The Detroit Lions are preparing for another tough game to finish out the 2020 season when they get the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at home in Week 16.
Much like many of the other contests they’ve played this season, the Lions will be up against it in a big way this week. Tampa Bay has a powerful offense and a defense that can get the job done as well both inside and out. Knowing this, it could be yet another rough day for the Lions, and they will have to step up big in order to score an upset win.
So what matchups will hold the key to whether the Lions can get this done or not? Here’s a look at the head-to-head battles that will determine the outcome of this contest.
Tampa Bay Wideouts vs. Lions’ Cornerbacks
This isn’t a matchup the Lions will be projected to win whatsoever. Tampa Bay has some talented pass catchers, whether it be Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Antonio Brown or Rob Gronkowski. All of these guys figure to make life miserable against Detroit’s backfield, and the cornerback spot has been the weak underbelly of a Detroit defense that has struggled in a major way this season, especially lately. Look for the Buccaneers and their wideouts to get healthy in this game considering all the injuries and instability the Lions have seen in their defensive backfield this season as well as lately.
Tom Brady vs. Lions’ Defensive Front
The Lions don’t sack the quarterback nearly enough, and that’s good news for Brady considering he likes a clean pocket with which to operate. Romeo Okwara is just about the only player that Brady will have to worry about at all up front in this game given his 8 sacks this season, but otherwise, the Lions have not done anything in terms of pocket pressure. They have to make Brady at least a little bit uncomfortable, or he will have another big day picking apart a Detroit defensive backfield that has its share of problems.
D’Andre Swift vs. Tampa Bay’s Defensive Line
Lost within Detroit’s putrid finish to this season has been the fact that Swift has quietly looked like the answer for a while at running back. Last week, he scored another 2 touchdowns to help continue to pad his season total. Swift will have to prove he can get going again in this game and run over a defense that has been solid against the run, only allowing 77 yards per-game on the ground. If Swift has a good day against this Tampa Bay group, that will be a solid feather in his cap moving forward and a good way to finish the 2020 season.
Leonard Fournette vs. Lions’ Defensive Front
The Buccaneers are likely to be without Ronald Jones for this game, so the pressure will shift to Fournette as it relates to running against Detroit. Fournette has been decent this year with 320 yards and 5 touchdowns to his credit, so the Detroit defense can’t be pushed around as badly as they were a week ago against Tennessee. This is a different animal, but Fournette has plenty of reasons to like the matchup in a big way considering how bad the Lions defense has been against opposing rushing attacks this year.
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No Answer at Cornerback: Key Matchups for Lions vs. Bucs