Jared RamseyDetroit Free Press
The Detroit Lions used three second-half touchdowns to beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 31-23, in the NFC divisional round to keep their season alive and advance to the NFC championship for the first time since January 1992. The Lions will square off with the San Francisco 49ers on the road next Sunday with a trip to the Super Bowl up for grabs.
It was the second consecutive home playoff game for the Lions, who beat the Los Angeles Rams 24-23 last week for their first playoff victory in 32 years. The Lions won two postseason games for the first time since 1957, the last time they won an NFL championship.
READ MORE: Can you believe it? Lions reach NFC title game because they believe in each other
Check out the game recap of live updates below.
Lions vs. Buccaneers game recap, highlights
1:33, fourth quarter: Derrick Barnes intercepts Baker Mayfield to send Lions to NFC Championship
The Lions are off to San Francisco to face the 49ers in the NFC championship game after Derrick Barnes intercepted a Mayfield pass intended for Cade Otton over the middle. The Detroit linebacker jumped in front of the pass and held on with his fingertips to secure the win. The Lions finished the game in victory formation as the Ford Field crowd belted out "Jared Goff" chants.
—Jared Ramsey
4:37, fourth quarter: Mike Evans TD catch cuts Lions' lead to 31-23
The Buccaneers will not roll over and responded with a quick touchdown drive in under two minutes to make it a one-score game. Baker Mayfield found Evans on a post route over the middle for a 16-yard touchdown, but Tampa Bay failed on a two-point conversion to keep the Lions' lead at eight. The Buccaneers picked up yards quickly through the air, including a fourth-and-14 conversion from their own 32 on a 24-yard completion to Evans. The followed up the conversion with two first down passed to Chris Godwin and David Moore leading up to the touchdown.
TRENDING: Lions own one of NFL's greatest playoff comebacks vs. San Francisco 49ers
—Jared Ramsey
6:22, fourth quarter: Amon-Ra St. Brown TD catch gives Lions 31-17 lead
The Lions are inching closer and closer to their first trip to the NFC Championship since 1992, thanks to a 9-yard touchdown pass to St. Brown. Goff found his top target on a slot fade in the corner of the end zone on the third play from the red zone to make the lead two touchdowns with just over six minutes left. The drive was 10 plays spanning 89 yards after the defense forced a punt following the Gibbs touchdown.
The Lions put together another successful drive filled with big plays for their third straight touchdown. David Montgomery started things off with an 11-yard run, followed with a 24-yard completion to Jameson Williams corner route on the left sideline to reach midfield. The Lions faced a third-and-15 after a sack, but Goff found St. Brown for a 16-yard completion to move the sticks. Then, Goff hit Gibbs over the middle for a 20-yard completion, setting up the touchdown.
—Jared Ramsey
13:13, fourth quarter: Jahmyr Gibbs breaks 31-yard TD, Lions lead 24-17
Jahmyr Gibbs just ran all over the Buccaneers and broke free for a 31-yard touchdown to give the Lions the lead again. After touching the ball on three of the first four plays on the drive with great success, Gibbs hit a home run on second down from the Tampa 31. The rookie running back cut back up the middle on a run to the left, met All-Pro safety Antoine Winfield in the open field, then put a foot in the ground and dusted him in a race to the left pylon, adding in a stiff arm at the end for good measure.
Before the lightning-quick touchdown, Gibbs moved the Lions down the field on the short five-play drive. He started it out with a 6-yard run, followed by a 12-yard catch for a first down. After an 18-yard completion to Josh Reynolds, Gibbs had an 8-yard run to the right, just before his touchdown.
—Jared Ramsey
0:10, third quarter: Bucs tie game at 17 with Rachaad White TD catch
The Buccaneers answered right back with a seven-play, 75-yard drive, finished off with a 12-yard touchdown pass to running back Rachaad White on a screen pass. It was the right play call against the Detroit defense, which brought a bevy of pressure up the middle, leaving a wide lane for White on the right side of the field for the end zone. Baker Mayfield extended multiple plays to avoid sacks, including a 13-yard completion to Cade Otton along the sidelines. Mayfield completed three straight passes for first downs to his tight end to move the ball down the field to the Detroit 12-yard line, setting up the screen.
—Jared Ramsey
3:48, third quarter: Craig Reynolds 4th down TD puts Lions ahead 17-10
Craig Reynolds, the Lions' third-string running back and unsung hero in the first matchup between these two teams, plunged into the end zone for a 1-yard touchdown on fourth-and-goal. After getting the ball down to the 1 on a David Montgomery run, the Lions had two incomplete passes on play-action before Reynolds finished the job with a run behind backup left guard Kayode Awosika and center Frank Ragnow for a touchdown.
The fourth down conversion capped off a 10-play, 64-yard drive for Detroit, who passed midfield for just the third time in the game. It started with a 29-yard completion to Brock Wright on a drag route, and the blocking tight end made a man miss in the open field for a big gain down to the Tampa 26. The Lions pushed the ball inside the 5-yard line on a completion to Amon-Ra St. Brown, setting up the goal line sequence and Reynolds touchdown. The reserve running back was a big factor in the first matchup in Week 6, when he had to fill in for an injured Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs.
—Jared Ramsey
0:15, second quarter: Cade Otton scores TD, Tampa tie game at 10 before half
The woes of the Lions' secondary came to life on the last possession of the half, leading to a 1-yard touchdown catch by tight end Cade Otton. After the Lions had to punt, the Bucs put together a seven-play, 92-yard drive in less than two minutes to tie the game. Baker Mayfield started the drive with a 14-yard run on a read option, followed up with 27 and 29-yard completions to Mike Evans down the sideline to reach the one-yard line. Otton's touchdown initially had a flag for offensive pass interference, but the referees picked up the flag.
The Lions jumped out to two separate leads in the first half, but the Bucs were able to respond each time. Detroit's offense found a groove with two scoring drives, but struggled to move the ball after the Josh Reynolds touchdown, punting on their next two possessions. Jared Goff completed 14 of 22 passes for 99 yards, largely relying on short passes to counter the Buccaneers' blitz. The running game has largely been held in check, as David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs combined for 30 yards on nine carries. Left guard Jonah Jackson left the game with a knee injury and is questionable to return. Center Frank Ragnow also limped off the field but is expected to return in the second half.
The defense had a relatively strong first half by getting off the field despite giving up yards, until the massive gaps in pass coverage on the final possession led to the Otton touchdown. Baker Mayfield was 13-of-18 for 181 yards and one interception to C.J. Gardner-Johnson on a tipped pass. Tampa has found more success running the ball, picking up 69 yards on 10 carries. The Buccaneers outgained the Lions 233-134 in the first 30 minutes.
—Jared Ramsey
2:24, second quarter: Bucs miss field goal, Lions lead 10-3
Chase McLaughlin was sent out for a 50-yard field goal, but the kick strayed left and doinked loudly off the left upright, much to the delight of the loud Ford Field crowd. The missed kick maintained the Lions' seven-point lead and gave them the ball back at their own 40-yard line.
The Buccaneers started the drive with a 23-yard pass to Mike Evans along the sideline to move the ball to the 36. On third-and-7, Baker Mayfield avoided an unblocked Aidan Hutchinson to complete a short pass to Rachaad White, who picked up a first down with a juke past Alex Anzalone. The Bucs picked up one more first down with a pass to Cade Otton, but the Lions' defense forced two incompletions on the next set of downs to set up the failed kick. McLaughlin was 7-of-8 this season on kicks of 50 yards or more coming into the game.
—Jared Ramsey
12:33, second quarter: Josh Reynolds gets free for TD catch, Lions lead 10-3
The Lions were the first team to find the end zone to break the 3-3 deadlock on the ensuing drive, which was 14 plays and lasted nearly seven minutes. On third-and-5 from the 9-yard line, Jared Goff found a wide-open Reynolds in the back of the end zone, who corralled the high pass and tiptoed along the boundary for the touchdown.
The drive started with a third-down conversion on a sneak up the middle from Goff, following two touches by Jahmyr Gibbs. Then, Goff found Amon-Ra St. Brown on consecutive short completions to reach midfield. Then Goff went to his other favorite target, rookie tight end Sam LaPorta, for three consecutive completions to reach the Tampa 14-yard line. Goff completed one more 5-yard pass to Gibbs before finding Reynolds on the touchdown. Goff was 9-of-10 for 60 yards on the drive.
—Jared Ramsey
4:19, first quarter: Bucs respond with field goal, tie game at 3
The Buccaneers quickly moved the ball into Lions territory, but a sack from Brian Branch on a nickel blitz put Tampa's offense behind the sticks, ultimately leading to a 43-yard field goal by Chase McLaughlin to tie the game at 3. Baker Mayfield completed back-to-back passes of 16 and 23 yards to Mike Evans and Trey Palmer to move the ball to the Detroit 26-yard line four plays into the drive. However, Branch got to Mayfield untouched on the next play for a sack and loss of nine yards, which was followed up by two short runs to lead to the field goal.
—Jared Ramsey
8:25, first quarter: Lions take 3-0 lead on short FG
The Lions were able to turn the interception into a short Michael Badgley field goal to take the opening lead. The Lions moved the ball into the Tampa Bay 10-yard line and reached the 3-yard line on a first-and-goal run, but a near interception in the end zone and a run for zero yards on the next two plays forced the short field goal. Goff underthrew a corner route on second-and-goal that bounced off the hands of Tampa's Jamel Dean. The Lions picked up their first first down on a defensive holding, which extended a 5-yard run from David Montgomery. The next first down came on an 11-yard completion to Jameson Williams, and a facemask penalty moved them inside the 10-yard line.
—Jared Ramsey
11:08, first quarter: C.J. Gardner-Johnson intercepts Baker Mayfield
Detroit's favorite villain, safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, made the first big play of the game as he intercepted a tipped pass from Baker Mayfield and returned the ball to the Tampa 41-yard line. On third-and-long, Mayfield tried to fit a pass into a window over the middle to Mike Evans, but the All-Pro receiver couldn't hold on and tipped it high into the air, straight to Gardner-Johnson. After the return, Gardner-Johnson flipped the ball back to Mayfield, who was returning to the sidelines.
The Bucs picked up one first down before the interception on a 16-yard run from Rachaad White. It was a big answer after the Lions went three-and-out on the first possession of the game.
—Jared Ramsey
What time is the Lions vs. Buccaneers game?
Date:Sunday, Jan. 21.
Time:3 p.m. ET.
Where:Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan.
—Marlowe Alter
GOING FOR HISTORY: They're 2 wins from the Super Bowl, but for the Detroit Lions 'it all starts with one'
What channel is Lions vs. Buccaneers?
TV channel:NBC.
Streaming live:Peaco*ck andFubo (free trial).
Radio:WXYT-FM (97.1) in Detroit (find allLions radio affiliates).
The Lions host the Bucs televised once again by NBC. It's the same lineup as last week's thriller vs. the Rams: Mike Tirico on play-by-play, Cris Collinsworth in the analyst seat and Melissa Stark on the sideline. If you don't pay for a cable or streaming subscription, you can watch the gamelive on Fubo with a free trial.
—Marlowe Alter
Pregame notes
If you want to get your blood pumping before the game, watch this NBC promo voiced by actor Jeff Daniels, a die-hard Lions fan.
Ford Field is expected to be rocking again as the Lions gear up for their second straight home playoff game. The Lions won their first playoff game in three decades after taking down the Rams in the first round in front of a hungry crowd that produced an unforgettable atmosphere. The reward was another week of the season and a matchup with the Buccaneers in the divisional round with a chance to double up on their previous playoff win total in the Super Bowl era.
While the city has been frothing with excitement, the Lions team has been preaching taking care of business throughout the week, refusing to get ahead of themselves against a Buccaneers team in a groove at the right time. The Lions beat the Bucs the first time these two teams squared off in Week 6 but both teams have improved and evolved in the three months since. The Buccaneers finished the season winning five of their final six games to win the NFC South, then beat the Philadelphia Eagles 32-9 in the wild-card round.
It will be a strength-on-strength matchup between the Lions offense and Tampa's defense, which has held teams to 15.3 points per game in the past seven games. The Lions scored on their first three offensive possessions against the Rams, but had some struggles in the second half before the final drive to run out the clock. Jared Goff was 22-for-27 for 277 yards and one touchdown against his former team, while the running game was held to 79 yards on 25 carries. The Buccaneers defense is best at stopping the run, holding the Lions to 40 yards in the first matchup and the Eagles to 42 yards on the ground last week. Goff had a season-high 353 passing yards in the first matchup, and the offense was able to answer the litany of blitz looks from Todd Bowles' aggressive defense.
On the other side of the ball, all eyes will be on Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayfield, who is having a renaissance season after a brief carousel between teams last year. Mayfield, along with a strong group of pass catchers in Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Trey Palmer, have powered the offense which finished the season 17th in passing (224.2 yards per game) and dead last in rushing (88.8 yards per game). The Lions' secondary is due for another tough matchup after they had some lapses last week against Matthew Stafford and the Rams receivers, but were able to stand tall in the red zone to get some much-needed stops in the victory.
The matchup will take place in an environment that is expected to be so loud, it will leave ears ringing for weeks. Lions fans delivered non-stop, ear-splitting cheers against the Rams, which prompted two crucial timeouts to prevent pre-snap penalties. The team and supporters have spent the past week trying to make sure the atmosphere is even more intimidating this week and reset the decibel record at Ford Field in what will be the final Lions game in Detroit this season, win or loss. The winner will play at San Francisco next Sunday evening.
—Jared Ramsey
Lions vs. Buccaneers betting odds
Opening game lines and odds fromBetMGMas of Sunday afternoon:
Spread:Lions (-6).
Over/under: 49½ points.
Moneyline:Lions (-275), Bucs (+220).
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—Marlowe Alter
Lions-Buccaneers predictions
The Lions are a near-touchdown favorite against the Bucs, a team they already beat on the road 20-6 earlier this season, but most experts expect this game to be closer. The Free Press staff predicts a tough, but winnable game today in a raucous Ford Field. National writers and pundits seem to agree. —Brian Manzullo
Security beefed up for Lions-Buccaneers
Hosting another NFL playoff game in Detroit is a good problem to have, said Detroit Police Deputy Chief Franklin Hayes. To ensure the safety of thousands of fans that will undoubtedly pack downtown to watch theLions play the Buccaneerson Sunday afternoon, Detroit Police have a safety plan in place that includes increased officer visibility. “We’re certainly rooting with them. What’s paramount is safety,” Hayes said. —Andrea May Sahouri
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