Getty Jameis Winston gets ready to be sacked by the Lions.
The Detroit Lions and Tampa Bay Buccaneers have little to play for in Week 15, but the one thing they will have on their mind is draft positioning as the season pushes to its close in 2019.
This week, the Lions are coming off yet another ugly loss, while the Buccaneers are coming off a win against the Indianapolis Colts. From that aspect, the teams are in different directions, yet are quite similar given the injury trouble they have endured as well as their miserable records on the season.
Interestingly enough, the Lions aren’t favorites for this week’s home game. According to Vegas Insider, Detroit is a current 3.5 point underdog to the Buccaneers as they play one of their final two home games of the season. It makes sense given how hot Tampa Bay has been as winners of three straight games this season.
Injuries to Define Lions vs. Buccaneers
Not only are the Lions walking wounded for the matchup, the Buccaneers are suddenly taking on the look of one of the most dinged up teams heading into Week 15. This week alone, the Buccaneers were revealed to be down one of their top targets in wideout Mike Evans, and could be facing down another injury situation with quarterback Jameis Winston.
It sure sounds as if the Lions will miss Evans this weekend when they tangle with Tampa Bay. The elite wideout is said to be set to miss the team’s final three games of the season with what’s being called a hamstring strain.
The other Buccaneers player who could be facing an injury problem is Winston, the team’s quarterback. He appeared at a charity event on Tuesday night with a cast on his hand, but said it was preventative. During the game against the Indianapolis Colts, Winston suffered a reported fracture in his thumb, and in spite of this, the quarterback could still be expected to play for the team against the Lions.
As a whole, injuries could be a major factor in who wins the game. The safe bet could be on the Lions being dinged up and in a bad enough state to lose yet another game, which stands to prove why they are not favorites at this point in time.
Lions, Buccaneers Playing out the String
In both Tampa Bay and Detroit, things couldn’t be tougher right now even without considering the injuries. The Lions are 3-9-1 and closer to the league’s basement than at any point in the last four years. Tampa, meanwhile, has shown some fight but still remains in dreadful shape themselves at 6-7 even in spite of winning three straight games and climbing to second in their division.
Neither team is heading for the playoffs, but both are trying to build some momentum for an important 2020 season on the field. This game could go a long way toward determining who is able to make the best of a tough situation and get their season off to a winning finish.
As it stands now, the Lions are not favored to be the ones doing so in one of the final games of the 2019 season.
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