Detroit, MI
Detroit Lions vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Old NFC Central mates had epic rivalry in past
The Detroit Lions and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who’ll face each other in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs on Sunday, have a long history with one another and will enter another chapter in that relationship this weekend.
The Lions host the Bucs at Ford Field on Sunday, trying to win two games in a single postseason for the first time in the Super Bowl era and make it to the NFC championship game for just the second time ever. The Buccaneers, meanwhile, are trying to return to the NFC title game for the first time since 2021.
The two teams met twice a year when they both called the NFC Central home, until NFL realignment. They’ve met 61 times in all, with the Lions holding a 32-29 advantage in the series (including the most recent meeting, won by the Lions back in October).
CITY COUNSEL: Comparing Detroit and Tampa, preparing for two big games Sunday
Most of the series’ matchups came before the 2002 realignment which created the NFC North and South divisions, but the Lions have played the Buccaneers 12 times since then. They’ve split those games with six wins apiece.
Here is a look at five major games through the rivalry:
Oct. 15, 2023: Lions 20, Buccaneers 6
The most recent matchup between these teams happened just three months ago during the early stages of this season. The 4-1 Lions visited Tampa to face the 3-1 Buccaneers.
The Lions’ defense was the story, holding the Buccaneers to just two field goals to move Detroit to 5-1, which was tied for the best record in the league at the time. The Lions held Tampa to 251 yards of offense, including just 46 yards rushing, while forcing one turnover (which led to a field goal). Tampa quarterback Baker Mayfield completed 19 of 37 passes for 206 yards and an interception.
Injuries hindered the offense, which put up its third-lowest point total of the season, but the Lions were able to strike on big passing plays: Jared Goff was 30-for-44 for a season-high 353 yards and two touchdowns. Amon-Ra St. Brown, who finished with 12 catches for 124 yards, had one of the scores, and Jameson Williams, in his second game back from a gambling suspension, had the other.
The Lions were without running back Jahmyr Gibbs and left guard Jonah Jackson in the matchup, then lost David Montgomery mid-game with a rib injury and only gained 40 rushing yards against Tampa’s tough-nosed front seven. They were also without defensive backs C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Brian Branch in the first matchup.
Dec. 26, 2020: Buccaneers 47, Lions 7
The Matt Patricia era feels like forever ago when talking about the Lions; one of the most humiliating defeats from that era came against the Buccaneers. A month after Patricia and general manager Bob Quinn were fired, the Lions faced the Tom Brady-led Bucs, who delivered a 40-point walloping in the next-to-last game of the 2020 season.
The Lions entered the game with five coaches in quarantine due to COVID-19 contact tracing, including interim head coach Darrell Bevell and defensive coordinator Cory Undlin. That forced receivers coach Robert Prince to take over as interim head coach, with assistant Evan Rothstein calling defensive plays and quarterbacks coach Sean Ryan calling plays on offense.
The Buccaneers jumped all over the shorthanded Lions from the jump to go up 34-0 at halftime, the third-worst halftime deficit in franchise history. Brady completed 22 of 27 passes for 348 yards and four touchdowns before giving way to Blaine Gabbert at the start of the third quarter, and the Bucs set franchise records for points (34), total yards (410) and passing yards (341) in a first half.
Matthew Stafford left with an ankle injury in the first quarter, giving way to veteran backup Chase Daniel, and the Lions’ offense was kept out of the end zone. Jamal Agnew scored the Lions’ only points on a 74-yard punt return touchdown.
Dec. 28, 1997: Buccaneers 20, Lions 10
Once upon a time, the Bucs were as equally inept a franchise as the Lions. And yet, for one season, the two met in the wild-card round of the playoffs. For the Lions, the wild-card team, it was their fourth playoff appearance in five seasons; but the Bucs, as NFC Central champs, were making their first trip to the postseason since 1982. They came away with a postseason win for the first time since 1979 (their fourth season of existence).
The Lions and Bucs split the two regular-season matchups, but the Bucs proved superior in the rubber match. Barry Sanders, who was fresh off his MVP campaign of 2,053 yards and 11 touchdowns, was held in check by Tampa Bay’s defense: 65 yards on 18 carries (and five catches for 43 yards). The only touchdown came from reserve running back Tommy Vardell — to be expected from the back nicknamed “Touchdown Tommy” — after the game was already out of reach.
The Bucs built a 20-0 lead in the third quarter as quarterback Scott Mitchell struggled. He left on a stretcher late in the quarter with his neck immobilized after a scary hit — he failed to slide on a third-down scramble. He was replaced by Frank Reich, who finished the game 11-for-15 for 129 yards. Mitchell, who never quite clicked on his five-year free-agent deal, played just two games for the Lions the next season before being replaced by rookie Charlie Batch, an Eastern Michigan alumnus. The Buccaneers’ final touchdown came on a 31-yard run from burly running back Mike Alstott, who powered through three defenders on his way to the end zone.
Oct. 12, 1997: Lions 27, Buccaneers 9
Sanders had plenty of highlights that are permanently seared into the brains of Detroit fans, particularly from the 1997 season, but his move on Bucs Hall of Fame safety John Lynch is safely near the top of the list.
In the second of three matchups in 1997, Sanders ran for 215 yards and two TDs (and added a 7-yard catch for a TD in the fourth quarter). The highlight was delivered in the first quarter, as Sanders cut back and met Lynch in the hole. Lynch, a two-time All-Pro and nine-time Pro-Bowler known for his bone-rattling hits, lowered to meet Sanders, but Detroit’s Hall of Famer juked him out and raced for an 80-yard touchdown to put the Lions ahead, 7-3.
Sanders was far from done: In the third quarter, soon after a Jason Hanson field goal put the Lions ahead 10-9, the Lions found the end zone on another epic TD from Sanders. This time, Sanders broke an 82-yard touchdown run, the third-longest rush of his career, on an outside run in which he made one Buc miss at the line of scrimmage and another along the right sideline before cutting back up midfield, putting the Lions ahead, 17-9.
Nov. 13, 1994: Lions 14, Buccaneers 9
Sanders delivered plenty of indelible moments against Tampa Bay, including setting his single-game career high during the teams’ Week 11 game, their second matchup of the season. Sanders grabbed 237 yards on 26 carries to power Detroit to a 5-5 record.
In the first quarter, Sanders was kept in check: four carries for 6 yards as Tampa held a 3-0 lead. He picked up 31 yards on five more carries in the second half, foreshadowing what was to come, but the Bucs still led, 3-0, at halftime.
He topped his first-half total on the Lions’ first drive alone, carrying them down the field to a touchdown with six rushes for 40 yards on the nine-play drive. The Bucs responded with a field goal to make it 7-6, but the Lions responded with a three-play drive, largely sparked by a 69-yard Sanders run, to make it 14-6. The Lions did not score again, but the defense held and Sanders was able to kill the clock with nine rushes in the fourth quarter, which included a 48-yard gain. In 20 career games against the Buccaneers, Sanders had 410 carries for 2,260 yards — an average of 5.5 yards a carry — and 16 touchdowns.
Detroit, MI
Detroit Lions score 4 players with AP All-Pro nods, including 2 first-timers
ALLEN PARK — Jack Campbell and Penei Sewell were named to the AP All-Pro first-team for the Detroit Lions.
It’s the third consecutive first-team nod for Sewell, 25, who was also named Pro Football Focus’ protector of the year earlier this week. PFF graded Sewell as the top offensive lineman, and not just tackle, in the NFL this season. He allowed only two sacks and 19 pressures across 601 pass-blocking snaps as the top-ranked pass-blocking offensive lineman.
For all the focus on the offensive line and what needs to happen this offseason, Sewell’s presence gives them a cornerstone, blue-chip piece to build around.
Campbell earned his first Pro Bowl and All-Pro nod this season, putting the bows on a true breakout campaign for the former first-round pick. The 25-year-old joins Chris Spielman and Joe Schmidt as the only Lions linebackers ever to make the All-Pro first-team.
The linebacker finished the season by playing all 17 games for the third straight season, posting career highs in tackles (176), sacks (five), forced fumbles (three), fumble recoveries (two) and tackles for loss (nine). Campbell did all this while taking over the green dot for the first time, and playing more snaps than any other teammate — offense, defense or special teams.
The third-year linebacker finished the season as PFF’s second-best overall linebacker, trailing only Fred Warner of the San Francisco 49ers. Campbell’s 176 tackles were the second-most in the league in 2025.
“He’s extremely valuable,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said of his linebacker last month. “He’s taken more reps than anybody on this team. He plays on kickoff for us, and he’s an asset on kickoff and then everything you see on defense. He doesn’t come off the field; he’s our bell-cow, green-dot. And he does –, and the guy is smart, and he’s instinctive, and he is snap-to-whistle all-out, all the time, in practice too. And he doesn’t take plays off, he doesn’t take days off, he goes after the football, he’s a ball guy.
“So, he’s invaluable.”
Amon-Ra St. Brown, who had made the first team in consecutive years, was named to the AP’s second team this time around. St. Brown finished the season fifth in receptions (117), fifth in yards (1,401), tied for second in touchdowns (11) and seventh in yards after the catch (570).
The star wideout became the first player in league history to have at least 90 catches through a player’s first five seasons. St. Brown has at least 100 catches and 1,000 yards in four straight seasons, and has caught double-digit touchdowns in the last three.
Aidan Hutchinson joined in on the fun this year, too. Hutchinson earns his first AP All-Pro team nod, landing a second-team spot this season. Not too shabby for someone returning from a season-ending leg injury, and his return served as quite the response.
Hutchinson, who got his big extension this year, played every game and set a new career-best mark with 14.5 sacks and 35 quarterback hits. He also scored his second Pro Bowl appearance this year, as well. Since PFF started tracking pressures, there have been six players to reach the 100-pressure mark. Hutchinson is the only one on that list to have done it twice.
The pass rusher led the NFL in pressures created, finishing the campaign with a clear 100. The next closest player was Jacksonville’s Josh Hines-Allen, who had 95.
“The number of things that he’s able to do for us in the run and the pass game,” Dan Campbell said of Hutchinson earlier in the season. “Man, it takes up — he pulls a lot of slack, man. You talk about pulling your weight, he pulls his weight and then some. He requires a lot of resources offensively, which helps everybody else out. Guys like him, he’s in that rare world of man, you don’t get the easy way out. He’s got to beat the nudges, he’s got to beat the back chip, then the tackle’s on him. Or he’s got to beat the nudge, sometimes the back, the tackle, and the slide’s coming to him with the guard also.
“So, sometimes you may have to beat three, sometimes four. But if that’s the case, somebody else is winning. They’ve got to win. So, what he does is not easy, and I go back to this. He is a complete football player; he does it all. And he’s disruptive, he’s violent, he’s high motor, he’s crafty, he’s explosive, he’s tough, he’s competitive. And he does it all. He does it all.”
For a full look at the AP’s All-Pro voting results, click here. Of note, longtime former Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford earned the first All-Pro first-team nod of his career this year. Stafford remains in the MVP hunt, and this honor usually leads to that.
Detroit, MI
Vigil, protest held for Renee Nicole Good at Detroit’s Clark park
Vigil held in Detroit for woman fatally shot by ICE agent in Minnesota
People gather at Detroit’s Clark Park on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026 to host a vigil for Renee Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE agent in Minneapolis.
The name Renee Nicole Good bounced off the buildings of southwest Detroit as hundreds marched on the evening of Friday, Jan. 9, following Good’s fatal shooting by an immigration agent in Minneapolis earlier in the week.
A candlelight vigil was held at 6 p.m. at the city’s Clark Park in memory of Good, before attendees took off marching down Vernor Highway.
As of 7:30 p.m., the mass crowd had reached Cavalry Street, about half a mile away from the park, and turned, yelling “What do we want? Justice ” and calling for ICE’s ousting from communities.
Good, 37, was in her car when she was shot in the head on Wednesday, Jan.7, by a federal immigration officer in south Minneapolis. She leaves behind three children, ages 6, 12 and 15.
The shooting was recorded by witnesses and heightened political and community tensions over federal immigration enforcement as part of President Donald Trump’s nationwide immigration operations. The Trump administration has since said the shooting was done in self-defense, USA TODAY reports.
Protests have occurred in cities across the U.S. since Good’s death, including gatherings in Michigan, and additional demonstrations are scheduled throughout the weekend.
This is a developing story.
Detroit, MI
Debating Mike McDaniel’s fit for Detroit Lions OC job
But we also can’t ignore the drastic fall-off from the Dolphins’ offense. Partially because of injuries to Tua Tagovailoa and Tyreek Hill over the past two seasons, the Dolphins have finished 22nd and 25th in scoring offense in 2024 and 2025, respectively. Injuries can be used as an excuse, but the greatest coordinators find a way through the adversity.
Beyond that, there are questions about his philosophical and schematic fit. While the Lions have built their offenses on grit and physicality, McDaniel seems to favor speed and finesse. But maybe that’s exactly what the Lions need. Detroit has two speedy players in Jameson Williams and Jahmyr Gibbs, who could probably be utilized more creatively, and it’s hard to imagine anyone better than McDaniel to do so.
McDaniel also has a very long coaching history with a lot of different coaching influences and schemes—including his closest coaching guru: Kyle Shanahan. The 49ers head coach has a scheme that is both more congruent with what the Lions do and much more adaptable.
On this EMERGENCY PODCAST, our crew debates the fit of McDaniel in Detroit, along with our thoughts on the Lions’ other known candidate: Commanders quarterbacks coach David Blough.
Before that, Erik Schlitt, Ryan Mathews, and I discuss our biggest takeaways from Lions general manager Brad Holmes’ end-of-season press conference, including the future of David Montgomery, whether Holmes really took accountability for his mistakes, and our confidence in him moving forward.
You can catch our discussion in the embedded podcast below or on any podcasting platform you’d prefer. Just search “Pride of Detroit.”
You can also catch video of the show over on our YouTube pages. Here are the links:
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