The Detroit Lions fell 20-16 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday while squandering several notable chances to change the outcome.
The Lions went 1-for-7 in the red zone, with a series of crucial incomplete passes helping Tampa Bay hold on for the win. A costly penalty as time expired in the first half would go on to be particularly haunting for Detroit in the four-point loss.
In a bright spot for the Lions, DE Aidan Hutchinson came up big for the Detroit with three sacks in the first quarter. Hutchinson went on to record five sacks, two short of the NFL single-game record set by Derrick Thomas in 1990.
But Hutchinson couldn’t carry the team through the first half alone. The Lions went into the locker room down 13-6 after a frustrating final possession. Detroit quarterback Jared Goff got the Lions into the red zone with less than 30 seconds remaining, but threw an incomplete pass just one down later. At third-and-2 at the Tampa Bay 9-yard-line, Detroit was flagged for having too many men on the field, and lost the chance to try for a touchdown after the 10-second runoff accompanying the penalty.
“There’s no way to justify this, it’s a massive error on my part, no one else’s,” Lions head coach Dan Campbell said afterward, per Jeff Riger of 97.1 The Ticket.
The Lions opened the second half with a field goal by kicker Jake Bates, bringing them within four points. After a Buccaneers punt, Detroit and Tampa Bay traded touchdowns, with running back David Montgomery rushing into the end zone for the Lions, and Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield rushing up the field for a 20-16 lead.
In the end, neither team scored during the fourth quarter. A chance for Detroit to take the lead in the fourth quarter was broken up by Goff’s second interception of the day.
Tampa Bay failed to score off the turnover, with Detroit forcing a punt after four plays. The Lions marched down the field in the final minutes, with running back Jahmyr Gibbs’s 23-yard run getting Detroit into the red zone with less than two minutes remaining. However, Goff was unable to convert on fourth-and-8, with the Lions turning over the ball on downs at Tampa Bay’s 6.
The Lions did force a punt after an incomplete pass stopped the clock. But with less than 30 seconds remaining, Detroit was unable to get the ball into the end zone. Goff ended the game with three consecutive incomplete passes, going 34-of-55 for 307 yards.
Tampa Bay is now 2-0, starting the season strong with the hope of topping the NFC South for the fourth straight season.
