The Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost their first matchup against the Detroit Lions in an NFC Central reunion in Week 6. Now, that rivalry reignites on a much bigger stage.
The Bucs are set to take on the Detroit Lions in the second round of the NFC playoffs, but this time, it’ll be back on the road at Ford Field. The Bucs got drubbed 20-6 last time around, and bettors seem to remember — Detroit has opened up as six-point favorites over Tampa Bay for the Divisional Round, according to BetMGM.
Both teams are quite different from the first time they played. On the plus side for the Bucs, they’ve drastically changed since then, getting a bit more in rhythm offensively and doing better with personnel, starting players like Yaya Diaby and moving others like Zyon McCollum to safety when that wasn’t happening before. On the flip side, the Lions were badly hurt when they played the Bucs the first time, missing players like C.J. Gardner Johnson and David Montgomery, and they won’t be the second time around.
While the Lions should probably be favored after some good play against the Los Angeles Rams, the NFL is all about any given Sunday — so we’ll see how it goes when the lights hit the turf.
[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=1364]