Bucs-Lions preview, predictions: Everything you need to know about battle of underdogs

Carmen Vitali

NFC North Reporter

Greg Auman

NFC South Reporter

NFC Central fans, unite!

NFL script writers have gifted us a phenomenal 90’s throwback in a divisional-round game between the Detroit Lions and Tampa Bay Buccaneers this Sunday. 

It harkens back to the last time the Lions won a playoff game, too. The year was 1991 and the world wide web had just come alive. Detroit lost in the conference championship that season and hasn’t made it past the wild-card round since.

Ford Field, built in 2002, had never hosted a playoff game prior to this past Sunday evening and boy, was it absolutely rocking. Seriously, Chad Smith (of Red Hot Chili Peppers fame) put on a halftime drum performance and the crowd rapped “Lose Yourself” in unison led by Eminem himself during a quarter break.

Grown men were crying in the stands after Detroit secured the win. The footballest of head coaches in Dan Campbell cried, too. Frank Ragnow finally won in the postseason!

That’s a tough place to come into, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are no strangers to being the underdogs. They’re also no stranger to recent success, contrary to these Lions. The Bucs have the second-most playoff wins since 2020 of any team, behind only the Kansas City Chiefs, and have Super Bowl hardware from that year, too. But the Greatest Quarterback of All Time actually retired last offseason and many people thought the Bucs were left for dead. 

A resurgent Baker Mayfield is the captain now. He’s another guy who’s been cast aside, much like the Lions’ Jared Goff. It’s a battle of the misfit toys!

So to break this down, I have enlisted the help of FOX Sports’ NFC South reporter: Hall of Fame dad-joker Greg Auman.

Greg, can the chip on the Bucs’ shoulder measure up to the motivation and momentum Detroit has in this game? What’s going to be the biggest factor in how Tampa Bay fares in the landlocked Motor City?

Trust Baker…


Source link : https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/bucs-lions-preview-predictions-everything-you-need-to-know-about-battle-of-underdogs

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Publish date : 2024-01-18 17:15:53

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