Oftentimes football comes down to the game within the game. The matchups between individuals or specific units can really be what makes or breaks a game plan for a team. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are no exception with this.
This week the Bucs travel to Detroit to play the Lions in Ford Field. This is where their season ended last year, so you know the team will be hungry for a victory. However, it will take more than just wanting to win to get the job done.
There are several key battles that will decide the outcome of this game. When you have a matchup of two likely playoff teams, there are many layers to watch on every snap. I narrowed it down to one critical component in this week’s X-Factor Matchup.
Buccaneers Defensive Live vs Lions Offensive Line
The Lions offense is built around running the ball. They have a dangerous combination of running backs with David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs (who they spent the 12th overall pick on in last year’s draft. Everything they do is based on the foundation of them being an old school smash mouth football team.
This is because the Lions know where they are at their strongest, which would be the offensive line. This is an incredibly talented group that features three first round picks in Taylor Decker, Frank Ragnow and Penei Sewell. This group, particularly Ragnow and Sewell who are top three players at their positions, are the heart of the Lions offense.
Countering this group won’t be easy, but it’s the job that needs to be done for the Bucs to have a fighting chance in this game. What makes matters worse is that it looks like defensive tackle Calijah Kancey is trending towards missing his second straight game to start the year. This will make a challenging task even more of an uphill battle.
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The key to this, as it always is with the defensive line, is the big man in the middle. Vita Vea will be seeing double teams early and often. Considering he will be going against Ragnow, who is in my opinion the best center in the game, on almost every snap it’s unlikely he’ll be especially disruptive. As long as he can occupy space and not let the Lions generate movement upfront, then Vea will have done an excellent job.
But it will take a lot more than that to stop the Lions. Someone on the edge has to prevent Sewell from imposing his will. Perhaps that will be a defensive end like Logan Hall (who seems to be returning from injury this week) or edge rusher Yaya Diaby. In reality, it will probably be a combination of different players.
If the Bucs defensive line can hold their ground against the likes of Ragnow and Sewell then Tampa Bay will have a chance in this one. However, if the Lions offensive line proves to be too much for the Bucs to handle then it is going to be a long day. Can anyone other than Vea hold their own? I have my doubts.
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