Tez Johnson becomes a must-add with Emeka Egbuka Sidelined
USA TODAY Sports’ Joe Rivera and Jacob Camenker break down why Tez Johnson is set for a major week due to WR injuries in Tampa Bay.
Fast facts: 7 p.m. ET; Monday, Oct. 20; Ford Field, Detroit; ABC, ESPN; WXYT-FM (97.1).
Line: Lions by 5½.
The coaches: Lions — Dan Campbell (48-37-1 overall, 43-30-1 with Lions); Buccaneers — Todd Bowles (58-66 overall, 32-25 with Buccaneers).
Last meeting: Sept. 15, 2024, Buccaneers won 20-16.
Key matchups
Jared Goff vs. Vita Vea
Lions quarterback Jared Goff has faced some heat over the past couple of weeks, getting sacked four times in the Lions’ Week 5 win over the Cincinnati Bengals and seeing a lot of plays blown up thanks to consistent pressure from the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 6.
Things won’t get easier against Vita Vea and the Buccaneers’ defense on Monday.
Vea’s primary skill is disrupting the passing game by applying interior pressure to the quarterback, and he’s really good at it. It doesn’t help that the Lions’ interior offensive linemen (center Graham Glashow, left guard Christian Mahogany and right guard Tate Ratledge) are all in new roles this year — though now with a few successful games under their belts.
The Lions have already thwarted a stout defense line before, limiting the fearsome Cleveland Browns front line to zero sacks against Goff in Week 4. But this is an especially big test for Mahogany and Ratledge, and might make the difference between Goff going off and Goff scurrying for safety.
Alim McNeill vs. Baker Mayfield
The Lions aren’t the only team that has to contend with strong interior pressure towards their quarterback, however.
With Lions defensive tackle Alim McNeill “fricking playing” for the first time in the 2025 season against Tampa Bay, Detroit returns a key piece to their defensive line and a potential way to keep Buccaneers MVP candidate Baker Mayfield in check.
While Mayfield has the legs to escape trouble in the pocket, he’s still vulnerable to the sack, as he took 40 each of the past two years as Tampa Bay’s starter. The Bucs have cleaned that up a bit in 2025, but the Lions will finally be able to bring the kind of pressure they want from both the outside, with Aidan Hutchinson, and the inside with McNeill. And with the Buccaneers’ offense so banged up, the Lions will likely focus a lot of their attention on making Mayfield as uncomfortable as possible in the backfield.
Scouting reportLions offense vs. Buccaneers defense
The Lions are a top-5 team in rushing attempts, feeding the ball to their running backs just over 29 times per game so far in 2025. But the Kansas City Chiefs limited the Lions to just 23 rushing attempts in their Sunday night win over Detroit, with over a third of those attempts going to Jahmyr Gibbs in just the first drive alone. The Lions are going to want to jump-start the running game if they want to cruise against the Bucs.
Tampa’s rush defense is a force, however, giving up only 88.2 yards per game, fifth lowest in the NFL.
That shouldn’t dissaude the Lions from handing the ball to Gibbs and David Montgomery — especially Montgomery, who got only four carries against the Chiefs but still averaged 6 yards per attempt. If “Knuckles” can find a way to maintain that average against the Buccaneers, but with 10-12 carries instead of the four he got on Sunday, that can help the Lions keep the ball away from Buccaneers quarterback (and surprise MVP candidate) Baker Mayfield.
“We’re always going to want more,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said about his running game before practice on Thursday, acknowledging that falling behind to the Chiefs made Detroit lean more on the passing game.
But the Lions offense has looked best when Gibbs and Montgomery have been efficiently moving the ball down the field, eating up clock and opening up opportunities for receivers up the middle.
Lions defense vs. Buccaneers offense
It’s not entirely clear what the Buccaneers offense is going to look like on Monday. We know for sure it’ll be without receiver Chris Godwin and running back Bucky Irving. Emeka Egbuka, their 2025 first-round pick from Ohio State, has with five receiving touchdowns already but is a game-time decision with a hamstring injury. The Bucs might see the return of Mike Evans, who in his 12th NFL season is still one of the most dangerous receivers in the league.
Returning Evans could be huge for the Bucs, whose running game leans on Rachaad White without Irving, since their success leans heavily on what Mayfield can do for them through the air.
That could be bad news for a hampered Lions defense, down both their starting cornerbacks to injury and both safeties in Brian Branch, suspended for this game following his involvement in the end-of-game fight in Kansas City, and Kerby Joseph (knee). But it could also be an opportunity for nickel-turned-outside starter Amik Robertson, who has emerged as arguably the most indispensable player in the Lions’ secondary currently. Thomas Harper will make his first Lions start at safety.
Lions vs Buccaneers prediction, pick
The injuries to the Lions’ secondary and the injuries to the Buccaneers’ receiving corps might cancel each other out, so it’s probably better to take a look at what else the teams provide.
The Lions have one of the best offenses in football, currently standing as one of just two teams to average at least 30 points per game this season. Meanwhile, Tampa Bay’s run defense is very good, but its pass defense still allows more than 230 yards per game through the air. If the Lions can get any semblance of a running game going, they should be able to hold the ball and prevent Tampa Bay’s offense from getting too many opportunities.
Mayfield leads all quarterbacks with four game-winning drives so far this season, as many as he had in the last two seasons combined. His heroics will keep it close and give Tampa Bay an opportunity for another one, but the return of Alim McNeill will help shut down any late-game comeback at Ford Field. The pick: Lions 32, Buccaneers 31.
You can reach Christian at cromo@freepress.com.