The long wait finally came to an end for the most anticipated matchup on the Week 7 NFL slate. The Bucs and Lions kicked off Monday Night Football, which was a long-awaited look at the two of the top teams in the NFC. In a game that will likely have future playoff implications between these two contenders, there was plenty to take in at Ford Field, but much of the game was not an enjoyable watch.

Tampa Bay looked sluggish from the start and did not match Detroit’s energy, falling short and losing 24-9. Following the game, here is what was most disappointing as the team will return home before heading back out on the road to face the Saints in New Orleans in Week 8.

The First-Half Bucs’ Offense

What happened?

After putting up 38 points on the Seahawks and 30 points on the 49ers, things were looking up for the Bucs offense going into Monday night. While facing another tough defense, the Lions came in missing Brian Branch, Kerby Joseph, Terrion Arnold, D.J. Reed, and Avonte Maddox. One would think that would mean quarterback Baker Mayfield keeping the status quo of pushing the ball downfield and finding his playmakers.

The offense, especially early on, came out flat. Not until the second quarter did Mayfield throw the football beyond the first down marker, and when he did, the passes were inaccurate. This came despite Detroit missing so many defensive backs, which made for a frustrating watch all the way around.

When watching what Jared Goff was doing, there was a stark difference in offensive game plans. The Lions came out wanting to make it a shootout, but the Bucs failed to control the time of possession and get anything started. In a game of disappointing moments, this takes the cake. Mayfield stated before the game that he wanted the team to “set the precedent early on”, and it simply did not come to fruition.

In the first half, the offense was outgained 275-58 in total yards.

QB Baker Mayfield

It was only fair to outline the Bucs’ first-half offensive struggles above, and that also comes with recognizing that much of it falls on the shoulders of Baker Mayfield.

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: USA Today

Mayfield did not play well in primetime, starting with how he looked shell-shocked and hurried moving around in the pocket. That carried over to his throws, as Mayfield threw many of them too high of his targets. He was unable to connect with wide receiver Mike Evans when he was in the game and missed Emeka Egbuka on several occasions.

His deadly deep ball nor his savvy running ability were on display, and in this game, “Mayfield Magic” ran dry. As a result, it came as little surprise that the rest of the team floundered as he completed 28 of his 50 passes (56%) for 228 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

No. 6 had his worst game of the season by far and did not look like the MVP candidate he became through the first six games.

Simply Containing Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs And WR Amon-Ra St. Brown

Going into the game, the Bucs knew what they were up against. Head coach Todd Bowles admitted as much, saying that St. Brown is someone no defense has solved.

Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown – Photo by: USA Today

“He’s a hell of a problem for everybody [and] nobody’s solved it yet,” Bowles said last week. “We’ve just got to try to limit it and tackle him when he does catch it and try not to give up the big play.”

Bowles and Co. knew what they were in for between St. Brown and electrifying running back Jahmyr Gibbs. Yet, they could not stop them, much less contain them. Gibbs got going with a 30-yard reception to start things off, and then St. Brown had a 27-yard touchdown. Gibbs also ran away with a 78-yard touchdown later in the first half and then set up his next touchdown in the third quarter with a 28-yard catch-and-run followed up by a 5-yard scamper into the end zone.

All told, St. Brown had five catches for 87 receiving yards, while Gibbs had 17 carries for 136 rushing yards and two touchdowns while adding three catches for 82 receiving yards.

They were due for a big play or two, but they just completely took over with Tampa Bay’s defense having no answers.

Missed Tackles

A big theme in the first half was the missed tackles by the Bucs defense. Collectively, the unit failed to wrap up on the first chance, leading to Detroit’s running backs and wide receivers having no problem getting additional yards. It came into play when Jahmyr Gibbs turned dump off throws into first downs and Amon-Ra St. Brown getting easy yards after the catch.

The above post alludes to a few missed tackles early on but is far from mentioning all of them as it was a rare occurrence when the first defender on the scene wrapped up the ballcarrier. It is one thing when you are going up against the Jets or even the Texans, but when facing top teams, those missed opportunities are oftentimes the difference between wins and losses.

CB Jacob Parrish

From the jump, the Lions showed that they meant business taking on the 5-1 Bucs. Unfortunately for cornerback Jacob Parrish, that came at his expense as the rookie would be the one at fault for giving up the first points of the game. It appeared for a second that Tampa Bay would hold Detroit to a field goal on the opening drive, but on third-and-6, Parrish was called for illegal contact. That extended the drive and led to his next mistake.

Covering wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown is no easy task. It gets even harder when you fall, which is what Parrish did and what allowed for St. Brown to score an easy 27-yard touchdown. Despite such a promising first NFL season, Monday night was a step back and a game that Parrish will look to learn from.