The first of two National Football League games on Sunday features the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the road at the Detroit Lions. The Buccaneers are the winners of the NFC South with their 9-8 record. Tampa Bay needed a win over Carolina in Week 18 to win the division. They took the 4th seed, and then beat up the defending NFC Champion Philadelphia Eagles last week.
For the Detroit Lions, they ran away with the NFC North. The Lions finished three games head of the Green Bay Packers in the divisional race. The Lions picked up the third seed, but were able to host this game due to the Dallas loss to Green Bay. The Lions went 12-5 in the regular season, and took down the Rams last weekend.
The Detroit Lions are -6.5 at home in this game. The total for this affair is set at 48.5 points!
Tampa Bay Back in Postseason
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in the postseason for the third straight season. This time, Tom Brady is not leading the charge. This time, Baker Mayfield is the signal caller. Mayfield had a great regular season for the Buccaneers. Mayfield tossed for over 4,000 yards and 28 touchdowns on the season.
Mike Evans was one of the top receivers in all of the league. He was a bit short of 1,300 yards, but caught 13 touchdown passes. Chris Godwin led the team in receptions. Running back Rachaad White went into the postseason just 10 yards shy of 1,000 on the ground on the season.
In the postseason win over the Eagles, Mayfield threw three touchdown passes. David Moore, Trey Palmer and Chris Godwin each got one. White settled in with 18 carries, and 72 yards in the game.
Lions Looking to Award Home Fans
The Lions led from start to finish in the wildcard victory of the Rams. But, the game was much closer than that. The Rams had a chance to take the lead late, but the Lions forced a punt, and they never gave up the ball again. Detroit scored early in the game with a David Montgomery touchdown run.
Montgomery finished the game with 57 yards and a score. Jahmyr Gibbs also got into the end zone. He finished with just 25 yards in the game. Amon-Ra St. Brown was the leading receiver for the Lions. He caught 7 passes for 110 yards in the game. Detroit was happy to have Sam LaPorta on the field after his Week 18 injury.
The Lions ranked second in the league with 258.9 passing yards per game, and were also Top 5 in rushing with nearly 136 yards per game. The Lions scored 27.1 points per game.
All Good Stories Must End
The story of Baker Mayfield, and what he has done in his first season as the starting quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers has been a good one. We have enjoyed watching Baker and following his season. But the 2023-2024 season for Mayfield and the Buccaneers come to an end here.
The Detroit Lions are going to head to the NFC title game. What a story they have been. Dan Campbell gets the Lions one win away from the Super Bowl. Our final score prediction here is the Lions 24-17 over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Take Detroit -6.5 over Tampa Bay on Sunday!
