-
Eric Woodyard
Close
Eric Woodyard
ESPN
- Eric Woodyard covers the Detroit Lions for ESPN. He joined ESPN in September 2019 as an NBA reporter dedicated to the Midwest region before switching to his current role in April 2021. The Flint, Mich. native is a graduate of Western Michigan University and has authored/co-authored three books: “Wasted, Ethan’s Talent Search” and “All In: The Kelvin Torbert Story”. He is a proud parent of one son, Ethan. You can follow him on Twitter: @E_Woodyard
-
Jenna Laine
Close
Jenna Laine
ESPN Staff Writer
- Jenna Laine covers the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for ESPN. She started covering the Bucs for ESPN in 2016, but she has covered the team since 2009. Follow Jenna on Twitter: @JennaLaineESPN.
DETROIT — The Detroit Lions kept their storybook season going and advanced to their first NFC Championship Game since 1991 in a 31-23 divisional-round victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.
Detroit will play the San Francisco 49ers next Sunday with a Super Bowl berth on the line. Here’s a closer look at each team’s performance:
Detroit Lions
Hosting their second playoff game in the same postseason for the first time in franchise history, Detroit’s offense got off to a slow start.
The game was tied at the end of the first, second and third quarters before the Lions broke free in the fourth as rookie running back Jahmyr Gibbs came alive to spark the ground attack.
Promising trend: Over his last four games, second-year edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson has registered eight sacks — including one against Tampa Bay. Prior to that, Hutchinson went on a three-game drought without a sack in the regular season but said he “figured out my own identity” during this stretch. The Lions defense also recorded three sacks in a playoff game for the fourth time since team sacks became official in 1963.
QB breakdown: Goff finished 30-for-43 with 287 passing yards and threw two touchdowns in a playoff game for the first time in his career. The Lions ended with 391 yards of total offense against Tampa Bay after posting 334 total net yards in their wild card game against the Los Angeles Rams on Jan. 14. Goff went 11-for-12 for 131 yards and a TD in the 4th quarter
Biggest hole in the game plan: The Lions’ secondary. Tampa Bay receiver Mike Evans torched Detroit’s defense with eight catches for 147 yards as the Buccaneers ended with 349 passing yards. During the wild card matchup versus the Los Angeles Rams, they also struggled to cover Rams rookie receiver Puka Nacua as he went off for 181 receiving yards on nine catches – including a 50-yard touchdown. This is an area of concern for the Lions when facing good receivers. — Eric Woodyard
Next game: Sunday at San Francisco, 6:30 p.m. ET
Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles told his players all week to “weather the storm in the first quarter” against the Lions — the league’s highest-scoring first quarter offense in 2023 — but the fourth quarter stung them the most. They surrendered two touchdowns to Goff and Co., who completed 9-of-9 passes for 120 yards and a touchdown and Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield threw a devastating interception to seal the game for Detroit.
This ended the Bucs’ “Revenge Tour” as inside linebacker Devin White put it, with no redemption against the Lions after a Week 6 loss and no shot to avenge their Week 11 loss to the 49ers. They did, however, defy expectations outside the organization in the wake of Tom Brady’s retirement, finishing the year at 10-9 after dropping five out of six games midway through the season with questions raised about Bowles’ job status. Now, the Bucs enter the offseason with questions looming over two key figures on offense: quarterback Baker Mayfield and wide receiver Mike Evans.
QB breakdown: Mayfield completed 26 of 41 passes for 349 yards, with three TDs and two interceptions. On fourth-and-14, trailing 31-17 in the fourth quarter, Mayfield found Evans for a 16-yard touchdown to make it 31-23 with a failed two-point conversion attempt as Evans was out of bounds. Mayfield’s first pick came during the Bucs’ opening drive on a tipped pass intended for Evans that was intercepted by safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, setting up a 23-yard field goal for the Lions. His second pick — and the game-ender — came with 1:35 remaining and the Bucs trailing by 8 points.
Biggest hole in the game plan: The Bucs pressured Goff on 26% of his dropbacks despite blitzing 47% of the time. He was sacked twice but appeared largely unaffected by everything the Bucs threw at him.
Pivotal play: The Lions went for it on fourth-and-goal at the Tampa Bay 1-yard line with 3:51 to go in the third quarter, and RB Craig Reynolds ran it up the middle for a 1-yard touchdown. The decision to go for it bolstered the Lions’ chances of winning the game by 70.5% according to ESPN Analytics.
Eye-popping NextGen stat: Mayfield was sacked in under 3.10 seconds twice Sunday, the two fastest sacks he took all season. He was sacked in 2.77 seconds by Hutchinson and in 3.07 seconds by safety Ifeatu Melifonwu. — Jenna Laine