Home NFL Skeleton Keys To Victory: Week Six – Buccaneers Vs Lions

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Skeleton Keys To Victory: Week Six – Buccaneers Vs Lions

October 16, 2025

The biggest game of the week is Monday Night Football. This week we get a potential playoff preview with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers traveling to the Motor City to play the Detroit Lions. If you ask me, these are the best two teams in the NFC and two of the top five teams in the NFL.

The Lions beat the Bucs twice in 2023 including a playoff game, but the Bucs went to Detroit last year and won. It’s a game that has been one of the most competitive and exciting games of the year recently. If the pewter pirates want to come out on top this time then they will have to follow my SKeleton Keys To Victory.

Secondary? More Like Third-ary!

As injured as the Bucs are at wide receiver, the Lions are equally short handed in the secondary. They will be without both of their starting outside cornerbacks as well as star safety Brian Branch who is suspended for this game. On top of that, the team is evaluating All-Pro free safety Kirby Joseph and he is also at risk of missing this game.

With basically the entire Lions secondary out in this game, it has forced them to make some free agent signings and practice squad elevations. Obviously, this comes with a significant talent drop off. However, it also comes with guys who are trying to pick things up very quickly and that could lead to miscommunications and coverage break downs.

I know it will be mostly undrafted free agents and 7th round picks at wide receiver this week for the Bucs. However, that should not stop them from airing it out in this game. It’s a game that won’t be decided by the pass catchers or even Baker Mayfield, but by Josh Grizzard scheming his guys open.

Keep The First Thing First.

The Lions have a simple, straight forward identity that they want to hang their hat on. Most in Detroit would call it grit. I call it dominating in the trenches and running the ball down opponents throats.

However, the Lions haven’t been as strong with this as they have the last few years. The retirement of All-Pro center Frank Ragnow and plugging in a pair of young guards with basically no starting NFL experience has come with some early season growing pains. But that doesn’t change the fact that this is an up and come, talented offensive line with a star running back in the backfield.

Stopping Jahmyr Gibbs has to be the priority in this game. He has game changing break away speed and is a threat to score any time he touches the ball. One missed tackle on this guy could be the difference between victory and defeat.

Edge ‘Em Out

Lions quarterback Jared Goff has turned his career around since being traded to Detroit. Much like Mayfield, he was tossed away and well on his way to washing out of the league, but has emerged as a top quarterback in the NFL in a new environment. Last year he was a finalist for the Most Valuable Player award and is trending in that direction again this season.

With that said, Goff is still very much the same guy. He’s an accurate passer who can pick a defense apart and he has the intelligence to get the ball out fast against the blitz. He’s also someone who isn’t mobile and struggled more than most with pressure in his face.

This is a game where the edge rush has to cause problems. If Goff can sit back and pick defense apart then he is very dangerous. But if the rush can get into his face, perhaps against a backup left tackle with starter Taylor Decker having missed the last two games, the Goff can be pressured into mistakes.

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