The Detroit Lions (4-1) head south to take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-1) at Raymond James Stadium. The Detroit Lions vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers matchup this week will provide some discomfort for Lions fans and will not be an easy walk in the park like we’ve become accustomed to. Here’s all you need to know about the Week 6 matchup.
A clash of two first-place teams
Each of these two teams sits atop their respective divisions, with the Lions being two games up on the Green Bay Packers and the Bucs a half-game up. on the Atlanta Falcons. And, while the Lions have been dominating teams, the Bucs only beat the Chicago Bears by ten and the Minnesota Vikings by three. The two bottom teams in the Lions division. It’s easy to see why the Lions are the betting favorites at -3, with. an over/under of 42.5. Even with all of this, it is not going to be the easiest game for the Lions, with a secondary wrought with injury and a Tampa Bay offense that prefers to throw the football.
This game will be dictated by the defenses and what they allow. If the Lions can continue to stay as balanced as they have been in their playcalling, it is going to create a major guessing game for the Bucs’ defense, which will begin to open up holes. Against this defense is a perfect time for Jared Goff to shine and really show what he’s got. It’s reasonable to expect Ben Johnson to have some magic up his sleeve too that will keep the Bucs on their heels and the Lions strutting into the end zone, repeatedly.
For their part, the Bucs have a solid offense that loves to toss the rock around. They cannot run the ball, nor would they be able to against the Lions’ defense. But, they do have two really good wideouts in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, and a halfway decent quarterback in Baker Mayfield, who can get the ball out quickly and create difficult getting pressure on him. The old adage applies for the Lions’ defensive front, “If you can’t get to the quarterback, get your arms up.”
Final prediction for the Lions vs. Buccaneers
With all that’s been written about this game and the waiting that has taken place, it’s just time to kick off and get the party started. On paper, the Lions are a much better team, especially deep in talent. The Bucs were not expected to be contenders in any way, shape, or form this season, but have played well through their first four weeks and bye. However, the Lions and their “grit” will be too much for them to overcome. This will be a Dan Campbell game to its fullest — smashmouth, grind ’em down, and bite a kneecap off while doing it. In the end, the Lions will be too much for the Bucs to overcome and they will walk out of Raymond James Stadium with their fourth win in a row by a score of 31-17.
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