For the first time in the Super Bowl era, the Detroit Lions have won two playoff games in the same postseason. The Lions beat the visiting Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 31-23, inside a raucous Ford Field on Sunday.
It was an epic matchup worthy of the national television audience and the high stakes.
Detroit and Tampa Bay traded field goals in the first quarter. The game was tied at 10 at the half. Both teams added a touchdown in the third quarter, leaving the fourth quarter a battle for the right to head to San Francisco and play for the NFC Championship next Sunday.
The Lions struck quickly with an impressive drive. Jahmyr Gibbs capped it with a gorgeous 31-yard run to seize the lead with a seven-play, 75-yard drive. Detroit’s defense forced a quick three-and-out for the second time in three drives, giving the ball back to the Lions offense with 12 minutes to play.
What came next was a championship drive, plain and simple. The Lions went 89 yards in 10 plays for a methodical, ruthlessly efficient scoring drive. Goff hit Amon-Ra St. Brown in the back right corner of the end zone on first-and-goal from the 9-yard line, rewarding the All-Pro wideout for a gritty 3rd-and-15 conversion earlier on the drive. The Lions took the lead, 31-17.
Because nothing comes easy, the Buccaneers answered with an impressive drive of their own. Baker Mayfield hit Mike Evans for a score to cap a 9-play, 75-yard drive. However, the 2-pt. conversion failed when Mayfield’s fade to Evans hit Lions safety Ifeatu Melifonwu in the back.
The Lions next drive stalled at the two-minute warning, giving the Buccaneers one last shot. But Derrick Barnes nicely undercut a crossing route and picked off Mayfield’s pass to seal the win. Goff knelt in victory formation and all of the Lions fan base blew the roof off whatever building they might have been in.