back on the field.
Yaya Diaby recorded his team-leading fourth sack of the season on a first quarter strip-sack of Jared Goff. Diaby improved his career totals to 16.0 sacks and three forced fumbles. Monday marked Diaby's 10th career game with multiple tackles for loss. Both Antony Nelson and SirVocea Dennis also brought in their first sacks of the year against Goff.
Detroit scored on the game's opening possession on Goff's 27-yard touchdown pass to receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, then extended its hold in the second quarter on a Jahmyr Gibbs' 78-yard touchdown off an inside zone run. Overall, St. Brown caught six passes for 86 yards and Gibbs accumulated an astonishing 218 yards from scrimmage as Detroit amassed 379 yards of total offense.
