Lions' Inept Culture on Full Display, Lose, 47-7
In a nationally televised Week 16 contest, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers demonstrated to the nation why the Detroit Lions are perennial losers.
The Buccaneers, who clinched a playoff berth with the victory, showed no mercy to a team that is the epitome of failure in their 47-7 victory.
Detroit's defense originally had the Buccaneers' offense stopped on their first possession when interim Lions defensive coordinator Evan Rothstein dialed up a successful blitz on third down. Everson Griffen was, unfortunately, offsides, though.
Tom Brady, the future Pro Football Hall of Fame passer, took advantage of the error, and led his team down the field for the opening score of the game.
Brady found tight end Rob Gronkowski on a 33-yard touchdown pass to give the Bucs an early 7-0 lead.
On Detroit's first offensive possession, the team's franchise passer Matthew Stafford injured his right ankle when Bucs defender Devon White stepped on his right foot.
Stafford went 2-of-3 for 15 yards, prior to exiting the game for backup quarterback Chase Daniel.
Brady and Tampa Bay's offense simply took advantage of a battered and broken down Lions defense all throughout the first half.
Brady found Mike Evans for a 27-yard touchdown that put the Bucs up 13-0. It gave the six-time Super Bowl champion quarterback the Buccaneers franchise record for TD throws in a single season.
Then, Leonard Fournette capped off a six-play, 51-yard drive, with a four-yard scamper that all but sealed it early in the second quarter.
Tampa Bay scored twice more before the end of the half -- both times via touchdown passes.
The first one was of the seven-yard variety from Brady to Chris Godwin.
The second came on a 12-yard throw from Brady to Antonio Brown.
It gave the Buccaneers a 34-0 advantage going into halftime, which marked the most first-half points scored by Tampa Bay in franchise history.
The Lions' defense was so bad in the first half that before Brady's TD pass to Brown, a Westwood One radio announcer compared Detroit's defense to that of a "sixth-grade pick-up team."
It perfectly summed up how poorly the Lions' defensive unit performed in the half.
© Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports
© Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
© Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Brady finished the half with 348 yards through the air, to go along with four passing touchdowns and a 158.3 passer rating.
He didn't play a single down in the second half, and didn't need to.
On the Bucs' first play of the half, veteran backup quarterback Blaine Gabbert found Gronkowski down the middle for a 25-yard score.
It extended Tampa Bay's lead to 40-0, after kicker Ryan Succop missed his second point-after-try of the afternoon.
Jamal Agnew ended the shutout when he returned a Buccaneers punt 74-yards early in the third quarter.
Daniel was largely ineffective running Detroit's offense and was replaced by second-year quarterback David Blough early in the fourth-quarter.
With the loss, Detroit falls to 5-10 and will finish off the 2020 season next weekend against the Minnesota Vikings.
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