NFC Game Of The Week
Detroit Lions at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Lions: The NFC North isn’t the strongest this year. The Vikings have struggled which I was anticipating and if you look at it, they’ve been in each game they’ve lost. The Bears are who we thought they were (Word to Dennis Green) and the Green Bay Packers are struggling to put it all together and I think the hype was a bit much after Jordan Love’s first game. When I did my division previews during the Summer, I had the Detroit Lions winning the NFC North for the first time in franchise history and so far, they’re looking really good. I love the philosophy of this team because they stick to their identity and that’s run the football, Jared Goff controls things (which he does most of the time) and stop the run. This has them at 4-1 and sitting atop of the division. Sunday against the Carolina Panthers showed me this is a more mentally tough team than what I’ve seen in previous years and I say that because years ago, that’s a game they would’ve dropped, even against a bad team because then, they would play down to their competition and somehow would stick around with the upper echelon teams in the league and I never understood that. Jared is off to a strong start. On the year so far, he’s thrown nine touchdown passes to three interceptions. They aren’t asking him to get into shootouts. All they want is for him to run the offense, control the ball, take care of the ball and most importantly, don’t lose them the football game. He had the best year of his career with Detroit last season and he’s still building. On Sunday, they will travel down to Florida for a showdown with a surprising first place team.
Bucs: Prior to the bye week, they had a showdown with the New Orleans Saints in the Superdome. I was curious as to how they would come out after an off performance the week before against the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football. I know they’ve been one of the best run defenses in all of football, but they weren’t that night against the defending NFC Champions. Against New Orleans, they bounced back in a big way and won a tough divisional game on the road of all places which is never easy. They were able to win the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, the defense kept the Saints offense in check and held them to three field goals which is nine points and they were just the more dominant football team. Up to this point, this is still one of the biggest surprises in the NFL because nobody knew what they would be after Tom retired. Right now, they sit at 3-1 and in first place in the NFC South and as far as I’m concerned, this is a two team race between these Buccaneers and the Saints. The Falcons are way too up and down for my liking and the Panthers, no comment. I understand Baker Mayfield has received his fair share of criticism since breaking into the NFL. He’s a former number one pick and with that comes a ton of pressure and most importantly, expectations to live up too. Any struggling football player is fixable with the right coaching and that’s exactly what he has right now in Tampa. First, I see guys that want to play with the Quarterback. He leads and they follow him. Baker has been a tone setter for this group. Most importantly, he’s been himself and I’m sure his coaches have reiterated to him don’t attempt to do exactly what the previous Quarterback did. Play your game and all will fall into place and that’s what’s happened. They return back to the field off the bye week.
Lions X-Factor: Alex Anzalone– He’s the Middle Linebacker for this Detroit defense. Alex is a football player I would love to suit up and play with because he throws everything into every single play. Anything he’s asked to do, he does it. Rushes the passer, shows blitz, drops back in coverage and he always finds a way to the football regularly. Alex knows how to angle himself to make a tackle to stop the run. His closing speed is remarkable and he’s a key piece for this Lions defense.
Bucs X-Factor: Chris Godwin– Back with Brady, I said he was the most important piece to this Tampa offense and I’m sticking with that. A healthy Chris Godwin makes all the difference for this offense. He’s that receiver that can make the catch on the short route, then turn up the field and he’s in open space. His nickname is “Mr. YAC” for a reason because of his ability to move with the football in his hands. Watch him with the ball in hands.
Three Things I’m Watching
1. Ground and Pound– It’s shocking to know the Bucs haven’t been as strong against the run as they’ve been in previous years. Meanwhile, the Lions have been so consistently stout against the run. It really is surprising considering the Bucs have arguably the best run stopper in football in Vita Via patrolling the middle of the defensive line.
2. Baker vs Goff- These are former number one overall picks battling one another. After years of inconsistent play, both Jared and Baker have found themselves thriving in new positions which is good to see. This will be just the second battle between these two veteran Quarterbacks.
3. Cream!- During the off-season, the Bucs announced they will be bringing back the classic creamsicle jerseys which will be worn in this game! I like that many teams in the NFL are deciding to play in their throwback jerseys this season. The creamsicle uniforms are one of the all-time favorite jerseys in the NFL.
Final Thoughts: Who would’ve imagined that these two would be in first place up to this point so far? In their win on Sunday, the Lions didn’t have Amon-Ra St.Brown and some other key pieces, but they still got the job done and Jared Goff was very efficient. This Tampa secondary has been tough against Quarterbacks this year and that’s one matchup I will be watching in this game is the Bucs Defensive Backfield against these Lions receivers which should be getting St. Brown back from injury on Sunday. Also, watch the Tampa pass rush that can consistently create pressure and get to the Quarterback. If you know anything about a Todd Bowles coached defense, this man will throw the house and blitz at any time during the game. I see the Lions establishing Montgomery early on throw themselves at the Bucs defense that has allowed almost five yards per carry. The Lions are the more cohesive unit and I’m picking them to win this game.
Prediction: Lions 28, Bucs 24
