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Divisional Round: Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Detroit Lions Sunday 3pm ET NBC

Louis Friend

By Louis Friend
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Just Want A Title

Just Want A Title

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Overview:  This was a really hard-fought game against a much-improved Tampa Bay defense.  It wasn't perfect on either side of the ball but the Lions got the "W" and advance to the NFC Championship game vs the 49rs.  That said:

Dan Campbell:  He had this team ready to play.  More importantly, he has taught this team how to win big games and today was no exception.  He seems to be fairly deliberate in positioning the Lions to win the 4th-quarter and win the close games in the 4th quarter.  He missed the chance for a legit challenge on the sack of Baker Mayfield but it didn't affect the outcome of the game.  It was methodical but he got the biggest win of his coaching career.  

Ben Johnson:  It was a good game for Ben Johnson against a very tough Bucs defense.  This game was fairly methodical.  Sometimes maddeningly methodical.  David Montgomery is a good back but it seems like the offense finds a better rhythm with Jahmyr Gibbs.   He was a little slow to go to Jahmyr Gibbs but Gibbs got going when we needed it the most.  We are still waiting for the break-out game from Jameson Williams though.  He needs to find better ways to integrate his speed into the offensive game plan.  He could do a better job of getting the most out of the speed of Jahmyr Gibbs as well.

Aaron Glenn:  His "Gumby Defense" somehow manages to do enough to keep the Lions in the game.  He had some pretty good blitzes with Iffy and Brian Branch.  The D-Line played a lot like it has all year--solid containment but so-so QB pressure.  However, the D-Line did just enough to force some errant throws from Baker Mayfield.  He has the personnel he has in the secondary but he needs to minimize the pain cause by Kerby Joseph's poor rotations to help out the CBs.  He and the defense lived to fight another day.

Offense:  

Jared Goff--He continues to play at a really high level.  He taking care of the football and being really efficient.  I hope he continues to pull it down and make 7-9 yards runs when they open up.  He also had a really strong QB-draw and was solid on the deliberately designed roll-outs.  He will never be confused with Lamar Jackson but maximizing his movement skills makes things even tougher for opposing defenses.  He still needs to work on getting the ball to Jameson Williams more often though.

Jahmyr Gibbs/David Montgomery--David Montgomery had a quiet day but was effective late in the game.  Jahmyr Gibbs came alive to help put the game away.  Given the toughness of the Bucs defense, this was a solid day for the RBs.

Craig Reynolds--Apparently, he is Kryptonite for the Buccaneers.  He isn't used very often but stepped up when his number was called.  It seems like he should get a few more carries every game.

ARSB--His numbers weren't huge but he came up with huge plays when we needed them the most.  That completion on the 3-15 was awesome.

Sam LaPorta--He had a solid day despite still being bothered by his knee injury.  Surprisingly, the Bucs didn't single cover him for a good portion of the game.  He didn't have any big plays but he helped keep the chains moving.

Frank Ragnow--That man came up big today.  He managed to minimize the impact of Vita Vea despite his injuries.  I haven't seen the locker room celebration but he deserves a game ball for being the warrior that he was today.

Penei Sewell--He seemed to block out everything except the sun today.  He and Frank Ragnow were a big part of Jared Goff being kept fairly clean today.

Kayode Awosika--Despite being put in against a very good Bucs D-Line, he played surprisingly well.  He wasn't dominant but he was good enough in the run and pass game.  Kudos to him for stepping up in such a big game.

Brock Wright--He doesn't catch the ball very often but when he does it usually has a big impact.  He put a surprisingly effective move on one of the Bucs DB to create the long gain.  He deserves a lot of credit for executing well in such a big game.

Defense:

Aidan Hutchinson--He played a pretty good game.  He notched a sack and was solid when he dropped into coverage.   He was generally disruptive all day.  That is a tall order considering the quality of the Bucs OTs.

Alim McNeil--Much like he has been most of the year, he is really disruptive in the middle of the defense.  He may not have a great stat line he had a pretty good game

Ifeatu Melifonwu--He continues to play well.  He had pretty good coverage on Mike Evans early in the game despite allowing the completion.   His coverage on the 2-pt conversion was good was well.  He may have gotten tagged for a holding call but his penchant for punching the ball out showed up also.  He continues to be a menace on the blitz notching 1.5 sacks today.  The scary part, for opposing teams, is that he is still getting better.  

Derrick Barnes--His INT to ice the game was awesome.  He had some rough patches in coverage earlier in the game though.  Still, he had a solid game.

Cam Sutton--I don't know if it is the scheme or if he has some sort of nagging injury but he isn't playing as well as he was playing early in the year.  Mike Evans can be a tough draw for any CB but he was getting burned quite a bit today.  He gets a little bit of a pass due to the continued mediocre play of Kerby Joseph.

Ceedy Duce--He had a bid INT early on the deflection but otherwise had a quiet game.  We are going to need him to be more of a difference-maker against the 49rs

Kerby Joseph--He continues to be inconsistent.  He hung Cam Sutton out to dry on a couple of Mike Evans receptions.  Still, his tackling was somewhat better today.  Hopefully, he will settle down a little more vs the 49rs

Brian Branch--He showed good timing in his blitzes and notch a sack.  He was also solid in tackling today.  It was a good game for him.

Levi Onwuzurike--He provided some quality snaps and even generated some real pressure on Baker Mayfield.  He deserves a ton of credit for battling to stay on the roster and making a key contribution in a big game.  

Summary:  This team battled and found a way to win.  It wasn't perfect on offense.  It wasn't pretty on defense.  However, in the biggest moments of the game they did enough to put the Bucs away.  I don't know how much longer this ride is going to last but they gave themselves one more week.  Awesome!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by Just Want A Title
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