By Jack Walker
Playoff fever was in the air at Ford Field on Sunday afternoon as the Detroit Lions took on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a close game that saw Detroit edge out Tampa Bay 31-23. The win for the Lions means it will be their first NFC Championship appearance since January of 1992 and the first time since 1957 that the team was able to secure two wins in a single postseason.
Despite the Lions having a head-to-head win over Tampa Bay in week six, this game was never going to be easy for Detroit. Entering week 13, Tampa Bay had a record of 4-7. Going into their matchup against the Lions, Tampa had a record of 10-8 (including the postseason.) Coming off a dominating win over the Philadelphia Eagles in the Wild Card Round, Tampa proved that just because Philadelphia beat them earlier in the season, didn’t mean the Eagles would beat them in the playoffs.
The Lions were able to score on two of their first three drives of the game, making it look easier than it should have been, giving the Lions a 10-3 lead. A few stops and a missed field goal by Tampa Bay later, the Lions had the ball up seven, with a chance to take a two-possession lead going into half.
Instead, disaster nearly struck, as all-pro center Frank Ragnow went down with a knee injury on a third down sack which gave Tampa the ball back with a little under 1:30 left in the half.
Seven plays later, the Buccaneers were in the end zone, tying the game at 10 a piece going into halftime. The offense went cold, Ragnow went down with an injury, Tampa found a player to exploit on the Lions’ defense in Cam Sutton, and the Buccaneers would receive the ball to start the second half.
Luckily for the Lions, Ragnow was back, and so was the defense, as they were able to stop Tampa Bay’s first two drives of the half.
The Lions’ offense finally found life midway through the third quarter, when Dan Campbell, who was called “Dan Gamble” by NBC commentator Mike Tirico, went for it on fourth down with third-string running back Craig Reynolds, who was able to punch it in the end zone with the help of Ragnow and company.
From that point forward, the Lions’ offense was clicking, scoring on their next two drives to put themselves up 31-17 with only six minutes left in the game. The two drives included touchdowns by rookie Jahmyr Gibbs and all-pro receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, two players who project to be a part of the Lions’ future for a long time.
But Tampa Bay didn’t go down without a fight, converting on a 4th and 14 and eventually scoring a touchdown to make the game 31-23 (Tampa failed on a 2-point conversion.)
The Lions had a chance to seal the game, and it looked as though they would before Tampa Bay got three much needed stops to give themselves a chance to tie the game.
Lions third-year linebacker Derrick Barnes had other plans, intercepting Baker Mayfield, his first career interception, on the second play of the drive to wrap up the game.
When the Lions punted to give Tampa the ball back with two minutes left in the game, it felt like a “Same Old Lions” moment was on the horizon.
Luckily, these are not the Same Old Lions. These are no longer the Marty Mornhinweg Lions, the Steve Mariucci Lions, the Rod Marinelli Lions, the Jim Schwartz Lions or the Matt Patricia Lions. These are the Dan Campbell Lions, who have completely reshaped the way the public views the franchise.
General Manager Brad Holmes took over a terrible five-win team that had the stain of the Matt Patricia era left on it. In just three seasons, he’s built a roster that accomplished something no Lion’s team has done since 1957, win two playoff games in a single postseason.
Against Tampa Bay, rookie Jahmyr Gibbs led the team in rushing yards, Amon-Ra St. Brown led the team in receiving yards, rookie tight end Sam Laporta led the team in receptions, safety Ifeatu Melifonwu led the team in sacks, rookie safety Brian Branch led the team in tackles, star defensive end Aidan Hutchinson led the team in pressures, and Derrick Barnes caught the game-winning interception, every single one of those players were drafted by Holmes in the last three years.
The Lions’ next game will be against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California on Sunday, Jan. 28 at 6:30 p.m. It certainly won’t be an easy game for the Lions, but in the playoffs, anything is possible. If the Lions were to win against the 49ers, their next game will be in Las Vegas, for Super Bowl LVIII. One win to claim NFC, two wins to be crowned champions of the league.
