Donning their throwbacks for the first time since 2012 with Raymond James Stadium decked out in creamsicle orange, the Bucs had everything set up for a festive atmosphere on Sunday afternoon. The only problem was that Tampa Bay’s offense was nowhere to be found and the defense struggled to get off the field all afternoon in a 20-6 loss to the visiting Lions.

The Bucs and Lions traded punts to open the game, but after Jack Fox pinned Tampa Bay’s offense at its 12-yard line on his kick, the first big swing of the game happened. On 1st & 10, Baker Mayfield had his pass tipped at the line of scrimmage and intercepted by Will Harris, setting the visitors up with a first down at the 12.

Bucs head coach Todd Bowles – Photo by: USA Today

The Buccaneer defense did a fantastic job after the turnover, though, stuffing the Lions on back-to-back runs on second and third down to force a field goal. Riley Patterson nailed the 30-yarder, but that damage was minimal given the starting field position for Jared Goff and the Detroit offense.

The rest of the first quarter was about Todd Bowles’ defense keeping the team in the game as Mayfield and the offense continued to struggle. A big third-down pass breakup by Lavonte David in coverage on Sam LaPorta was the highlight of the opening 15 minutes for the Bucs, who trailed 3-0 entering the second.

After the two sides traded punts again to start the second quarter, Tampa Bay’s offense finally got the ball into plus-territory. A 3rd-&-7 connection between Mayfield and rookie Trey Palmer for 21 yards set up a first down at the Lions’ 34-yard line, then Mike Evans drew a holding call on another third down a few plays later.

But the Bucs then stalled at the 15-yard line and had to settle for a 33-yard Chase McLaughlin field goal to tie the game at 3-3 with 7:34 to go in the first half.

Lions QB Jared Goff – Photo by: USA Today

The Lions got moving on their next possession, only needing a couple of plays to get to the Bucs’ 34. A 19-yard screen pass to David Montgomery and a 21-yard pass from Jared Goff to Josh Reynolds had them in business, and then they cashed in.

Despite facing a 3rd & 14 from the 27, Detroit found the end zone as Goff connected with Amon-Ra St. Brown, who evaded several tackles – and didn’t have to worry about Carlton Davis, who was sent packing by Craig Reynolds – on his way to a 27-yard touchdown. With 2:39 to go before halftime, Detroit took a 10-3 lead.

Trying to close the gap before the break, the Bucs picked up one first down before Mayfield overthrew a wide-open Palmer on a deep ball after the two-minute warning. The drive stalled from there, then a Lavonte David sack of Goff on the Lions’ next possession sent the game to halftime with the visitors leading 10-3.

Out of the break, Detroit moved the ball downfield with a couple of big plays, but the Tampa Bay defense ultimately held strong. A tackle for loss by David forced a 3rd & 13, then Goff had a pass broken up. Riley Patterson came on to potentially stretch the lead to two possessions, but his 52-yard field goal went wide right and the game remained 10-3.

With good field position, Mayfield and the Buccaneer offense got right to work. Godwin caught a 23-yard pass to Detroit’s 35-yard line before Mike Evans got in the mix with an 18-yard catch on the next play. But on an eventual 3rd & 1, Evans was called for offensive pass interference on a fade route in the end zone. Tampa Bay couldn’t convert from there, ultimately settling for a 36-yard McLaughlin field goal to get within 10-6 halfway through the third quarter.

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

On Detroit’s ensuing possession, Goff simply couldn’t miss on third down. He converted a 3rd & 4 and a 3rd & 11 before firing a 45-yard touchdown pass to Jameson Williams on a 3rd & 10. With that, the Lions took a 17-6 lead with 3:19 to go in the third quarter.

The Bucs offense did nothing to cut into the 11-point deficit on its next drive, picking up one first down before Ke’Shawn Vaughn got three yards on two carries and Mayfield missed him on third down to set up a punt.

The Lions threatened to really put the game away with a long drive that cut into the fourth quarter, but the defense did eventually hold them to a Patterson field goal to keep the game within two possessions at 20-6. But with 12 minutes to go and the offense showing no signs of life, it was going to be an uphill climb.

Sure enough, Tampa Bay went three-and-out and punted the ball away again, down two scores with just over 10 minutes to go.

And from there, the Lions did exactly what they needed to do, taking the clock under four minutes before Calijah Kancey notched his first career sack to force a punt. But any comeback efforts at that point were futile, with the Bucs falling 20-6 on a forgettable day.

Baker Mayfield played his worst game of the season, completing just 19 of his 36 passes for 206 yards, no touchdowns and an interception. Mike Evans also had his worst performance of the year with a key drop, an offensive pass interference call in the end zone and just four catches for 49 yards on 10 targets. The run game was predictably awful, posting 46 yards on 16 carries, a poor 2.9 yards per carry average.

Overall, Tampa Bay’s offense put up only 251 total yards and finished 2-of-12 on third downs. Perhaps the lone bright spot for the Buccaneer offense was the offensive line, which protected well. Luke Goedeke especially deserves his props, as Aidan Hutchinson was held to just three tackles with no sacks and no quarterback hits.

On the other side of the ball, the Bucs defense kept the team in the game at points but struggled to get off the field on third downs for much of the day. The Lions were 9-of-16 on third down, with Jared Goff going 30-of-44 for 353 yards and two touchdowns. The Bucs’ pass rush was virtually non-existent, though Detroit did well to scheme the defensive front out of the game.

Now 3-2, the Bucs still lead the NFC South by a half-game and will have a chance to bounce back next Sunday as they host the Falcons (3-3) with the top spot in the division on the line. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.