Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Detroit Lions: NFL Predictions & Best Bets (9/15)

NFL Sunday features an NFC Showdown between two teams that walked away with victories in Week 1. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers travel to Michigan to take on the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Baker Mayfield and Jared Goff face off after the Lions gave the Bucs a big loss last season. Detroit beat Tampa Bay down in Florida 20-6, as Goff threw for 353 yards and 2 TDs, while Baker only tossed 206 and an interception. The teams combined for 545 passing yards while only totaling 86 on the ground in what was clearly an aerial showdown. They then met in the playoffs, where the Lions got the best of Tampa Bay at Ford Field, winning 31-23.

With a new revamped wide receivers room, could the Buccaneers be more of a threat this season? I’m not sure they have it in them on the road. Tampa Bay opened the season with a 37-20 win over the Commanders at home, and of course, the offense looked great. Mayfield had 4 TDs and 289 passing yards as he led the Buccaneers to be the 2nd highest scoring offense in Week 1. However, they allowed 20 points to Washington, Jayden Daniels ran for 88 yards and 2 TDs, so it wasn’t a total success. They have a much tougher matchup against the Lions.

Jared Goff won’t do much running, but he will sit back and pick apart your secondary. Add in both David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs as a dangerous RB duo and the Lions offense is not one to be messed with. They pulled off an overtime victory in Sunday Night over the Rams, but I’m sure they would’ve liked to do more. Matthew Stafford threw for 317 yards, but the Lions did force a pick and ultimately won the game.

Can Baker pull off an upset on the road? Or will Goff and the Lions start off strong like last season?

Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Detroit Lions: NFC Showdown

Matchup Information – Buccaneers vs Lions

• Venue & Location: Ford Field (Detroit, MI)
• Date: Sunday, September 15th, 2024
• Kick Off: 1:00pm Eastern
• Broadcast: FOX

Betting Odds

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Spread

• Buccaneers +7.5 (-110)
• Lions -7.5 (-110)

Money Line

• Buccaneers +280
• Lions -350

Total

• Over 51.5 (-110)
• Under 51.5 (-110)

Baker and the Boys Head Up North

The biggest question will be whether or not the Buccaneers can ride their momentum on the road into Ford Field. It’s a tough place to play, even though you don’t have to prep for the weather. The Lions certainly have some home field advantage with their atmosphere, and even as composed as Mayfield can be, he could get rattled.

However, the offense was clicking. He looked great, connecting on 24/30 passes and finding 7 different receivers in the process. The Lions secondary was picked apart by Stafford, and I could see Mayfield being able to find some success on Sunday. But the man is a football player, and he could also make some plays with his legs. As for the the rest of the Buccaneers offense, they will go against a Lions defense that allowed 300+ passing yards on Sunday despite less than 100 on the ground. I heavily expect the Buccaneers to rely on Baker’s arm and their wideouts to move the ball offensively.

As for Goff and the Lions, the Tampa Bay secondary defense held Daniels to under 200 yards passing in his NFL debut. They didn’t force any turnovers, but they allowed over 4.5 yards per rush, which could make it hard against Montgomery and Gibbs. If the Lions jump out to an early lead, I could see them being able to milk the clock by running it down Tampa Bay’s throat. While I slightly lean with the over, I cannot pick a side. I think the Bucs are able to keep it close, with Detroit being able to pull out another win. With there potentially being lots of points, backing the dog scares me a bit, so instead I’ll turn to a player prop on both sides.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Detroit Lions Best Bets

Buccaneers vs Lions Prediction: Lions Win, Buccaneers Cover, Over 51.5

Best Bet: Amon Ra St-Brown Over 80.5 Receiving Yards (-120) BetOnline

Amon Ra St-Brown had a very dull game last Sunday. He caught just 3 passes for 13 yards, however he did see 6 targets. With the emergence of Jameson Williams as a deep ball threat, things should open up more for St-Brown over the middle to catch a dig and provide some yards after the catch. He still saw 98% of offensive snaps, and is for sure Goff’s go-to guy.

As for his performance against the Buccaneers in the past, he has had some memorable days. St- Brown went for 8 catches for 77 yards and a TD against the Bucs in the playoffs, finding 14 targets as well. In their regular season victory, he had 12 catches for 124 yards and a TD, this time on 15 targets.

For a guy that’s been targeted 29 times over 2 games against this opponent, that’s enough volume for me to bet on St-Brown to bounce back and have a big afternoon at home.

Bonus Bet: Baker Mayfield Over 9.5 Rushing Yards (-116) BetOnline

As for Mr. Mayfield, we know he’s a scrambling threat, and I think he will find double digit yards on Sunday. Not only did he have 3 carries for 21 yards against the Commanders, but dating back to last season, he’s cleared this line in 3 straight games. He had 15 against the Lions in the playoffs, and 6 in their regular season matchup, and he tends to run more often on the road in his career. With as many threats to catch passes as the Buccaneers have, I think the Lions will get lost forgetting to spy and underrated running QB. Give me Baker to figure out a way to put up double digit rushing yards on Sunday.

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