Detroit Free Press sports writer Dave Birkett highlights the best and worst performances of the Lions’ 20-16 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday at Ford Field.
Game balls
Lions DE Aidan Hutchinson
Hutchinson had one of the most dominant performances by a Lions defensive player ever, logging 4½ sacks and forcing a fumble. He finished with the second most sacks in a single game in Lions history, behind only William Gay’s 5½-sack performance on Sept. 4, 1983, and he leads all NFL players in sacks after two weeks.
Hutchinson has feasted on backup linemen so far this season; on Sunday, he spent most of his day going against reserve right tackle Justin Skule. But he’s a relentless player with an array of moves and he’s only getting better at this stage of his career.
The Lions need more pass-rush production from the rest of their defense; they let Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield escape a handful more sacks Sunday. But Hutchinson looks like he could challenge the NFL single-season record for sacks (22½) this year.
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Bucs QB Baker Mayfield
Mayfield got the better of Lions quarterback Jared Goff in a matchup between former No. 1-pick quarterbacks no longer with their original teams. He completed just 12 passes for 185 yards, but threw a 41-yard touchdown in the first half and scored the game-winning touchdown on an 11-yard run.
Mayfield has found new life in Tampa, much like Goff has in Detroit. He’s tough in the pocket and can create plays with his feet, and on Sunday he took mostly good care of the ball – he threw one interception – despite playing under constant duress in a hostile environment.
“Did a heck of a job using his legs and then getting open, finding Chris (Godwin) for some third down wins right there that kept some drives going for us,” Bucs coach Todd Bowles said. “And we needed every one of them.”
Goats
Lions coach Dan Campbell
Campbell blamed himself for Sunday’s loss, saying he made a “critical error” just before halftime that cost his team the game.
There’s no excuse for what happened on the play. The Lions had enough time to spike the ball after Amon-Ra St. Brown caught a Goff pass with 11 seconds left, but instead sent their field goal team on as Goff hustled under center to take a snap. Officials flagged the Lions for too many men on the field, and the Lions didn’t get a chance to kick the field goal after a 10-second runoff.
As costly as that play was, Campbell has won many more games for the Lions than he’s lost. He dialed up a timely fake punt Sunday, and his gaffe was one of many that led to the loss. Campbell wasn’t at his best Sunday, but give him credit for being accountable for his mistake.
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Lions QB Jared Goff
Goff has to be better, too.
He threw a bad interception with 7:34 to play and the Lions in Tampa territory that also cost the team points. And while he piled up 307 yards passing, the Lions converted just one of their seven red zone chances into touchdowns.
The Lions offense hasn’t been sharp the first two weeks , and Goff has three interceptions and is lucky not to have more. He doesn’t have to be perfect with so many weapons and now that the Lions are better defensively, but he has to take better care of the ball.
Dave Birkett is the author of the new book, " Detroit Lions : An Illustrated Timeline." Preorder it now from Reedy Press .
Contact him at dbirkett@freepress.com . Follow him on X and Instagram at @davebirkett .
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Lions vs. Bucs goats: Jared Goff and Dan Campbell dropped the ball
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