After defeating the Los Angeles Rams 26-20 in overtime, it’s like deja vu for the Detroit Lions. Their next opponent is another rematch from the 2023 playoffs in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This Tampa Bay team is banged up but is still a threat that can’t be overlooked.
While the Lions are coming off a Sunday Night Football thriller, the Bucs had a more lopsided affair in their season-opening win over the Washington Commanders. The Bucs defeated Washington 37-20, led behind quarterback Baker Mayfield’s four-touchdown performance, which the Lions’ secondary should note. The Bucs are trying to repeat last season and win their division, but are hoping for a different outcome in January.
Both teams will collide once again inside Ford Field on Sunday as they look to keep their perfect seasons alive, and unfortunately, someone will have to walk away with their first loss of the season. Let’s look deeper at the Bucs in our Week 2 scouting report for the 2024 season.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Last Season
- 9-8 record (1st in NFC South)
- 20th in points scored, 7th in points allowed
- Overall DVOA: 18th (20th on offense, 14th on defense)
2023 was the first year for the Bucs without future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady under center, and the team improved, going from 8-9 to 9-8. While it wasn’t a seismic improvement, the team seemed to feel better with Mayfield at quarterback over Brady. Unlike Brady, Mayfield can move around in the pocket quicker due to his age. Mayfield also had the best season of his career, throwing for 4,044 yards with 28 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
Running back Rachaad White broke out as the starting running back, getting 990 yards on the ground with six touchdowns, but also catching 64 passes for 549 yards and three receiving touchdowns. Wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin achieved 1,000-yard seasons each, with Evans leading the team in yards with 1,255 on 79 catches and 13 touchdowns, while Godwin had 1,024 yards on a team-high 83 catches and two touchdowns.
The defense came up big as well, with safety Antoine Winfield Jr. being one of the team leaders. He was all over the place, finishing the season with 122 tackles, six tackles for loss, six sacks, six forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries, and three interceptions. If the team needed a big play, Winfield was their man. Rookie outside linebacker YaYa Diaby was also a playmaker. He led the team in sacks with 7.5 for the defensive line but had 38 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, two fumble recoveries, and a forced fumble. The Bucs were able to repeat as NFC South champions and defeat the Philadelphia Eagles in the playoffs last year before losing to the Lions in the Divisional Round.
2024 offseason
Key additions: FS Jordan Whitehead, LG Ben Bredeson, CB Tavierre Thomas, CB Bryce Hall
Key losses: LB Shaq Barrett, C Ryan Jensen, S Ryan Neal, LB Devin White, G Aaron Stinnie
2024 NFL Draft picks
Round 1: G Graham Barton
Round 2:LB Chris Braswell
Round 3: CB Tykee Smith
Round 3: WR Jalen McMillan
Round 4: RB Bucky Irving
Round 6: G Elijah Klein
Round 7: TE Devin Culp
While the roster changes aren’t significant in numbers, they are big on impact. The main goal this offseason for the Bucs was trying to keep their core together; for the most part, they could do that. They re-signed Mayfield, Evans, Winfield Jr., and linebacker Lavonte David. That doesn’t mean the team didn’t lose any helpful pieces, though, as center Ryan Jensen retired and linebacker Shaq Barrett after initially signing with the Miami Dolphins in free agency, retired as well. The team lost out on guard Aaron Stinnie and linebacker Devin White to other teams, while safety Ryan Neal seems to have just been released and not signed elsewhere.
The additions overall aren’t huge upgrades. The Bucs returned safety Jordan Whitehead after a two-year stint with the New York Jets. The Bucs also signed guard Ben Bredeson to take over on the interior and cornerback Tavierre Thomas to help with depth at cornerback. The draft was more about replacing the retired folk as guard Graham Barton moved over to center, and linebacker Chris Braswell was taken.
The rest of the draft moves were depth pieces, including getting a new wide receiver in Jalen McMillan and helping the secondary with the loss of Carlton Davis in Tykee Smith. Overall, the team didn’t have much change but mostly returned the same crew from last season.
2024 season thus far (1-0)
Week 1: Defeated Washington Commanders 37-20
Stats:
- 2nd in points scored, 12th in points allowed
- Overall DVOA: 6th (4th on offense, 14th on defense, 10th on special teams)
The Bucs started their season at home against the Commanders in Week 1 in a somewhat dominant fashion. Mayfield could sling the rock around, going 24-for-30 for 289 yards and four touchdowns. It was the usual suspects when it came to the receiving game, as Godwin led the team in catches and yards with eight receptions for 83 yards and a touchdown. Then there is also Evans, who had five catches for 61 yards and two touchdowns. The running game even saw a spark from the rookie Irving, who had nine carries for 62 yards, leading the team in rushing yards.
The defense, though, is where the struggles were for most of the game, as Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels did well in his debut, going 17-for-24 for 184 yards; he did more damage to his legs as he led the Commanders in rushing with 16 carries for 88 yards and two touchdowns. While the Bucs were able to slow down the passing game, the Bucs allowed 138 yards on the ground on 30 carries, an average of 4.6 yards per carry, and three rushing touchdowns. It’s certainly worth pointing out that much of Washington’s production (152 of their 299 total yards) came in the final 20 minutes of the game, after they were already down 16 points.
Tampa’s defensive line being down two starters in Calijah Kancey and Logan Hall certainly played a role in the Commanders’ ability to run well. The secondary was dealing with injuries, too. Multiple players were injured in the game and wouldn’t return. If the Bucs were facing a non-rookie quarterback, things could have been different for them in the end. That said, the backups that came in for the Bucs did their job and held their own, which led to the Bucs winning.
Injury Notes
Key players ruled out: CB Bryce Hall (ankle/fibula), S Antoine Winfield Jr (foot)
Key players to monitor: DL Calijah Kancey (calf), DL Logan Hall (foot), CB Zyon McCollum (concussion), CB Josh Hayes (ankle)
Cornerbacks Zyon McCollum, Josh Hayes, and Bryce Hall left last week’s game and wouldn’t return. While McCollum and Hayes could return this week, Hall’s injury most likely ends his season. On Monday the Bucs announced announced another blow to their already thin secondary with Winfield Jr. out for a few weeks due to a foot injury. With the team down two to four players in the secondary, free agency or the practice squad might be where they go for some help if Hayes and McCollum need to miss more time. In fact, they’ve already re-signed second-year corner Keenan Isaac, who they waived during roster cuts a few weeks back.
The Bucs also hope to have Logan Hall and Kancey back this week as they are going up against the best offensive line in the NFL. They’ll need all the help they can get when it comes to stopping the run after the Commanders were able to pound the rock. At this point, it’s unclear if either will be available. Kancey suffered his calf injury in last Friday’s practice, while Hall’s foot injury caused him to miss the entire week of practice.
Biggest strength: Wide receivers
Another week, another tough wide receiver combo to go up against for Detroit. While the Rams have a good duo in Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp, Nacua got injured and didn’t play the entire game, leaving the Lions primarily focusing on Kupp. Despite the extra attention, Kupp had a great game, which is good news for Godwin and Evans entering this week.
The duo combined for three receiving touchdowns, and their new addition McMillan joined in on the fun as his only catch was for a 32-yard touchdown grab. So even if the Lions can limit what the Bucs do with Godwin and Evans, they will have a threat in McMillan that is unknown and new to them.
Biggest weakness: Secondary
Injuries are what makes this the biggest weakness for Tampa Bay. Detroit wide receiver Jameson Williams just had the best game of his career against an improved Rams secondary. Now, he has the chance to go up against some backups who haven’t seen his kind of speed before. It’s not just Williams the Bucs will have to worry about, but the Lions’ best receiver, Amon-Ra St. Brown, had a quiet Week 1 and will want to show that he is a weapon, too, in this offense.
Jamel Dean is the team’s top cornerback, but behind him are mostly question marks that rely on health. If the Bucs can get back Hayes and McCollum, they will have a better chance at winning this game. Detroit would then look to exploit their other weakness: Tampa’s run defense. Unlike last week, the Bucs will be playing a veteran quarterback in Jared Goff, and he will know who to target when it comes to the right matchups and experience.
Key matchup: Lions passing attack vs. Bucs secondary
As I mentioned above, the health of the Bucs cornerback room will have the most significant impact on this game. The Bucs will have to try and contain Williams and St. Brown, but that isn’t just it. Wide receiver Kalif Raymond can be a sneaky help when the team needs a spark, despite not garnering a target last week.
While he will mostly match up against linebackers, tight end Sam LaPorta could draw a safety or cornerback in certain matchups, and having someone as big as LaPorta could be a problem for an undersized defensive back. If you get Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs involved in the passing game against a defensive back, he could use his speed and quickness to get open and get some yards after the catch.
Vegas line for Sunday: Lions favored by 7
