Detroit Lions’ dramatic victory over the Buccaneers puts them one win away from the Super Bowl.

Following an exciting victory over the Buccaneers, the Detroit Lions are one victory away from making an appearance in the Super Bowl.

The Lions hosted their second consecutive playoffs game on Sunday at Ford Field, marking their worst postseason win drought of more than thirty years. And the Lions emerged victorious for the second week running.

1st quarter is dominated by defensive backs.

The Lions’ secondary led the charge early on, which was completely unexpected going into this game.

On second and nine, Ifeatu Melifonwu put the Buccaneers behind the sticks with a sack after the offense went three and out on the game’s first possession. The very next play, Mike Evans tipped up a Baker Mayfield throw, which C.J. Gardner-Johnson intercepted.

After the interception return, Gardner-Johnson, who had made some disparaging remarks about Mayfield earlier in the week, flipped the ball to him on the bench and had some sharp words with him.

After driving within the 10-yard line, the Lions stopped and had to settle for a field goal.

After Mayfield led the Bucs into Detroit territory, Trey Palmer almost scored on a huge touchdown run on a slant, but Melifonwu made another crucial play that brought Palmer down with a shoestring.

After a Brian Branch sack, the Buccaneers had to settle for a field goal, and it turned out to be a four-point tackle.

After a frantic first quarter, the score was knotted at three when the time ran out.

When Sam LaPorta plays, the Lions score points on third down.

The Lions faced a third and 4 from the 44-yard line at the beginning of the second quarter. To move the chains, Jared Goff hit Sam LaPorta for a 13-yard gain.

To put the Lions back in the red zone, LaPorta received the next two throws for a combined 17 yards. They made the most of it this time, as Goff connected with Josh Reynolds in the end zone on third and 5 to give the Lions a 10-3 lead.

Just one week after the Buccaneers stopped the Eagles on all nine third-down plays (and both fourth-down plays) in the wildcard round, the Lions converted all four of their third-down opportunities on that touchdown drive.

The Bucs forced to punt on fourth and 1 from the 34-yard line, but they were forced to do so after Goff and LaPorta connected twice more for 16 yards, followed by an infrequent drop by Amon-Ra St. Brown.

The defense gives up just before halfway.

Jack Fox stopped the Bucs inside the 15-yard line, but Mayfield gave himself some breathing room by finding Evans for a 23-yard gain on the opening play. After the Bucs crossed midfield, the Lions tensed up, and Chase McLaughlin failed to convert a 50-yard field goal.

Near middle, the Lions were forced to punt after going three and out. With yet another stunning play, Fox stopped the Bucs at the 8-yard line.

Even after 87 seconds, though, the defense was unable to maintain the edge. The Buccaneers chose to try to score more points after the opening play, which was an 11-yard run.

With his legs, Mayfield gained a third and 1, and Evans then burned Cam Sutton twice to get to the 2-yard line. The score was knotted at the half thanks to a touch pass to a wide-open Cade Otten in the end zone corner.

offensive line wounds

During the intermission, the Lions had two further injury concerns to address.

Halfway through the second quarter, Jonah Jackson was brought to the locker room and never came back. Officially, he was classified as dubious.

During the penultimate offensive play, Pro Bowl center Frank Ragnow was tackled from behind by a sacking Goff. When the Lions kneeled the ball to end the half, he came back.

After the break, Lions grab the lead.

After the break, the Buccaneers had the advantage and got off to a strong start thanks to two strong runs by Rachaad White and a 12-yard pass.

To halt the drive, though, Aidan Hutchinson picked up his ninth sack in the previous four games.

The Lions’ next drive was sunk by a 15-yard chop block penalty on David Montgomery, but Branch ruined the Bucs’ drive with a four-yard tackle for loss on first down.

On the following play, Detroit’s offense finally found its footing, covering 64 yards in 10 plays, highlighted by a 29-yard pass to tight end Brock Wright. Ultimately, on fourth and one, Craig Reynolds scored from a yard out.

Buccaneers respond

When Mayfield and the Buccaneers took the lead by a touchdown, Ford Field was in a state of utter shock, but they were prepared.

On the first play, a six-yard loss was wiped by an offsides penalty on Branch, and on the next play, Melifonwu was called for defensive holding.

Before the Lions forced two incomplete passes to set up third and 10 on the 12-yard line, Mayfield completed three consecutive passes for a total of 49 yards.

Even though Aaron Glenn planned an all-out blitz, the Buccaneers were prepared. To tie the game, Mayfield threw the ball off to White, who trotted into the end zone unharmed.

Jahmyr Gibbs’s assumption

After a Jahmyr Gibbs run to initiate the subsequent drive, the final seconds passed, and the fourth quarter got underway with a 17–17 deadlock.

However, the tie didn’t last long. The rookie running back carried the ball on four of the Lions’ five plays that covered 75 yards and a touchdown.

To break the tie, Gibbs ran for six yards, received a 12-yard pass, ran for eight more yards, and then scored a touchdown on a 31-yard run. Josh Reynolds caught an 18-yard pass on the lone other play.

Offense continues to simmer

The Lions offense scored for the third consecutive possession with what seemed to be a dagger of a drive—10 plays and 89 yards over 5:50—after the defense forced a crucial three-and-out.

Early in the drive, Jameson Williams made a crucial 24-yard catch, and Gibbs added another 20 yards on a pass over the middle.

But it was St. Brown who saved the drive at midfield with a 16-yard grab on third and 15, and he eventually pulled in a nine-yard ball for the touchdown.

Buccaneers manage to survive

The Bucs appeared to be out of it, but Mayfield had an answer. He hit Evans with a crucial pass on fourth and fourteen to keep the game going.

Mayfield connected with Evans again, this time from 16 yards out, to bring the game within one possession after he had completed passes of 11 and 17 yards to enter the red zone.

After the score, the Bucs attempted to go for two, but Melifonwu intercepted another ball intended for Evans, allowing the advantage to remain at eight.

Lions cannot outlive the clock

With about four and a half minutes remained, Detroit took the lead and got to work, seeking to exhaust its opponent like it had done the entire season.

The Lions offense is the best at extending a lead and doing so; they accomplished this same feat against Matthew Stafford and the Rams in the first round of the playoffs.

However, they were unable to complete the task this time. The Lions gained thirty yards on five plays before punting the ball at the 10-yard line, right before the two-minute warning. To win the game, the defense only needed to prevent the Buccaneers from traveling 90 yards in 1:59.

Last-minute defensive position

In the last drive, the Buccaneers’ hopes were dashed after just two plays.

Following a five-yard pass from Mayfield to Evans on the opening play, the quarterback sent a misplaced pass over the middle that was intercepted by linebacker Derrick Barnes, securing Detroit’s second consecutive postseason victory.