The Detroit Lions lost 20-16 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, missing several important chances to change the outcome.
The Lions made just 1 of 7 shots in the red zone, and a series of crucial incomplete passes helped Tampa Bay pull off the win. A costly penalty as time expired in the first half would prove especially painful for Detroit in the four-point loss.
A bright spot for the Lions was DE Aidan Hutchinson, who had three sacks in the first quarter for Detroit. Hutchinson recorded five sacks, just two shy of the NFL single-game record set by Derrick Thomas in 1990.
But Hutchinson couldn’t carry the team through the first half alone. After a frustrating final possession, the Lions went to the locker room down 13-6. Detroit quarterback Jared Goff took the Lions into the red zone with less than 30 seconds left in the game, but threw an incomplete pass just one attempt later. On third-and-2 at Tampa Bay’s 9-yard line, Detroit was given a penalty for having too many players on the field and lost a chance for a touchdown after the 10-second runoff that accompanied the penalty.
“There’s no way to justify that. It’s a big mistake on my part and no one else’s,” Lions head coach Dan Campbell said afterward, according to Jeff Riger of 97.1 The Ticket.
The Lions opened the second half with a field goal by kicker Jake Bates to pull within four points. After a Buccaneers punt, Detroit and Tampa Bay scored touchdowns, with running back David Montgomery charging into the end zone for the Lions and Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield charging up the field for a 20-16 lead.
Ultimately, neither team was able to score in the fourth quarter. A chance for Detroit to take a fourth-quarter lead was squashed by Goff’s second interception of the day.
Tampa Bay failed to score after losing the possession, and Detroit forced a punt after four plays. The Lions marched down the field in the final minutes, and running back Jahmyr Gibbs put Detroit in the red zone with a 23-yard run with less than two minutes remaining. Goff was unable to score on fourth-and-8 attempts, however, and the Lions lost the ball on a try at Tampa Bay’s 6.
The Lions forced a punt after an incomplete pass stopped the clock. But with less than 30 seconds left, Detroit was unable to get the ball into the end zone. Goff finished the game with three consecutive incomplete passes and completed 34 of 55 passes for 307 yards.
Tampa Bay is now 2-0 and is starting the season strong with hopes of finishing atop the NFC South for the fourth consecutive year.
