Joe is pleased with the NFL 49ers performance today as they finally faced down a formidable Detriot Lions bully.Heck, you tough dude After the game, Lions head coach Dan Campbell called the Bucs a “mirror image” of his team.I apologize; last week’s victory over the reeling and all but tanking Eagles was not considered. But in a wild, harsh environment, the lions were the real deal. The Bucs were deadlocked going into the fourth quarter, but their pass rush was out of control, and safety Ryan Neal and cornerback Zyon McCollum were outmatched. This caused their defense to crumble.

Nevertheless, the Bucs rallied and won the game by a single point. There were two minutes left, and they possessed the ball and could have tied the game.

And if Todd Bowles hadn’t purposefully given up with 35 seconds remaining, they might have won it again.

Charlie Weis, the always-grumpy former offensive coordinator for the Chiefs, Patriots, and Jets, was praising the Bucs for matching the Lions punch-for-punch throughout the game on SiriusXM NFL Radio today. (Weis was also incensed over the Bucs’ botched two-point conversion attempt late in the contest; he didn’t hold Baker Mayfield accountable for his first interception and wasn’t giving him much of a talking to for his second.)

The voice (or face) of NFL Radio on SiriusXM The former assistant coach and personnel chief for the Jets, Pat Kirwan, gushed about how all of the losers from yesterday’s divisional round turned out to be legitimate contenders.

Kirwan stated, “No one played like they didn’t belong.

Though the Bucs didn’t win morally, they certainly showed their strength yesterday. Tampa Bay scored over 400 yards of offense and had 23 first downs.

Joe can’t remember a false start or a careless procedure penalty, despite all that commotion.

Joe is seriously considering how close the Bucs think they are to winning the Super Bowl after that performance. The response may have an impact on general manager Jason Licht’s entire overseas assignment.