TAMPA, Florida: The Tampa Bay Bucs will now take on the extremely tough Detroit Lions club after crushing the Philadelphia Eagles in one of the NFC Wild Card games.
In the other NFC Wild Card Game, the Lions defeated the formidable Los Angeles Rams 24-23 in the last seconds of play. They hold home-field advantage in the NFC Divisional Round after finishing the regular season tied for the NFC’s top record.
Even though the Lions had a 12-5 record at the end of the regular season and had only defeated the Bucs once, Tampa Bay, who played well against Philadelphia, has a strong chance of defeating Detroit.
The offensive line of the Lions, which contributed to their third-best running game and top-10 passing offense, makes up the foundation of one of the strongest offenses in the league.
Jared Goff, the quarterback, has experienced a rebirth since joining the Lions. Goff completed over 4,500 yards of passing in 2023 with 30 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
However, the Lions’ running game—which has seen two running backs score 900 yards this season—is the foundation of their offensive power. This season, David Montgomery has amassed over 1,000 rushing yards, and freshman Jahmyr Gibbs has added 945 yards to his total.
One of the league’s best run defenses will face the Lions’ rushing attack. In the Wild Card round victory over the Eagles, the Bucs allowed just 42 running yards, placing them among the top 10 in the NFL in rushing defense.
Nevertheless, despite occasionally faltering throughout the regular season, the Bucs’ pass defense made a significant impact against the Eagles in the Wild Card round.
Tampa’s pass defense will prioritize slowing down Amon-Ra St. Brown. During the regular season, he caught 119 passes for 1,515 yards and 10 touchdowns. In the Wild Card game, he grabbed 7 passes for 110 yards against the Rams.
The offensive threat posed by Detroit is significantly greater than that of Philadelphia in the first round. Detroit won the Wild Card game and five of their previous seven games.
Don’t underestimate the Bucs, though; Tampa Bay has defeated the Eagles six straight times, most recently on Monday night.
If the Bucs are to go to the NFC Championship Game, they will have to perform even better than they did against the Philadelphia Eagles. They take on the formidable Lions squad in front of an enthusiastic audience of over 65,000 supporters who are itching for another postseason triumph.
