QB Baker Mayfield is a Buccaneers player to watch. He turned his career around, helping Tampa Bay win the NFC South for a record third time in a row and make the playoffs four times in a row. In addition to setting career highs of 4,044 yards and 28 touchdowns, he reduced the costly errors that plagued him during his prior stints with the Cleveland, Carolina, and Los Angeles Rams. In the 32-9 wild-card victory over Philadelphia last week, the No. 1 overall choice in the 2018 draft completed his pass for 337 yards and three touchdowns, making history as the first quarterback in Bucs history to pass for 300 yards or more and three touchdowns in a postseason game.
LIONS PLAYER TO WATCH
QB Jared Goff. General manager Brad Holmes had faith Goff would be more than a stopgap when he acquired him and a pair of first-round picks for him from the Rams for Stafford three years ago. Goff has validated the move, guiding Detroit to 21 wins in its past 28 games. He completed his first 10 passes and finished 22 of 27 with 277 yards and a TD to rookie TE Sam LaPorta on a fourth down last week. If Goff throws at least 20 passes and completes 75% or more of his attempts, he will be the first player in NFL history to do that in three straight playoff games, including his finale with the Rams in the 2020 season.
Detroit’s offensive style versus the defense of Tampa Bay. With RBs David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs available to play against the Bucs, the Lions are eager to use them following Montgomery’s injury in the second quarter and Gibbs’ absence from the game three months prior. Running behind a potent offensive line, the pair has contributed to Detroit’s 135.9 yards of rushing per game on the ground. With only 95.3 yards rushing allowed per game, the Bucs rank among the best in the league when it comes to stopping the run.
KEY INJURIES: Mayfield has been playing despite an ankle ailment for the past two games, but the Bucs are as healthy as they’ve been all season. … After playing with shoulder and rib issues during the previous week, Lions LB Alex Anzalone was limited throughout practice. … Kalif Raymond, a receiver and punt returner, could miss his second consecutive game due to a knee ailment.
NOTES ON THE SERIES: In the most recent encounter, Goff passed for a season-high 353 yards and two touchdowns. He also connected with wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown 12 times for 124 yards and a touchdown in a victory against Tampa Bay in Week 6. The Bucs dropped six straight games to drop to 4-7 after that, but they bounced back to win five of the final six games of the regular season. In Tampa Bay’s lone prior postseason encounter, on December 28, 1997, in a wild-card game, the team defeated Detroit 20-10.
DATA AND STUFF: In the NFC playoffs, Tampa Bay is ranked fourth, and Detroit is ranked third. … The NFC South was won by the Bucs, and the NFC North was claimed by the Lions. The Bucs are the only team in the conference with four straight seasons of postseason action. Since 2020, they have won six playoffs games, which is only fewer than Kansas City’s eight playoff victories. … With his fourth team in six seasons, Mayfield has made three playoff starts and is 2-1. Among the three quarterbacks who recorded at least fifteen touchdown passes on the road this season were Brock Purdy, Jordan Love, and him.
WR When Mike Evans played the Lions at Ford Field late in the 2020 season, he recorded 10 receptions for 181 yards and two touchdowns. The only player in NFL history to start a career with 1,000 yards or more in receiving for ten straight seasons is Evans. This season, he tied for the league lead with 13 touchdown receptions, despite only having 79 catches for 1,255 yards. The defense for Tampa Bay is coming off one of its best games of the year. Philadelphia was 0 of 9 on third down and 0 for 2 on fourth down in the wild-card round, in addition to holding the Eagles to nine points and just 42 yards of rushing.
Despite not forcing any turnovers in the previous week, Tampa Bay’s defense leads the league with 16 takeaways in the last four postseasons. … The Lions recently ended an NFL-high nine-game postseason losing run with their first playoff victory in thirty-two years. … In an attempt to win two playoffs games for the first time since winning the 1957 NFL championship, Detroit is hosting two playoff games in a season for the first time in franchise history. … In ten games, including the playoffs, St. Brown has received 100 yards or more in receiving, leading the league. Against the Rams, he had seven catches for 110 yards.
With their combined 23 scrimmage touchdowns, including playoffs, Gibbs and LaPorta have set a record for the most by a pair of rookies on a club since the 1970 merger. With 11 touchdowns, LaPorta is the only rookie tight end in NFL history with more touchdowns than Mike Ditka, who scored 12 times in 1961. … Last week, in a postseason game against his previous team, wide receiver Josh Reynolds made history by being the first Lion to receive at least 75 yards in the first quarter. DE… After sacks were made an official statistic in 1982, Aidan Hutchinson has the opportunity to become one of just two players, along with LaMarr Woodley, another former Michigan standout, to have at least two sacks in their first two postseason games.
