There was no “Baker Magic” in Motown on Monday night as the Buccaneers fell to the Lions 24-9.
Give the Detroit Lions their due — they came into this matchup with the Bucs with guys coming off the street into the secondary. The defensive game plan Lions defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard put together was so good that it didn’t matter who was out there, as Tampa Bay’s offense was stagnant most of the night and failed to gain any consistent momentum. An unestablished run game, pass protection issues and an off night by Baker Mayfield all help lead to an inept offensive performance.
With the loss, the Bucs now drop to 5-2 on the season with just a one-game lead in the NFC South and a trip to division rival New Orleans Saints next on the schedule. There are plenty of lessons to learn from this loss, but it’s not time to panic just yet.
Here are the good, bad and ugly from the Bucs’ loss to the Lions.
Bucs’ pass rush and third down defense
Todd Bowles dialed up the pressure against Jared Goff. Yaya Diaby had a strip sack on Goff on the second drive to get he ball back for the Bucs and added two tackles for loss. SirVocea Dennis had several run stuffs and a big third-down sack on Goff in the second quarter on the Lions’ fourth drive and the 12-yard loss forced a Detroit punt. Anthony Nelson also notched a sack for himself in the fourth quarter.
Tykee Smith was all over the field. In addition to a timely sack in the first half, he cleaned up a lot of missed tackles by the front four. Smith finished with 13 tackles on the night and was a big reason the score wasn’t more lopsided than it already was. The Bucs’ pass rush was effective enough to draw two false start calls, including one on All-Pro Penei Sewell. The Bucs’ third-down defense was impressive on Monday, holding the Lions to just three of 13 with several key stops.
Bucs’ veteran defensive backs
Jamel Dean had a 14-yard interception on Goff right before the half, his second straight week with a pick — his excellent coverage on the day allowed just one catch for 24 yards. Zyon McCollum was tasked with guarding Jameson Williams most of the game and held him catchless on two targets. He got his nose dirty in the run game as well with five tackles.
Antonie Winfield Jr. flew around the field and finished with eight tackles, and the aforementioned Tykee Smith was excellent on Monday night.
WR Tez Johnson
Johnson made an electric catch and run on the Bucs’ opening drive out of the half. The rookie receiver made several defenders miss, leaping and spinning his way into the endzone. The score brought the Bucs within five points of the Lions. In the fourth quarter, Johnson made another big play on a great leaping 13-yard grab on third down to move the sticks. He finished the game with four grabs for 58 yards on nine targets and a touchdown.
Missed tackles and coverage of backs and tight ends
Missed tackles were the theme of the night for the Bucs defense and almost everyone was accountable. Dennis and McCollum combined on one on Jahmyr Gibbs on the first drive of the game for a 30-yard catch and run. Elijah Simmons had a big missed tackle that led to a gain of 10. Anthony Nelson missed on a fourth-and-short tackle for loss attempt on Gibbs to move the chains for the Lions, and no one could tackle Gibbs on his 78-yard touchdown run.
Gibbs tore up the Bucs. He finished the day with 136 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the ground and added three receptions for 82 yards. David Montgomery had a 15-yard catch and run and Goff was perfect throwing to his tight ends, going six for six for 38 yards and two big first downs.
Pass Protection
Baker Mayfield had a tough game himself, but he had no time in the pocket to let routes develop against a banged-up Detroit secondary.
The Lions were down to backups and guys they signed off the street, yet the Bucs weren’t able to get sustained protection to let plays open up. Charlie Heck was abused most of the night and let up two sacks, including the strip sack. Alim McNeil made his return felt along the interior early, getting the best of Graham Barton as the Bucs’ interior was buffeted all night long. No one was spared though, as even Tristan Wirfs was beat on an impressive spin move by Aidan Hutchinson. The Bucs tried to get things going in the screen game but had little success.
Baker Mayfield
Mayfield was off on Monday night, and as I alluded to, the pass protection wasn’t exactly ideal to work with. The Lions had an excellent defensive game plan, mixing looks of zone and man coverage disguises to keep Mayfield guessing, and for the most part, it worked. Mayfield was under constant duress, and that led to him making some tough throws off platform, but he overthrew Egbuka and underthrew him on several throws.
He sailed a ball too high on one play and missed a wide-open Tez Johnson in the endzone on another. He had a tough interception right before halftime. His pass to Otton was late and behind him and was wrestled away by Arthur Maulett. Then, in the fourth quarter trying to put together a comeback, he had the ball punched out and the Bucs were lucky to recover.
He finished the day going 28 of 50 for 228 yards, a touchdown, an interception and a fumble.
Injuries
I’m so sick of writing this and even more sick with who it involves.
This week is especially tough, as Mike Evans went down with about five minutes left in the first half. Evans had laid out for a deep pass from Baker Mayfield on second down and sustained head and neck injuries on the play. He was able to walk off the field with the assistance of trainers but was then carted to the locker room. After the game, head coach Todd Bowles revealed that Evans has a broken clavicle and would be out most of the season.
In addition, Haason Reddick went down with just over 11 minutes left in the fourth quarter, grabbing his lower right leg. He had to be helped off the field and then took a cart to the back. It was reported as a knee and ankle injury by the broadcast, but Bowles did not provide an update after the game.
First half offense
The Buccaneers’ first-half offensive output was abysmal, outgained by the Lions 275-58 yards, and it struggled to find any sort of momentum. Tampa’s offense struggled to run the ball, and despite facing a depleted secondary, struggled to connect against the Lions’ defense. Untimely penalties and struggles adjusting to the pressure led to the offense’s ineffectiveness. After Mayfirled spoke about setting the tone early, he and the offense failed to do so.
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