Coming off a big-time victory in the home-opener against the Washington Commanders, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will hit the road to take on the Detroit Lions this Sunday, a rematch of the divisional matchup that knocked the Bucs out of the playoffs last year.
The Lions kicked their season off with a victory last Sunday evening against their franchise quarterback Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams, the first time Stafford played in Detroit since being traded to LA in 2020.
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Detroit has been just fine the past couple years. If you’ll remember, Jared Goff was part of the return in the Stafford deal, and he had a borderline MVP season last year. Plus, head coach Dan Campbell’s aggressive nature, especially when it comes to 4th down decisions, has only paid off for Detroit.
While his willingness to go for it on 4th down is his calling card, Campbell has done a great job of establishing a culture of excitement in a franchise that had been dormant for quite some time.
The front office has also made wonderful moves to build up an offensive line and group of playmakers to support a QB perhaps limited in going off-schedule and making plays himself.
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All of that to say, the Bucs will certainly have their work cut out for them, especially with their defense being severely hampered by injuries. Zyon McCollum and Calijah Kancey are questionable for Sunday’s matchup, and star safety Antoine WInfield, Jr. is going to be out for at least a few weeks with a foot injury.
A reunion of sorts has been brought about to address a season-ending injury to backup outside cornerback Bryce Hall, with the Bucs signing recently-waived Keenan Isaac to shore up their cornerback room.
But will it be enough to deal with the Lions and their explosive group of receivers? Does Tykee Smith have what it takes to step up and fill in for Winfield, Jr., or will the Bucs’ defense experience some serious dropoff?
Those questions will be answered Sunday, as the Lions still have star slot wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown and elite tight end Sam LaPorta running routes for Goff, and Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery lined up in the backfield to potentially cause some disruption for this Bucs front-7.
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Luckily, the Bucs’ offense is coming in hot, with Baker possibly having the best QB performance in the NFL last week and Jalen McMillan having a superb opening game in a Bucs uniform.
The Lions’ defense has been a bit of a question mark with both their secondary and their pass rush, as Aidan Hutchinson is great but lacks a true running mate coming off the edge and former Buc Carlton Davis III is still settling into his new digs.
So, expect a high-scoring affair, but I’m afraid the Bucs might draw the short-end of the stick in the Sunday afternoon game, falling short 31-28 in a close, highly-spirited matchup between two really quality teams.
But do not fret this game. Regardless of the result, this matchup shouldn’t shape your opinion of this squad. The Buccaneers are still off to a nice start if they’re 1-1, and they get the Broncos the following week, who should give them a soft landing spot and an opportunity to give Winfield, Jr. another week off.
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This article originally appeared on CLTAMPA.COM and is used with permission.
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