Lions (4-1) at Buccaneers (3-1)
Sunday, 4:25 p.m. EDT, Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida
TV: Fox
Spread (BetMGM):
Lions by 3
Lions’ keys to victory: Tampa Bay’s run game is abysmal, so Detroit can stifle Tampa Bay by forcing it to be one-dimensional in the pass game. And once that happens, players like DE Aidan Hutchinson will try and get past normally indomitable players like Tristan Wirfs on the offensive line to disrupt the passing game. On the offensive side, being able to get past players like DT Vita Vea in the run game will be crucial to maintain play-calling balance.
Buccaneers’ keys to victory: Priority No. 1 for Tampa Bay will be to halt Hutchinson and the Lions’ pass rush to continue scoring points with one of the league’s best passing offenses. On defense, the Bucs will have to be careful not to spread their secondary too thin with weapons like Lions WRs Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams posing threats to the defense.
Matchup to watch: Lions’ Hutchinson vs. Buccaneers’ Wirfs. Hutchinson has been a force in the pass rush and Wirfs remains a brick wall, serving as one of the NFL’s best pass blockers. If Hutchinson meets his match, the Bucs could pull this one out in a clean pocket. If Hutchinson proves too much for Wirfs, Tampa Bay could be in for a long day.
Who wins? The Lions have a strong offense that will be bolstered by Williams’ Week 5 return from an ACL tear and a quarterback in QB Jared Goff who is completing almost 70% of his passes. The Bucs will likely stay close in this game, but the Lions appears to be out of Tampa Bay’s tier.
Lions, 24-21
River Wells, Bucs Wire