Bucs vs Lions discussion

[Beatles123]

You know this is a male lion, right?

[Primeminister]

Pretending you don’t have first grade reading comprehension in order to not back down in an argument is next level.

Why are yall still arguing this? You know it’s a silly argument that he will never concede. He is wrong but won’t say it

[Primeminister]

Game time decision but he wants to play according to Bowles. Even if he sits out Monday it’s a very encouraging update.

knowing how critical Mek is going to be over the next month and a half to the team's fortunes, I'd probably let him rest this week.

Same here. Even if he wants to go I’d rest him regardless.

[Selmon Rules]

Please.

Yall continue coming with the same speculation then tell me to let it go. If you had no interest in this being a thing you'd have let it go well before now. But here we are 3 days later and you're mad I won't accept the lies for gospel truth.

Lol, you think I'm mad? I'm the furtherest thing from. I'm laughing my ass off.

I was just trying to clear things up, if I could. Which I did. Adam Schefter not only posted a tweet using the same exact details about NE offering $30M/yr as well as Godwin rejecting it in favor of TB's offer, he said it out loud on his podcast. The most trusted source of insider info in the NFL. There's nothing left to debate, my friend. Schefty is never wrong, not even one time about anything NFL-related.

it's not even that big a deal. just go find either the tweet or his podcast and accept that you died on the wrong hill and move on. It's okay, I promise. We're all wrong now and again. It was just your turn.

Just let it go....

Someone has to be the adult in the room and he ain't gonna do it

[Sooner06]

Okay, might as well get this over with and talk about what I think is going to happen in this game.


On paper, DET should win this game. They have all their starting offensive weapons available, their OL is getting healthier, and it looks like their OC is getting comfortable as well. Their biggest weakness is obviously their secondary, that will enter the game without either of the starting CBs or Ss. But their DL is pretty healthy, Hutchinson is looking like his old self, and their LBs are pretty good in all respects. They're also leading the league in pts/gm and their defense has allowed just 15.5pts/gm at home.

So, considering that TB is probably going to be without most of their starting WRs as well as Bucky, plus the fact that our LB corps hasn't been good vs. receiving RBs/TEs, well, Houston, we have a problem, in the immortal words of Commander Lovell.

So, based on those facts, DET should win by, idk, a couple scores.


However;

I think the path to victory for the Bucs is going to trying to emulate how the Chiefs just beat them, i.e., contain Gibbs/Montgomery in the first half, run blitz early and often, get them behind the sticks and force a couple stops/FGAs in the first half, then capitalize by scoring TDs in return.

most importantly, go into HT with some kind of lead, then in our first drive coming out of the half, score a TD. We have to have at least a TD+ lead going into the 4th quarter to make DET one-dimensional. Take away Goff's ability to hand the ball off/run PA. Make him stand in the pocket, make the right reads presnap, and execute at a high level over and over and over while Bowles throws every exotic blitz he can think of at him. Put all the pressure to perform on Goff.




That's the gameplan, in a nutshell, imo. Sell out to stop the run early, develop some kind of 2nd half lead, and then throw the kitchen sink at Goff down the stretch. on he other side of the ball, obviously protect Baker however possible from Hutchinson, but otherwise let Grizz and Baker do their thing.


The biggest flaw in that plan is clearly our LBs coverage skills vs. their RBs and laPorta. If any combination of one of their RBs and laPorta go off, it'll be a long day for our defense. And tbh, i don't know how we stop them from doing exactly that. But Bowles is going to have to pull that off if TB is going to have a chance at winning this one, simple as that.

[Doctor]

I would say starting hot and getting a good lead is a solid plan for most games.

But our offense runs like Seabiscuit and doesn't turn it on unless the opposition is close.

[Grahamburn]

Unfortunately the Bucs can afford to lose this one and the Lions will be highly motivated.

I’d love to be surprised again though. Great teams win these.

I hope all the Evans/Egbuka smoke isn’t just screen and they’re planning to play because it’s statement time.

[Bootz]

Lions playing with all backups in their secondary. Every single spot.

This should be a W for us. No excuses.

[Noles1724]

Lions playing with all backups in their secondary. Every single spot.

This should be a W for us. No excuses.

Wonder how many other team fan base side that about us

[Moozician]

Well, turns out the board was right in this case. Not only do we have Dan Pompei's word for it at this point, but I went ahead and checked with Adam Schefter, and not only did he post about it with the same details as Pompei, but he talked about it on his podcast. So at least that mystery has been solved.

Oh really? I don't see a quote from Godwin saying New England offered him $30mil or even more. Point that quote out and then you can say the board was right.

Saying something doesnt make it true.

And not acknowleding something because you're all butthurt doesn't show anything more than you just being a dumbass.

No need for a response, this was just an observation. I'm pretty much DONE with communicating with you, which may be one of your goals... You've alienated SO MANY posters here it's like Last Man Standing or something. Either way, I'm out.

[mdb1958]

Seems like the Lions barely have enough bodies to fill the defensive backfield and I'm clueless as to how good they are. I would not think they have played together much even then. Perfect time for Norm Van Brocklin's record to fall if we were to hit multiple deep shots. If the Lions go NB that would be a 4 man rush with 2 linebackers. Protection for Mayfield will be key, I hope we got a good game plan for dump offs if the Lions blitz much.

Is Taylor Decker playing and could Dan Skipper get abused? If a Lions OT goes down it also could spell trouble (???).

We need to lockdown their run game and make Goff fail to convert.

[Grahamburn]

This is the way.

[Phantom]

QB showdown on deck for MNF

[Pirate Life]

QB showdown on deck for MNF

One has all of his weapons, the other gets to throw against a patchwork secondary. Lovers of defensive battles might want to skip this one...

[Pirate Life]

Dan Campbell on this game:

[Doooshnzl]

We’ve all gotta be fans of the 49rs, Bears and Jets today!

[__Chef__]

But our offense runs like Seabiscuit and doesn't turn it on unless the opposition is close.

No lie.

They need to storm out of the gate like they're down 7. Realistically speaking with the injuries we have going against a top NFC team, we're pretty much down 7 at kickoff.

[Sdbucs]

My buddy is a Lions fan and was telling me the Lions are on their like 4th/5th string corners right now

[Pirate Life]

Some insights on the referee crew for the game from Sharp Football Analysis:

John Hussey’s Impact on Buccaneers at Lions

The Lions return home after a controversial loss at the Chiefs last Sunday. Detroit and Tampa Bay are banged up, albeit at different positional groups. There is a strong possibility these teams' paths cross again in the NFC playoffs, and the result here could determine who has home field in January.

Let's assess the strengths and weaknesses of both teams from a penalty perspective and how the officiating of John Hussey will potentially impact this game.

Penalty Tendencies:

Hussey's crew is calling an above average 47.5% of their overall penalties via pre-snap infractions. They rank highly for calling false start and illegal formation.
The all-important false start/offensive holding combination accounts for 43% of Hussey’s overall penalties assessed, ranking him third overall in this key category.
50% of the Buccaneers' penalties have been assessed via the false start/offensive holding combination, well above the league average of 37.4% in this category.
In raw numbers, the Lions rank 31st in offensive penalty per game average. Through six weeks, only the Steelers have performed better in this category.
The Buccaneers offense ranks as a top-three beneficiary of automatic first downs via penalty. Tampa Bay currently co-ranks as the No. 1 beneficiary of roughing the passer penalties.
Hussey has consistently called below average roughing the passer penalties. However, their lack of emphasis in that category has been offset by elevated numbers via unnecessary roughness penalties over the past few seasons.
Taunting and unsportsmanlike penalties were a point of emphasis heading into 2025, and no officiating crew has enforced these categories at a higher rate than Hussey’s over the past few seasons.

The Bottom Line:

Since the start of the 2016 season, home teams are 105-48 (69%) on the moneyline and 91-56-5 ATS (62%) in Hussey officiated contests.
The Lions are 4-2 in the Dan Campbell era with Hussey. Only two of those were at Ford Field, with both in primetime slots. Detroit was 2-0 in those games and 1-1 ATS.

The Lions were humiliated by the Chiefs last week, and controversy ensued around referee Craig Wrolstad’s handling of the game.

For their part, the Buccaneers have lived on the edge this season, winning many games on the back of MVP frontrunner Baker Mayfield.

Detroit will be looking to wipe away the bad vibes from last week in addition to heading into the bye on a positive note.

The assignment of Hussey bolsters their chances in this matchup.

That adds up to a bounce-back for the home team here, and the Buccaneers' weekly ritual of late game heroics comes to an end this week, making the Detroit Lions -5.5 points the selection on Monday Night Football.

Bet the Lions -5.5

John Hussey: Referee Penalty Trends & How it may impact betting

Home teams are 102-46 on the moneyline with John Hussey since 2016
Home teams are 89-53-5 ATS with John Hussey since 2016
Home teams were 10-6 on the moneyline and 11-5 ATS with John Hussey in 2024

[BucsNBills]

With legal gambling fully corrupting the sport, these Refs are now free to print money.

[Backside]

With legal gambling fully corrupting the sport, these Refs are now free to print money.

I don’t recommend watching or getting emotional about a sport you think is completely rigged.

[GreatTimes]

We’ve all gotta be fans of the 49rs, Bears and Jets today!

The Panthers beat the winless Jets.
Chicago had their way with the aints.
The Dirty Birds at SF should be a good game that both teams need to win.

[Bootz]

We’ve all gotta be fans of the 49rs, Bears and Jets today!

The Panthers beat the winless Jets.
Chicago had their way with the aints.
The Dirty Birds at SF should be a good game that both teams need to win.

San Francisco is so beat up. Even with Kittle coming back, I think losing Warner is the dagger for them. They haven't had issues moving the ball offensively.

[Phantom]

Let’s win for Doug Martin!!

[Sooner06]

The Panthers beat the winless Jets.
Chicago had their way with the aints.
The Dirty Birds at SF should be a good game that both teams need to win.

San Francisco is so beat up. Even with Kittle coming back, I think losing Warner is the dagger for them. They haven't had issues moving the ball offensively.

I would bet on it. SF-D without Warner is going to crush them. No way they can do anything to replace that guy.

[Beatles123]

Mike and Emeka likely!!!!

[Beatles123]

San Francisco is so beat up. Even with Kittle coming back, I think losing Warner is the dagger for them. They haven't had issues moving the ball offensively.

I would bet on it. SF-D without Warner is going to crush them. No way they can do anything to replace that guy.

Well, they crushed the Fail-cons! That's what matters!

[mdb1958]

Tonights game is not where to have a 2nd loss, if you build an NFC lead keep it. A loss puts us behind the Eagles, Packers, and Lions.
Plus shaky ground with San Fran and others.

The Panthers would have a better conference record than us.

[Phantom]

Protect Mayfield from Hutchinson, Bucs win

[13F11B]

Man. I am on pins and needles about this game.

It is a game I would normally expect the Buccaneers to lose.

However, this Buccaneers team feels different. They have taken injuries in stride and not falled down.

Winning this game would be huge.

[Grahamburn]

Protect Mayfield from Hutchinson, Bucs win

Have to stop their run game and contain their WRs somewhat too. But, yeah. Feels like if Mayfield has even a little time our WRs and weapons in general should be able to get open against their depleted secondary.

The Lions will be motivated though. Have to match their intensity.

[Bootz]

Our defense will be key to the result of this game. They haven't been up to par so far this year. We couldn't stop Seattle and even though the Niners only scored 19 points, they did go up and down the field on is to the tune of 360+ yards.

Detroit is the real deal. And hopefully the return of McCollum and Morrison helps us out.

[mdb1958]

Protect Mayfield from Hutchinson, Bucs win

Have to stop their run game and contain their WRs somewhat too. But, yeah. Feels like if Mayfield has even a little time our WRs and weapons in general should be able to get open against their depleted secondary.

The Lions will be motivated though. Have to match their intensity.

We should destroy their secondary, no if ands or buts.

[Phantom]

Some of you guys have short term memory.

Do you recall that we beat the same Lions team last year?

The same bad Bucs defense?

Mayfield is ten times better than last year.

We’re a better team than the Lions this year.

Almost all of the Lions’ secondary is out, and Mayfield shouldn’t have any trouble beating the Lions defense.

[Phantom]

Oh we allowed 4.5 sacks to Hutchinson for god sake