Detroit Lions: Beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Breaking Road Losing Streak

I recently watched some postgame footage of Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Raheem Morris talking to his troops in the locker room; talking about getting the “ugly win,” counting their blessings and then bringing the fellas together for prayer. 

He was animated, he was fired up and he was clearly shaken by the way his team had just “undeservedly” won.

In Detroit Lions country, there is no such thing as a “bad” or “ugly” win, because, quite frankly, a Lions fan will take a win any way he or she can get one!

The Detroit Lions recent home victory over despised NFC North division rival Green Bay reminded me of a classic throwdown from the days of my youth. 

A 7-3 Detroit Lions win against the Green Bay Packers was more than sufficient for me.  Accomplishing that task with less-than-mediocre play from the third-string quarterback further illustrates why it is so important to be able to run the football and have a competent defense with an uncompromising defensive line.

At the end of the day this past Sunday, that is all that was necessary. 

The Detroit Lions will have to play better than that in order to win on the road in Tampa, Florida this coming Sunday, and I believe they are capable of stopping those rapscallions and ceasing the sounds of their scurvy cannons.

The Buccaneers top cornerback, Aqib Talib, has been placed on injured reserve and should prompt more action for Myron Lewis, the rookie cornerback out of Vanderbilt, who was taken right after Lions cornerback Amari Spievey in the 2010 NFL Draft. Lewis has played in seven games this year, starting none and has five tackles and one pass defended to his credit.

The Detroit Lions need to take advantage of a potentially weakened Buccaneers defensive backfield and exercise their air prowess if they are to snap the road winless streak in Tampa.

Also finding his was to the injured reserve list this week was the No. 3 overall selection in the 2010 NFL Draft, former Oklahoma defensive tackle Gerald McCoy. This is good news for the center of the Detroit Lions offensive line and hopefully will give Rob Sims, Dominic Raiola and Stephen Peterman a better opportunity to create a consistent push in the middle of the line of scrimmage on the afternoon of Sunday, December 19, 2010.

The two offensive weapons for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that will represent the biggest challenge for containment by the Detroit Lions defense is undrafted free-agent rookie running back, former Oregon Duck bad boy LeGarrette Blount, and offseason-acquisition tight end Kellen Winslow II. 

The Detroit Lions have shown a susceptibility to big, powerful running backs and an inability to consistently cover the opponent’s tight end threats.

The acquisition of LeGarrette Blount was a great move for the Buccaneers organization.  Despite going undrafted and not making it with his first NFL team, the Tennessee Titans, Blount has found purchase in Tampa Bay and is running with purpose as he leads the ground attack for his team having gained 667 yards and five touchdowns on 149 carries, with a very respectable average-yards-per-carry of 4.5. 

LeGarrette Blount is flat out getting it done for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, including a season long run of 48 yards.

The combination of a good run-blocking offensive line and a resourceful big back with field speed has helped the Buccaneers find themselves as the 11th-best rushing team in the NFL, which is a key contributor to the team’s 8-5 record.

A young quarterback’s best friend is often his tight end and in Tampa Bay, there is no exception, as second-year quarterback Josh Freeman, the third quarterback selected in the 2009 NFL Draft behind Matthew Stafford and Mark Sanchez, has connected with Kellen Winslow 52 times for 558 yards and three touchdowns.

Winslow averages nearly 11 yards per catch, so keeping the ball out of Winslow’s hands will result in fewer first downs for the Buccaneers. The Detroit Lions will have to find a way to cover Kellen Winslow II better than they were able to cover the 285-pound, 10-year veteran tight end who caught the game-winning touchdown pass for the Chicago Bears a couple of weekends ago. 

If Winslow has a big day for the Buccaneers, it will be a long day for the pride faithful.

This next part might sound very strange for those who recall many an NFC Central division contest between the Detroit Lions and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but each team, from a statistical standpoint as listed on www.nfl.com, has a top-10 offensive line. 

Can you believe that Lions fans?

The 8-5 Tampa Bay Buccaneers have the 9th-best offensive line in the NFL, allowing 22 sacks and 58 quarterback hits. Meanwhile, the 3-10 Detroit Lions are rated as the 10th-best offensive line, giving up 24 sacks and 57 quarterback hits. 

Although the pass protection stats appear reasonable, which contributes to the Detroit Lions having the 11th-best passing game in the NFL, being 27th in the league rushing the football has not helped the Lions to win.

What did head coach Jim Schwartz say he wanted to do when he came to Detroit (stop me if you’ve heard this one before, Lions fans)? He said he wanted to run the ball and stop the run. Hopefully over the next couple of seasons, the Detroit Lions front office will acquire the requisite players to accomplish said mission of running the ball and stopping the run. 

We know for sure that mission has yet to be accomplished during the 2010 campaign.

The Detroit Lions will need another strong team rushing performance in order to beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium.

Whether the team gets a “good-looking” Drew Stanton in a loss to the Chicago Bears or they get a “not-so-good-looking” Drew Stanton in a win against the Green Bay Packers, each contest was extremely close, which has been the Detroit Lions' MO throughout the 2010 campaign. 

I think the Lions will need the “good-looking” Drew to show up for the game in Tampa, and connect early and often with tight ends Brandon Pettigrew and Tony Scheffler, and wide receivers Calvin Johnson and Nate Burleson (not necessarily in that order). I wouldn’t frown on a little “razzle-dazzle” including super return man Stefan Logan.

The Lions will not be able to overcome undisciplined penalties that occur before or after the whistle. Double-digit penalties against the Buccaneers will doom the Lions to another road loss. 

The Detroit Lions defensive linemen should continue their relentless, physical style of play and give no refuge to the quarterback, whether behind the line of scrimmage or beyond it. Ndamukong Suh should continue to be a terror and beast to any quarterback in his wake.

Don’t want to get tackled or sacked by Ndamukong Suh? Don’t suit up; it’s as simple as that.

The Detroit Lions defensive line must again be the force that moves the machine if the Lions expect to win on the gulf coast of Florida. I think they can do it and I think they will do it.

With rare exception this year, every single game has been within reach, and this eight-win team they face on Sunday is no different than the eight-win team they just faced: beatable.

Another low-scoring affair might be what the Detroit Lions need to finally break their current 26-game road losing streak. Double 13 seems like plenty of bad luck to me, so it’s time for the Detroit Lions to turn things around against a former division opponent.

Detroit Lions 20, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 13

It doesn’t cost anything to stay positive, Detroit Lions faithful, so continue to hope for a brighter future with the team you’ve been cheering for all of your life. 

The price has already been paid.

GO LIONS WIN!

HäMMëR