Week 7 Staff Predictions – Buccaneers at Lions

Coming off a very disappointed loss to the Chiefs in Kansas City, the Lions will be heading home on the early (7:00pm EST) MNF game this week against the NFL leading Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Not much went right in KC, as the offense sputtered, the defense bent and finally broke, and the Lions appeared to once again be on the short end of the stick of the mystical Chiefs officiating vibe. Oh, and Brian Branch, one of the remaining healthy DBs on the roster, got suspended for a face palm as the game was ending. So, Yikes?

Anyways, Tampa comes into Detroit tied with the Colts with a league-best 5-1 record and on a two-game winning streak. They have been doing it without many of their offensive weapons, leaning on rookie WR Emeka Egbuka after Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Bucky Irving have gone down or unavailable all season. Well, this week Egbuka is potentially out with a bad hamstring, and while mike Evans is back at practice coming off his own sever hamstring, he may not be the Mike Evans of Old. This creates a pre-season worthy matchup of potentially the Bucs No 1, 4, 5 and 6 WRs against a Lions secondary with NB Amik Robinson, and CBs 3, 5, 8 & 9 and S 3, 4 and 5 on the depth chart.

The X factor will be the return of DT Alim McNeil in helping control Baker Mayfield in the pocket, and the Lions coming home, in Prime Time and breaking out the black Motor City Muscle unis.

There is a new leader in the weekly predictions by virtue of turning his back on the beloved Lions last week, and that is Brent. He picked the Chiefs, so his has the lead at 5-1 followed by Dan at 4-2 and Mike and Chris in a dead heat for 3rd at 3-3 and separated by 1 point. Dan still holds the tie breaker as closest to the pin, only off by 9 points in Lions cumulative scoring for the season.

Mike

The Tampa Bay Bucs roll into the Motor City for a Monday night clash with the Lions this week, for a renewal of old NFC Central rivals. The Bucs are coming off a big win against the 49ers and are now 5-1 and leading the NFC South. This game will come down to the battle of the backups. TB on Offense where their WR's are hurting bad, and Detroit is hurting equally as bad in the Defensive backfield.

The Lions offense is in good shape and may be getting Decker back at LT after being out for 2 weeks. This will be big for the OL. The Lions offense is ranked 11th overall in the NFL with the No. 2 scoring offense and 10th in pass yards per game. This aligns nicely with the Bucs on Defense.

The Bucs are 14th in total Defense but are 27th against the pass, But 1st against the Run. Lions are favored by 4.5 points on ESPN. The QBs will determine the outcome of this game. While under pressure Jared Goff is the No. 1 QB in the NFL, Baker Mayfield is below average, but he is at his most dangerous when he is scrambling around the field. I think Hutch and McNeil (welcome back big guy!!) will apply just enough pressure to have Mayfield missing his 4th string WR's and protecting Detroit's battered Defensive Backfield.

Lions: 31, Bucs 24

Brent

The Detroit Lions have not lost back-to-back games in three years. The Tampa Bucs come in as a media darling with MVP front runner Baker Mayfield coming into Ford Field for a Monday Night Football matchup.

The 5-1 Buccaneers are likely to have Mike Evans back from a hamstring pull barring any unexpected relapses. The Bucs defense continues to get enough stops to give the Bucs a chance to win at the end.

Lions 38, Bucs 21

Chris

Dan Campbell rarely loses back-to-back games, and after that officiating circus in Kansas City, this team has extra motivation brewing. Nothing bonds a locker room quite like feeling wronged by the zebras, and Campbell's already channeling that energy into Monday night preparation.

Alim McNeill's return couldn't come at a better time. Even on limited snaps, his presence up the middle will collapse Baker Mayfield's pocket and create havoc for Aidan Hutchinson and company to feast on. Meanwhile, our patchwork secondary gets help from a pass rush that should be licking its chops against Tampa Bay's offensive line.

The NFL finds itself in an interesting spot after Sunday's controversy. All eyes are on the officiating now, which actually works in Detroit's favor. The league can't afford another questionable call fest, especially against the team that just got hosed on national television.

Expect the Lions to come out swinging in those sharp Black Motor City Muscle uniforms. Home crowd, primetime stage, and a chip on their shoulder makes for a dangerous combination.

Lions 30, Bucs 27

Dan

For the third game in a row, I am predicting it will come down to a shootout with the Lions prevailing. Last week sucked for the team, the fans, and frankly, for the respect, dignity and reputation of the NFL and its officials. On to a new game, and a greater challenge in the ever-dangerous Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Although Tamps is tied for the best record in the NFL at 5-1, they have been doing it the hard way, battling through significant offense skill-position injuries and with a defense e that ranks in the bottom half of the NFL in many major categories. Their offense is propped up by the passing game, with the passing game in particular top 10 in most stats along with points per game at 27.5. The Lions counter with a completely healthy offense that averages 31.8 pts per game (2nd in NFL) and is Top 10 in most major Passing, Rushing and total offense categories. Defensively, both teams are mainly in the middle third in raking's, but the Lions, despite last week's debacle in KC, still hold the edge in most defensive categories.

On Paper, the Lions are the better team. Now, that may be primarily due to stats accumulated prior to the secondary being wiped out by injury and Suspension, but it is what it is. I think once again, it will come down to a shootout, with the Lions prevailing in a high scoring affair.

Lions 31, Buc 27