Bucs HC Todd Bowles Heaps Praise on Lions Playmakers

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers face a tough test on Sunday against the Lions and their offensive firepower.

Jul 25, 2024; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles during training camp at AdventHealth Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images / Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

When the Bucs take on the Lions on Sunday, it will be the fourth time head coach Todd Bowles has gone against quarterback Jared Goff. So far, the defensive mastermind is just 1-2 in those matchups and the one they did win was an offensive shootout in 2019 where the Rams still scored 40 points on the Bucs defense.

For whatever reason Goff has been Bowles' kryptonite. In those four outings, Goff has thrown for 1,533 yards, eight touchdowns, and five interceptions. So what makes Goff so good against Bowles? He answered what makes him effective on the Bucs' weekly Total Access show with team reporter Casey Phillips this week.

"He can rid of the ball real quick," Bowles remarked. "He has a lot of talent on the outside as well as the backfield. He's got a lot of choices he can go to and it's hard to get to him because he lets the ball go so fast. And then they can pound you in the run game as well, so that helps a lot. But he has very good command of the offense. He knows where to go with the ball. He understands defenses very well and he's playing well."

READ MORE: Bucs Head Coach Breaks Down Keys To Beating Lions

Speaking of running the ball, the Lions have one of the best backfields in the NFL. Montgomery turned in a 1,000-yard performance on the ground with 13 touchdowns and already went off for 91 yards and a score in Week 1. His running mate Jahmyr Gibbs, who the Lions took in the first round last season, has the ability to take it the distance any time he touches the ball. He finished just 55 yards shy of 1,000 yards and turned in 10 touchdowns of his own in 2023. He also found the end zone in Week 1 and poses more of a receiving threat than Montgomery.

"They have a great one-two punch," Bowles mentioned of Gibbs and Montgomery. "Gibbs is very explosive, and he can go to the house at any time and I think Montgomery does a very good job slicing through the middle and is very tough. They have a great one-two punch. They can catch screens; they can catch out of the backfield and both of them can block."

The development of tight end Sam LaPorta was one of the more surprising stories to come out of the Lions last season. Making a Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro in his rookie season, Laporta has the strength and blocking ability of a traditional tight end but shines as a receiver. He posted 86 receptions on a whopping 120 targets for 883 yards and 10 scores himself in 2023 and is a tough matchup for the best safeties and linebackers.

"He is a tight end, but yet he is a receiver," Bowles noted of LaPorta. "He can do all the things that wideouts can do but yet he can block and overpower you on the inside, so when you have that kind of power and athleticism, it makes him a tough cover."

Last season, Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown was named a first-team All-Pro after turning in career-highs in receptions with 119, yards with 1,515, and touchdowns with 10. He's a threat at any level of the field and while he does most of his damage in the slot he can line up anywhere and find success.

"He can do it all," Bowles said of St. Brown. "He is very quick. He is very elusive in the slot and he can go outside and run deep balls and he can go in the backfield and run the ball, or he will run reverses and jet sweeps. He can do everything that a receiver can possibly do, whether it is a flea flicker or whether him running routes. He is a great route runner. He gets in-and-out of breaks very well, so it makes him a very tough cover."

To add to the Lions' arsenal is the ascending play of former first-round selection wide receiver Jameson Williams. The former Alabama product started to hit his stride last season after missing time during his rookie year rehabbing from a torn ACL and after a gambling suspension sidelined him for the first four games of the season last year. His speed is dangerous and he can stretch the field at any time. He showed out in Week 1 with five receptions for 121 yards and a score, leading all receivers for the Lions.

"Lot of speed," Bowles exclaimed talking about Williams. "He can take the top off at any time. He's just coming into his own this year and they're moving him around a little bit more than they did in the past and he's making people pay."

The Bucs, down Antoine Winfield Jr. and Calijah Kancey, will have their hands full on Sunday slowing down a potent Lions offense. This could be even more difficult if they don't have cornerback Zyon McCollum back from concussion, as it looks like backup Josh Hayes will be sidelined another week. Bowles has struggled with Goff in the past, and if the Bucs are going to come away with an upset in Motown he'll need to come up with one of the best game plans of his career to slow all the weapons Detroit possesses.

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