The Detroit Lions defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-23 at home on Sunday night to advance to the NFC Championship Game.
The Lions head to San Francisco next week to take on the 49ers.
It was an unfortunate start for both teams on their first drive. The Lions wanted the ball after winning the coin toss, but started the game with a three-and-out.
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Josh Reynolds of the Detroit Lions catches a touchdown pass against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the second quarter of the NFC divisional playoff game at Ford Field in Detroit on January 21, 2024. (Gregory Shams/Getty Images)
But the Lions' defense will be strengthened when quarterback Baker Mayfield takes the field for the first time on the Bucs' offense. Mayfield's usual reliable target, Mike Evans, failed to carry the ball when he should have brought it in on third-and-long, tipped it into the air, and safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson intercepted it. It turned the field upside down.
Gardner-Johnson then flipped the ball back to Mayfield, showing everyone watching that this was going to be a close game for both teams. The Lions scored first following an interception on a short field goal to make it 3-0. However, the Bucs matched with a field goal of their own.
It wasn't until the Lions' third drive that quarterback Jared Goff really settled down and made a spectacular 14-play run that ended with Josh Reynolds' slanted shot into the back of the end zone.
Tampa Bay couldn't match that score, but it wasn't for lack of trying. They continued to leave free rushers behind, forcing Mayfield to either remove the ball or, worse, fall to the turf and take a sack. Chase McLaughlin then slammed it into the left goal post, missing a 50-yard field goal.
All the momentum was with the Lions, but with less than two minutes left in the first half, the Bucks got the ball back in enough time to get back in field goal range and cut Detroit's lead.
They decided to go into the end zone instead.
Evans was Mayfield's primary target on this drive, bringing in a 27-yard pass followed by a 29-yarder that put the ball on the Detroit 2-yard line. Mayfield then faded one to tight end Cade Otton in the back left of the end zone.
Baker Mayfield of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers drops to make a pass during the second quarter of the NFC Divisional Playoffs at Ford Field in Detroit on January 21, 2024. (Gregory Shams/Getty Images)
The game ended in a tie, and we went to the locker room at 10 o'clock.
In the second half, there was a back-and-forth battle between the two teams over the right to play in the penultimate game of the season. Goff and the Lions were the first to break the tie, going 10 plays, 64 yards and scoring a touchdown on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line, with third-team running back Craig Reynolds rushing into the end zone.
But as momentum shifted back to the home team, Mayfield delivered. On third-and-10 from the Detroit 12-yard line, the Bucs called a perfect running back screen, but the Lions weren't ready for Rashard White to catch the pass and line up his blockers to get it into the end zone. .
This set the tone for the second half, and the Lions would continue to score points. The crowd jumped when explosive rookie running back Jahmil Gibbs scored a 31-yard touchdown run, using his speed to get past Bucs safety Antwon Winfield Jr.
Mike Evans of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers catches a pass in front of Cameron Sutton of the Detroit Lions during the second quarter of an NFC divisional playoff game at Ford Field in Detroit on January 21, 2024. (Gregory Shams/Getty Images)
Detroit took the lead again and was finally able to stop the Bucks after being forced into a three-and-out. This is the moment when Lions fans felt the Lions were pulling away in the fourth quarter, which led to Goff's 89-yard drive to Amon-Ra St. Brown with a perfectly placed pass to the back right of the end zone. That was the moment I gave it to him.
This is the Lions' third consecutive touchdown and with time ticking down into the fourth quarter, it will be a difficult feat for Mayfield and Co. to fight until the end.
But Mayfield did everything he could to keep Tampa Bay in the game, with Evans scoring a 16-yard touchdown to make it 31-23. The Bucs decided to go for two points, but Mayfield couldn't connect with Evans, making it a five-point game.
The idea behind going for two points was to have the ability to win in regulation, but the Bucks still had a chance to tie the game when the defense got the ball back with 1:59 left in the game. Ta.
But just two plays into the drive, Derrick Barnes read the route perfectly and jumped a pass from Mayfield to Otton, clinching the victory for Detroit.
Looking at the stat sheet, Goff completed 30 of 43 passes for 287 yards and two touchdowns. Mayfield completed 26 of 41 for 349 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions.
Amon-Ra St. Brown of the Detroit Lions celebrates a touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the fourth quarter of the NFC divisional playoff game at Ford Field in Detroit on January 21, 2024. (Nick Antaya/Getty Images)
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Evans led the game with eight receptions for 147 yards. St. Brown led the Lions with 77 yards and a score on eight receptions. The Lions also gained 114 rushing yards to the Bucs' 89.
