DETROIT – The Detroit Lions are one win away from a Super Bowl appearance after a thrilling victory over the Buccaneers.
Sunday brought the second-straight playoff game at Ford Field after the Lions waited more than three decades for a win in the postseason. And for the second week in a row, the Lions came away with a dramatic win.
Defensive backs dominate 1st quarter
Early on, it was the Lions’ secondary leading the charge -- not at all what anyone expected coming into this matchup.
After the offense went three-and-out on the opening drive of the game, Ifeatu Melifonwu put the Buccaneers behind the sticks with a sack on 2nd and 9. The very next play, a Baker Mayfield pass was tipped up in the air by Mike Evans and intercepted by C.J. Gardner-Johnson.
Gardner-Johnson, who had some unflattering comments about Mayfield during the week, flipped the ball to him on the sideline and had a few choice words after the interception return.
The Lions drove down inside the 10-yard line but stalled and settled for a field goal.
Mayfield drove the Buccaneers into Detroit territory, and Trey Palmer nearly broke a long touchdown run on a slant, but Melifonwu came up with another big play, bringing him down by a shoestring.
That eventually proved to be a four-point tackle, as the Buccaneers settled for a field goal after a Brian Branch sack.
When the clock ran out on a fast-paced first quarter, the score was tied at three.
Sam LaPorta gets involved, Lions thrive on 3rd down
When the second quarter started, the Lions were facing a 3rd and 4 from the 44-yard line. Jared Goff found Sam LaPorta for a gain of 13 yard to move the chains.
The next two passes also went to LaPorta for a total of 17 yard to get the Lions back into the red zone. This time, they capitalized, as Goff hit Josh Reynolds in the back of the end zone on 3rd and 5 to give the Lions a 10-3 lead.
On that touchdown drive, the Lions converted all four of their third-down opportunities -- just one week after the Buccaneers stopped the Eagles on all nine third-down plays (and both fourth-down plays) in the wildcard round.
After the Bucs punted on 4th and 1 from the 34-yard line, Goff and LaPorta connected twice more for 16 yards before a rare drop by Amon-Ra St. Brown forced them to punt.
Defense folds right before halftime
Jack Fox pinned the Buccaneers inside the 15-yard line, but Mayfield found Evans on the first play for 23 yard to create some breathing room. The Lions stiffened up once the Bucs crossed midfield, and Chase McLaughlin missed a 50-yard field goal.
The Lions went three-and-out near midfield and had to punt. Fox dropped in another beauty, pinning the Buccaneers at the 8-yard line.
But the defense couldn’t hold the lead even for 87 seconds. The first play was a run that went for 11 yards, and as a result, the Buccaneers decided to see if they could get more points on the board.
Mayfield picked up a 3rd and 1 with his legs, and then Evans burned Cam Sutton twice to get down to the 2-yard line. A touch pass to a wide open Cade Otten in the corner of the end zone tied the game going into the break.
Offensive line injuries
The Lions were also dealing with a pair of injury questions at the break.
Jonah Jackson was taken to the locker room midway through the second quarter and did not return. He was officially listed as questionable.
Pro Bowl center Frank Ragnow went down on the penultimate offensive play when Goff, who was sacked, rolled up on him from behind. He returned when the Lions kneeled the ball to go into halftime.
Lions take lead after halftime
The Buccaneers got the ball first after halftime and started with a 12-yard pass and a pair of strong runs by Rachaad White.
But Aidan Hutchinson picked up his eighth sack in the last four games to end the drive.
A 15-yard chop block penalty on David Montgomery doomed the Lions on their next drive, but Branch blew up the ensuing Bucs drive with a four-yard tackle for loss on first down.
Detroit finally broke through offensively on the next possession, going 64 yards on 10 plays, highlighted by a 29-yard pass to tight end Brock Wright. Craig Reynolds eventually scored from a yard away on 4th and 1.
Buccaneers answer
Ford Field was rocking when Mayfield and the Buccaneers took over down by a touchdown, but they were ready.
An offsides penalty on Branch erased a six-yard loss on the first play, and then Melifonwu was called for defensive holding on the next snap.
Mayfield completed three-straight passes for a total of 49 yards before the Lions forced a pair of incompletions to set up 3rd and 10 on the 12-yard line.
Aaron Glenn drew up an all-out blitz, but the Buccaneers were ready. Mayfield dumped but ball off to White and he trotted untouched into the end zone to tie the game.
Jahmyr Gibbs takeover
The final seconds ticked off the clock after a Jahmyr Gibbs run to start the next drive, and the fourth quarter began in a 17-17 tie.
But it wasn’t tied for long. The Lions needed only five plays to march 75 yards for a touchdown, and four of those plays went to the rookie running back.
Gibbs carried for six yards, caught a 12-yard pass, carried for eight more yards, and then broke off a 31-yard touchdown run to break the tie. The only other play was an 18-yard completion to Josh Reynolds.
Offense stays hot
After the defense forced a critical three-and-out, the Lions’ offense scored for the third time in a row with what appeared to be a dagger of a drive: 10 plays and 89 yards over 5:50.
Jameson Williams made a key 24-yard catch early in the drive, and Gibbs gained another 20 yards on a pass over the middle.
But the hero was St. Brown, who came up with a 16-yard grab on 3rd and 15 to keep the drive alive around midfield and eventually hauled in a nine-yard pass for the touchdown.
Buccaneers stay alive
Just when it looked like the Bucs were out of it, Mayfield had a response. He completed a key 4th and 14 pass to Evans to keep the game alive.
After Mayfield completed passes of 11 and 17 yards to get into the red zone, the connection with Evans came through again, as they connected from 16 yards out to pull within one possession.
The Buccaneers went for two after the score, but Melifonwu broke up another pass toward Evans to keep the lead at eight.
Lions can’t run out clock
Detroit took over with more than four and a half minutes remaining and went to work, trying to squeeze the life out of its opponent like it has all season.
No offense is better at running out the clock with a lead than the Lions’ -- it’s exactly what they did to Matthew Stafford and the Rams in the first round of the playoffs.
But they couldn’t quite finish the job this time. After gaining 30 yards on five plays, the Lions punted the ball to the 10-yard line just as the two-minute warning was triggered. All the defense had to do was stop the Buccaneers from driving 90 yards in 1:59, and it would win the game.
Final defensive possession
The Buccaneers’ hopes were shattered just two plays into the final drive.
After Mayfield hit Evans for five yards on the first play, he made an ill-advised throw over the middle, and it was picked off by linebacker Derrick Barnes to lock up Detroit’s second-straight playoff win.