
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Detroit Lions
· National Football LeagueMayfield runs for a TD and throws a TD pass, lifting Bucs to 20-16 win over Lions in playoff rematch
Mayfield had an 11-yard TD on a designed run one snap after converting a third down with another 11-yard run late in the third quarter, and the Buccaneers beat the Lions 20-16 on Sunday in a playoff rematch.
“I wasn't expecting to get to the end zone from that far out, but I made a couple guys miss," Mayfield said after the longest touchdown run of his career.
Tampa Bay (2-0) fell behind only once in the closely contested game, and it stopped Detroit (1-1) when it had two chances to drive for a go-ahead touchdown in the final minutes.
The Lions turned it over on downs at the Bucs 6 with 53 seconds left and again at their 26 with 2 seconds left.
Lions coach Dan Campbell lamented a mistake he made in the first half, causing confusion for his offense and special teams that had both units on the field. That drew a flag that ran off the clock and took away an opportunity to kick a short field goal and pull within four points.
“I asked this team to improve and they improved, but the coach cost them the game,” Campbell said. “It is a massive error on my part. I messed up.”
If Detroit made that field goal, it potentially would've been a kick away from winning the game in the fourth quarter.
“It was fortunate for us,” Bucs coach Todd Bowles acknowledged.
Detroit QB Jared Goff threw two interceptions and got a break when defenders dropped two other passes that could have been picked off.
Goff finished 34 of 55 for 307 yards, and the offense he leads was 1 of 7 in the red zone.
“That’s ultimately the difference in the game," he said. "If we score a couple touchdowns down there, we probably win the game.
"I think that’s a good team and we fought hard, but we made too many mistakes.”
Mayfield, meanwhile, was efficient through the air by completing 12 of 19 passes for 185 yards, including a tiebreaking 41-yard touchdown pass to Chris Godwin in the second quarter, with an interception. He also ran four times for 35 yards. Godwin had seven catches for 117 yards.
Detroit beat the Bucs 31-23 in the divisional round in January at home after a 20-6 win last October on the road, but couldn't overcome its miscues and missed opportunities at Ford Field.
“It’s so big for everybody on this team to stick together and get a different outcome than the last time we were here,” Mayfield said.
Bowles will not be surprised if the teams meet again in the postseason.
“If we can get there in January, I’m sure they’ll be there,” he said.
The Lions were relegated to field goals until David Montgomery ran for a go-ahead, 1-yard touchdown late in the third quarter.
Detroit's Aidan Hutchinson had three sacks in the first quarter and finished with a career-high five sacks.
“We tried chipping him and tried to do a lot of things,” Bowles said. “He made our life miserable.”
Amon-Ra St. Brown had 11 receptions for 119 yards for the Lions.
Lions: LB Alex Anzalone was knocked out of the game with a concussion and starting DE Marcus Davenport (groin) was inactive.
Lions: Play at Arizona on Sunday.
How can I watch Buccaneers vs. Lions?
- TV Channel: Buccaneers at Lions 2021-22 NFL, week 2 is broadcasted nationally on FOX and NFL Sunday Ticket.
- Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.
In Canada, viewers can watch Buccaneers vs. Lions on DAZN.
Scoring Summary
![]() |
FG | 1st Period 11:31 | Chase McLaughlin 30 Yd Field Goal |
![]() |
FG | 1st Period 9:00 | Chase McLaughlin 55 Yd Field Goal |
![]() |
FG | 1st Period 7:13 | Jake Bates 22 Yd Field Goal |
![]() |
FG | 2nd Period 12:47 | Jake Bates 35 Yd Field Goal |
![]() |
TD | 2nd Period 9:08 | Chris Godwin 41 Yd pass from Baker Mayfield (Chase McLaughlin Kick) |
![]() |
FG | 3rd Period 11:53 | Jake Bates 32 Yd Field Goal |
![]() |
TD | 3rd Period 3:26 | David Montgomery 1 Yd Run (Jake Bates Kick) |
![]() |
TD | 3rd Period 0:34 | Baker Mayfield 11 Yd Run (Chase McLaughlin Kick) |
Statistics
![]() |
![]() |
|
---|---|---|
14 | 1st Downs | 26 |
9 | Passing 1st downs | 16 |
3 | Rushing 1st downs | 7 |
2 | 1st downs from penalties | 3 |
2-10 | 3rd down efficiency | 7-17 |
0-0 | 4th down efficiency | 3-5 |
47 | Total Plays | 83 |
216 | Total Yards | 463 |
4.6 | Yards per Play | 5.6 |
11 | Total Drives | 11 |
146 | Passing | 324 |
12/19 | Comp/Att | 35/56 |
6.1 | Yards per pass | 5.8 |
1 | Interceptions thrown | 2 |
5-39 | Sacks-Yards Lost | 0-0 |
70 | Rushing | 139 |
23 | Rushing Attempts | 27 |
3.0 | Yards per rush | 5.1 |
1-2 | Red Zone (Made-Att) | 1-7 |
4-35 | Penalties | 4-71 |
1 | Turnovers | 2 |
0 | Fumbles lost | 0 |
1 | Interceptions thrown | 2 |
0 | Defensive / Special Teams TDs | 0 |
26:07 | Possession | 33:53 |
Detroit Lions Injuries
NAME, POS | STATUS | DATE |
---|---|---|
Marcus Davenport, DE | Questionable | Mar 8 |
Derrick Barnes, LB | Questionable | Mar 7 |
Aidan Hutchinson, DE | Questionable | Feb 18 |
Mekhi Wingo, DT | Questionable | Feb 11 |
Malcolm Rodriguez, LB | Questionable | Feb 11 |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Injuries
NAME, POS | STATUS | DATE |
---|---|---|
Chris Godwin, WR | Questionable | Mar 10 |
Markees Watts, LB | Questionable | Feb 12 |
Christian Izien, S | Questionable | Feb 12 |
Silas Dzansi, OT | Questionable | Feb 12 |
SirVocea Dennis, LB | Questionable | Feb 12 |
Game Information

Location: Detroit, MI
Attendance: 64,160 · Capacity:
2024 NFC South Standings
TEAM | W | L | PCT | T | PF | PA |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tampa Bay | 10 | 7 | .588 | 0 | 502 | 385 |
Atlanta | 8 | 9 | .471 | 0 | 389 | 423 |
Carolina | 5 | 12 | .294 | 0 | 341 | 534 |
New Orleans | 5 | 12 | .294 | 0 | 338 | 398 |
NFL News

Canty: Cowboys have to start considering a Dak Prescott trade
Chris Canty explains why the Cowboys' lack of playoff success will pressure them to consider trading Dak Prescott.

2025 NFL draft: Latest buzz, Hunter's position, sleepers
Could Travis Hunter play full-time wide receiver? Which teams are most likely to trade down? Our NFL draft experts weigh in.

How Cowboys get a draft advantage with their 'Dallas Day'
With many draft prospects from the Dallas area -- such as RB Ashton Jeanty and QB Quinn Ewers -- the Cowboys have a leg up on other NFL teams.

Detroit Lions prioritized discipline in NFL free agency
With so many young stars still to pay, the Lions are trusting what they already had in-house this offseason.

Do Panthers have a legit No. 1 receiver in Xavier Legette?
The Panthers still see a lot of upside in Legette, their 2024 first-round pick, but he has a lot to improve on from his rookie year.