Back-to-back primetime games for your Detroit Lions. Did you ever think you would hear something like that being said? Yes, the Lions are now playing from “Sunday Night Football” to “Monday Night Football” as they hope to overcome their loss last week to the Kansas City Chiefs. The upcoming challenge won’t be easy, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers come into Ford Field with a 5-1 record at the top of the NFC.
The Bucs are giving me 2024 Lions vibes with how their season has gone so far. Last season, the Lions dealt with multiple injuries, and no matter what, they overcame them, continued to win, and not just win the division, but become the top seed in the NFC in the playoffs. The injuries began to become too much in the playoffs, but it was a valiant effort, and these Bucs are dealing with a similar issue. While the injuries aren’t all as drastic and season-ending, they can still add up, and despite the obstacles, they’re still the top team in the NFC and one of the best teams in the NFL.
The Bucs won’t be a pushover, just like the Lions weren’t last year when they were down starters left and right. They continue to win close games and come back, so the game won’t be over until it’s over. Let’s dive into what’s going on in Tampa Bay in my Week 7 scouting report.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2025 season thus far (5-1)
Week 1: Defeated the Atlanta Falcons 23-20
Week 2: Defeated the Houston Texans 20-19
Week 3: Defeated the New York Jets 29-27
Week 4: Lost to the Philadelphia Eagles 31-25
Week 5: Defeated the Seattle Seahawks 38-35
Week 6: Defeated the San Francisco 49ers 30-19
Stats:
- 6th in points scored, 24th in points allowed
- 13th in DVOA
- 8th in offensive DVOA (3rd in pass DVOA, 19th in run DVOA)
- 17th in defensive DVOA (20th pass DVOA, 6th in run DVOA)
- 31st in special teams DVOA
What a roller coaster of a season so far for Tampa Bay. Almost every game this year has been thrilling, with come-from-behind victories in four of their five wins, and coming close to beating the Eagles in their only loss. While there are highs with their record and the team’s performance, the lows are on the injury front. Early on, the team lost starting right guard Cody Mauch and right tackle Luke Goedeke, forcing changes on the right side of the offensive line. Then, as the season progressed, more players started to get injured, and this team was finding ways to win without them, and it’s a lot to do with their quarterback, Baker Mayfield.
Mayfield has lost a lot of talent around him, down two starting offensive linemen, four wide receivers, and a running back, but he’s still playing at an elite level and winning games for his team. Mayfield is being considered the front-runner of the MVP race right now. And while I think it’s a little too early to talk about it with 11 more weeks of the regular season, you can’t ignore what he’s accomplished. He’s thrown for 1,539 yards (fourth most), 12 touchdowns (t-third), only one interception, a QB rating of 108.5 (sixth), and 158 rushing yards on 22 carries.
His wide receivers have been in and out with injuries, as starting wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin Jr. have only played a combined five games, and Jalen McMillan hasn’t played a snap this season so far. Rookie wide receiver Emeka Egbuka has been a huge boost in the receiving game with 469 yards and five touchdowns, but he suffered a hamstring injury against the 49ers and isn’t expected to play this week. With that, Mayfield has had the likes of Sterling Shepard, Tez Johnson, Kameron Johnson, and Ryan Miller contributing at wide receiver, and even tight end Cade Otton has been a helpful target with 166 yards on 15 catches.
Second-year running back Bucky Irving was doing well with 71 carries for 237 yards, but he suffered an injury that has forced him to miss two straight games, so backup (and former starter) Rachaad White has stepped up. White has 54 carries for 214 yards and leads the team in rushing touchdowns with four.
On the defensive side, things are a mess as well. Defensive lineman Calijah Kancey suffered a season-ending injury in the preseason, forcing players like linebacker YaYa Diaby to become a bigger focal point, and he leads the team in sacks with three. Linebacker Lavonte David has been helping out defensive tackle Vita Vea on the line as well, each getting 2.5 sacks, and David even has an interception to assist the secondary. With the secondary having a few bodies banged up, starting cornerback Jamel Dean is doing all he can, leading the team with two interceptions, one being returned for a touchdown.
Overall, this team has had four fourth-quarter comebacks this season. So while their record is 5-1, you could argue that they could just as easily be 1-5. The team won’t be a pushover, but as we saw last year with the Lions, eventually the injuries will be too much, and if they don’t get some help soon, the Bucs could start to slowly break apart, and these fourth-quarter comebacks are going to be more difficult. Their schedule hits a rough spot starting this week, but if they can escape with a few wins, they could be a dangerous team in the playoffs.
Injury notes
Key players ruled out: RG Cody Mauch (IR), DL Calijah Kancey (IR), RT Luke Goedeke (IR), WR Jalen McMillan (IR), WR Emeka Egbuka (hamstring), WR Chris Godwin Jr. (fibula), RB Bucky Irving (foot/shoulder)
Key players to monitor: WR Mike Evans (hamstring), CB Zyon McCollum (thumb) CB Benjamin Morrison (hamstring), QB Teddy Bridgewater (right shoulder), LB Lavonte David (knee), CB Jamel Dean (hip), LT Tristan Wirfs (knee)
Looking at the injury report and reserved list for me was like PTSD from last season. The Bucs are dealing with a lot right now on the injury front, and while not many are out for the season, there are plenty of injuries sidelining players, with their status unknown each week.
To start out, the Bucs will be without Mauch and Kancey for the season due to their injuries. The Bucs have already ruled out Egbuka with a hamstring injury that will hold him out for a few weeks. Players like Goedeke and McMillan can return from IR, but neither player is ready to return yet. Bucs head coach Todd Bowles also ruled out Godwin Jr. and Irving for the game.
Evans has been recovering from a hamstring injury, and his timeline was to return possibly this week, so he will be the biggest name to watch on the list. Bowles said he hopes Evans, Zyon McCollum, and Benjamin Morrison can return to practice this week. The good news for the rest of the players listed above is that they practiced in limited fashion last week and ended up playing or being active, but if they regress, they could miss time.
Biggest strength: Quarterback
When an offense continues to lose player after player—especially starters at the skill position—most teams struggle to find a rhythm, and usually, teams can take a step back. Not Tampa Bay and Mayfield. Mayfield continues to have a great season, and what is more impressive is who he is doing it with. No Evans or Godwin? Egbuka can step up no issue, but when he went down, others filled in the gaps for him.
No Irving? White can take on more responsibility and become a starter again. Down two starting offensive linemen for a good chunk of the season to start isn’t an issue either. Not every quarterback could handle the blows that Mayfield has been given and continue to not only win games, but play at the level he’s playing. Containing Mayfield and forcing him to stay in the pocket won’t be simple either.
Seeing this throw, I yelled “HOLY S***” because of how fearless Mayfield is to throw a deep bomb while the pocket has him suffocated, but also the catch made by wide receiver Tez Johnson. Mayfield is putting trust into his guys, and they’re showing up big.
Biggest weakness: Wide Receiver
Now, despite my praise of how the wide receivers for Tampa Bay are stepping up, things could be really difficult for them this week. If Evans isn’t ready to return yet, and with Egbuka and Godwin Jr. out, the depth must elevate their game. Here is the receiver room as it stands:
- Sterling Shepard – 19 catches, 242 yards, 1 TD
- Tez Johnson – 6 catches, 112 yards, 1 TD
- Kameron Johnson – 4 catches, 64 yards, 1 TD
- Ryan Miller – 1 catch, 20 yards, 1 TD
On paper, the talent at wide receiver doesn’t seem difficult to contain, even if the Lions are down their top two cornerbacks and possibly both safeties. Mayfield could lean on White or Otton more in the passing game, but he would need someone on that list to separate themselves, and the best option is Shepard with his starting experience. If the Bucs can’t get more reliable help for the time being—and if Evans doesn’t play—it could be a tall ask on the road in Detroit in primetime.
Key matchup: Lions running game vs. Bucs run defense
Strength on strength will be the biggest thing in this matchup as the Lions’ top-10 ground attack matches up with a top-10 run defense in Tampa Bay. Detroit enters with the seventh most rushing yards (772) and tied for third in rushing touchdowns (8) and 4.4 yards per carry. The running game hasn’t been explosive in a few weeks, just reliable and chugging along, but it will need to have a big outing this week to have a solid rebound effort.
The Bucs will be a difficult challenge as they have allowed the sixth fewest rushing yards (529), the fifth lowest yards per carry (3.7), and have allowed only five rushing touchdowns. The Lions can be explosive with their ground game, getting six carries for 20+ yards and two for 40+, the longest being 72 yards. The Bucs so far have only allowed four runs longer than 20 yards, the longest being for 31.
According to PFF, the Bucs have an average run defense grade (69.7 ranked 16th) as David leads the team with a run defense grade of 79.6, but he’s got good help from safety Tykee Smith (79.2), McCollum (78.4), linebacker SirVocea Dennis (77.9), and cornerback Jacob Parrish (76.2). That goes up against the Lions’ run blocking, which ranks fourth with a grade of 74.9, led by right tackle Penei Sewell with his amazing 96 run blocking grade, followed up by left guard Christian Mahogany (74.3), tight end Sam LaPorta (71.7), right guard Tate Ratledge (70.8), and even wide receiver Kalif Raymond (70.7).
The trenches will be where this game ends up having the biggest factor, and if the Lions can move the ball on Tampa Bay with either running back, it could be a fun, bounce-back performance by the offense.
Vegas line for Monday: Lions favored by 5.5
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