The Detroit Lions won a close game over the Los Angeles Rams last Sunday night, 24-23, to claim their first playoff win since 1991. The Buccaneers beat the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night in blowout fashion 32-9.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 10-8 (4th Seed) @ Detroit Lions 12-5 (3rd Seed)
Date: Sunday, January 21
Time: 3:00 p.m. EST
TV Channel: NBC
Location: Ford Field, Detroit, MI
Line: Lions -6.5 / O/U: 49.5
2023 Season Stats
Stats include Regular Season and Playoffs
Detroit:
2023 Offense P/G —
Total Yards: 391.4
Passing Yards: 258.7
Rushing Yards: 132.8
2023 Defense (League Rank) —
Total Yards Allowed: 341.1
Passing Yards Allowed: 253.4
Rushing Yards Allowed: 87.6
2023 Cumulative Points Scored: 26.9
2023 Cumulative Points Allowed: 23.2
Tampa Bay:
2023 Offense —
Total Yards: 319.2
Passing Yards: 228.8
Rushing Yards: 90.4
2023 Defense —
Total Yards Allowed: 340.4
Passing Yards Allowed: 248.1
Rushing Yards Allowed: 92.3
2023 Cumulative Points Scored: 21.1
2023 Cumulative Points Allowed: 18.6
Series History/All-Time Records
All-time head-to-head record: Lions Lead 32-29-0
Current streak: Detroit has won one straight
Last Detroit win: 10/15/2023 (20-6)
Last Tampa Bay win: 12/26/2020 (47-7)
2023 Top Players
(Regular Season & Playoff Stats Combined)
Detroit Lions
Passing: Jared Goff – 429-632, 4852 yards, 31-12 (TD-INT)
Rushing: David Montgomery – 233 ATT, 1072 YDS, 14 TD
Receiving: Amon-Ra St. Brown – 126 REC, 1625 YDS, 10 TD
Tackles: Alex Anzalone – 137 (91-46)
Sacks: Aidan Hutchinson – 13.5
Interceptions: Kerby Joseph – 4
Tampa Bay:
Passing: Baker Mayfield – 386-602, 4381 YDS, 31-10 (TD-INT)
Rushing: Rachaad White – 290 ATT, 1062 YDS, 6 TD
Receiving: Mike Evans – 82 REC, 1303 YDS, 13 TD
Tackles: Lavonte David – 139 (91-48)
Sacks: Yaya Diaby – 7.5
Interceptions: Antoine Winfield Jr. – 3
Lions Players To Watch:
Offense: Wide Receiver – Amon-Ra St. Brown
St. Brown went off in the last matchup against Tampa Bay in week six when he hauled 12 passes for 124 yards and a touchdown. The Bucs give up 248.1 yards in the passing game. Look for St. Brown to be a game-changer and open up the offense for the Lions.
Defense: EDGE – Aidan Hutchinson
Hutchinson has returned to his original form and has been getting to the quarterback a lot more in recent weeks, recording seven sacks in the last three games as well as 14 QB pressures and five QB knockdowns. He also has 15 total tackles in the last three games. Look for Hutchinson to get to the backfield, making life challenging for Baker Mayfield.
Bottom Line: Lions look to advance to NFC Championship Game
Detroit and Tampa Bay met up back on October 15th, with the Lions winning that game 20-6. Since then, the Lions have been 8-4, while the Bucs have been 7-6. The big difference from that game to now is the Lions are healthy for the first time since Week One. Detroit was without Jonah Jackson, Josh Paschal, Jahmyr Gibbs, and Brian Branch in that last matchup. Now they have all of them back, and C.J. Gardner-Johnson and James Houston will also return this week. Expect this to be another shootout with both offenses having explosive options. Still, if the Lions can get pressure on Baker Mayfield, they’ll come away with another win and advance to the NFC Championship game against either San Francisco or will host another playoff game against the Green Bay Packers.
