Heartbreaker in Motown for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday Night Football— manhandled in Detroit by a depleted Lions defense that deemed insufferable and overwhelmed by an offense that fired from all cylinders. To make matters worse, Bucs star receiver Mike Evans suffered a broken collarbone and concussion that will keep him sidelined for the next coming months.
First Quarter Frenzy
Lions tap the scoreboard in their opening drive with a crossing route from Amor-Ra St Brown defended by Tampa rookie Jacob Parrish who tripped up on coverage. Brown had something to prove after returning from a gut-wrenching dropped pass on 4th down that sealed their fate in Kansas City in week six. Lions defense comes out short-handed but forces a 3-and-out for Baker Mayfield and the Bucs in their first drive. On Detroits next possession, Lions QB Jared Goff coughs up the ball as Bucs defensive end Yaya Diaby disrupted his throwing motion — Bucs Elijah Roberts falls on the loose ball and Tampa has its first turnover.
Mayfield with great field possession in the Lions den goes 3-and-out again with blanket coverage orchestrated by former Lion now defensive coordinator, Kelvin Sheppard. Next, Goff’s offense marches down the field to Bucs territory and of course Lions Head Coach Dan Campbell goes for it on 4th-and-2. The touchdown pass to receiver Isaac TeSlaa is incomplete and the Bucs take over on the 15 yard-line. Campbell rolls the dice 45% of the time, refusing to settle for three points and embodies Detroits aggressive identity.
Second Quarter Proves Pivotal
The Lions seize control as the stat sheet begins to stack for Detroit. On a critical 3rd-and-6, Bucs cornerback, Jamel Dean is flagged for illegal contact on St. Brown to extend the drive. Detroit’s star of night, running back Jahmyr Gibbs explodes for a 78-yard rushing touchdown; longest for the Lions this season to extend the lead 14-0 over the Buccaneers.
Tampa Bay has their momentum stripped in the following possession when Mayfield airs out a 40-yard pass to Mike Evans. With a diving attempt defended by Detroits Rock Ya- Sin, Evans takes a brutal fall to the turf and for moments does not move. Bucs star Receiver made his return in Detroit from missing three games from a hamstring injury in week 3 versus the Jets. Evans was eventually assisted off the field unable to walk on his own power. With the excitement of his return the fear of a serious injury loomed over the Bucs as Evans was carted to the locker room before halftime.
Detroit capitalized on the emotional shift. The following play, Mayfield is sacked on 3rd and 5 by Lions Derrick Barnes. Tampa’s defense comes up with a stop on the 3rd-and-15 as Elijah Roberts bats down the ball in the Buccaneers end zone and forces and punt. Before Tampa can get anything going Sterling Shepard has the ball punched out and Lion Aidan Hutchinson drops his weight on the ball and each defense holds a fumble recovery in the first half.
As halftime approaches Goff throws an interception to Bucs ball hawk, Jamel Dean for a 14-yard return. Dean holds interceptions in back-to-back games. Following a well delivered ball to Tez Johnson the Bucs call a time-out with 4 seconds left to set Kicker Chase McGlaughlin for a 53-yard field goal. McGlaughlin elevated to 5/5 from 50-yards plus and the Bucs get on the board seconds before halftime.
Second Half Hope
The Buccaneers show a glimmer a hope with a 22-yard spinning touchdown by rookies Tez Johnson to start the third. Ryan Miller delivers a key block to assist Johnson over the finish line after an impressive run and jump to eliminate threats along the way. The two-point conversion is rejected by Nick Whiteside who latter batts down a potential touchdown pass to Emeka Egbuka.
Gibbs strikes again with a 5-yard rushing touchdown boosting the Lions to 21-9. The Bucs than feel the pressure of losing the crown of the NFC and goes for it on 4th-and-4. Cade Otton extends the ball as he is tackled but Campbell challenges the Ref’s decision of the first down with more than 11 minutes in the fourth. The call is overturned as it is determined that the ball is just short.
Mayfield overthrows his target in Johnson for six points on 2nd-and-6 and with a defensive pass interference call on Detroit on 4th down the Bucs still have faith. Despite Detroit missing most of its starting secondary, the back-ups played lights out. Mayfield misses Egbuka on a crucial 4th-and-8 in the end zone sealing their fate.
This loss drops the Bucs to 5–2, matching the Lions’ record. But with Evans sidelined indefinitely, Haason Reddick carted off, Tampa Bay faces a tough road ahead. Fans are right to feel gutted — this wasn’t just a loss, it was a gut punch to a team with championship aspirations.
🏴☠️ Tampa Bay Buccaneers Key Stats:
- Baker Mayfield: 210 passing yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 28/50 completions
- Tez Johnson: 22-yard TD reception
- Chase McLaughlin: 53-yard field goal
- Yaya Diaby: 1 forced fumble on Jared Goff
- Elijah Roberts: 1 fumble recovery
- Defense: 4 sacks, 1 interception
