The Buccaneers left it all out on the field. They battled the Detroit Lions all game long. Ironically, it was the man who put the Bucs into position to play football in January that threw the interception with under two minutes to play, which sealed the win for the Lions, 31-23.
The Lions now advance to the NFC Championship game and will play for the right to go to the Super Bowl next Sunday.
Ultimately, the game was lost in the trenches for the Buccaneers. The Bucs did not protect Baker Mayfield very well, which was a partial cause for the interception late in the game. Mayfield was sacked four times, and the Detroit defense had him running for his life numerous times.
Too often, Aidan Hutchinson and the other Detroit edge rushers were able to get pressure on Mayfield unblocked and untouched.
The Buccaneers had two turnovers in the game, both Mayfield interceptions, while the Lions did not turn the ball over.
Baker Mayfield Reflects On The Season
Mayfield talked about the final interception. “It sucks. I feel like my heart just got ripped out. It’s a complex game, but it’s also simple – it comes down to taking care of the football. Two-minute drives like that, when you know you have four downs to use, just a bad mistake by me. It sucks because I know what type of group we have here. We fought to get to this point. We fought to be in this game. We weren’t supposed to be here, but we believed in each other, and we fought for it. This one’s going to weigh on me for a while.”
Despite the interceptions, Baker Mayfield had another impressive postseason performance, completing 26 of 41 passes for 349 yards and three touchdowns. It was his second straight game with 300-plus yards and three touchdown passes, and he is the only quarterback in team history to do that in the postseason.
Bucs Defense Wore Down In The Fourth Quarter
Defensively, the Bucs could not consistently put enough pressure on Jared Goff until it was too late.
The Buccaneers also suffered some injuries in the secondary that contributed to Detroit having a lot more success in the second half. Defensive backs Kaevon Merriweather and Jamel Dean left the game due to injuries.
Tampa Bay’s defense allowed just 210 yards through the first three quarters, after which the game was tied heading into the final period.
Despite the disappointment of the season-ending loss to the Lions, there was plenty to like about this Buccaneer team.
No one gave them a chance to win more than five games. Many of the experts on the national stage had this team winning just two or three games. Yet, the Buccaneers won the NFC South for the third year in a row, winning nine games, including a shocking win over the NFC Champion Philadelphia Eagles in last week’s wild-card round. And they continued their streak of playoff appearances, becoming the only team currently to make the playoffs four straight seasons.
The Buccaneers generated 408 yards of offense, the third-highest total in franchise postseason history.
Mike Evans had a slow start to this game, dropping a couple of passes, but got going in the second quarter and finished the game with eight catches for 147 yards.
Evans is an unrestricted free agent, and this may have been his final game in a Buccaneer uniform.
He talked after the game about his time in Tampa. “This franchise has been unbelievable to me and my family, and I love this place,” Evans said. “So, we’ll see. This is one of the best teams I’ve ever been on, as far as heart and fighting to the end and not listening to the outside noise.”
Many Decisions Await The Buccaneers This Off-Season
This is shaping up to be an exciting off-season for the Buccaneers.
They must decide whether to bring back Baker Mayfield, Mike Evans, and Antoine Winfield Jr.
Decisions must also be made on contracts for Lavonte David and Devin White.
The Buccaneers exceeded everyone’s expectations this season and gave us a great ride for two weeks in January.
Now, the work begins to improve the roster and come back better and stronger than ever next season.