LIVE BLOG: Follow Lions' Divisional Round Matchup Against Buccaneers
The Detroit Lions' final home game of the season comes with a chance to add to a historic season.
With a win Sunday over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the team will advance to the NFC Championship game for the second time in franchise history. As a result, the crowd at Ford Field will likely be electric as fans show their support for their team.
Against Los Angeles in the Wild Card Round, the Lions' fans made a noticeable impact. The noise forced the Rams to take two timeouts in the second half, which proved to be crucial late in the game.
The Buccaneers are preparing for this, and are hoping to avoid pre-snap penalties and other noise-related setbacks. Offensive lineman Tristan Wirfs explained to local reporters that Tampa Bay was emphasizing working on its silent cadence in anticipation for the noise it will endure at Ford Field.
"Yeah, I have a feeling it's gonna be pretty loud," Wirfs said. "We saw them against the Rams, it was a pretty cool video, they had 60,000 people singing 'Lose Yourself,' it was pretty cool. But no, just being locked in. We're gonna have a good week dialing up the silent cadence and everything. It's gonna be tough, but that's part of it. That's the playoffs on the road."
Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown is among the players the Buccaneers will be looking to neutralize. Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles had high praise for the third-year wideout this week.
"Unbelievable," Bowles said. "I mean, his stop-start, his route running, his aggressiveness after he catches the football, his quickness, his toughness. He's a Pro Bowler, he's an All-Pro receiver to us."
Follow along for live updates all throughout Sunday's Lions-Buccaneers matchup.
6:12 p.m. -- FINAL: Lions 31, Buccaneers 23.
6:09 p.m. -- Derrick Barnes intercepts Baker Mayfield's pass. The Lions take over with 1:33 remaining.
6:06 p.m. -- The Lions are forced to punt. Tampa Bay takes over with 1:59 remaining on its own 10-yard line.
6:02 p.m. -- The Lions get another first down as a result of an illegal hands to the face penalty on Tampa Bay.
6:01 p.m. -- Goff hits St. Brown for 15 yards and a first down. David Montgomery runs for a first down on the next play. Less than four minutes remain in the game.
5:55 p.m. -- Baker Mayfield hits Mike Evans for a 16-yard touchdown. The Lions lead the Buccaneers, 31-23, after the two-point conversion is no good with 4:37 remaining.
5:47 p.m. -- Goff hits St. Brown for a 9-yard touchdown. The Lions lead the Buccaneers, 31-17, with 6:22 remaining in the game.
5:44 p.m. -- Goff connects with Amon-Ra St. Brown for 16 yards to convert a third-and-15.
5:37 p.m. -- The Lions force a punt and will take over on their own 11-yard line.
5:33 p.m. -- Lions' wideout Josh Reynolds is heading to the locker room.
5:29 p.m. -- Jahmyr Gibbs runs 31 yards for a touchdown. The Lions lead the Buccaneers, 24-17, with 13:13 remaining in the game.
5:25 p.m. -- END Q3: Lions 17, Buccaneers 17.
5:21 p.m. -- Rachaad White scores a 12-yard touchdown. The game is tied, 17-17, with :10 remaining in the third quarter.
5:19 p.m. -- Three straight completions from Mayfield to Cade Otton has Tampa Bay inside the red zone.
5:10 p.m. -- Craig Reynolds scores a 1-yard touchdown. The Lions lead the Buccaneers, 17-10, with 3:48 remaining in the third quarter.
5:09 p.m. -- The Lions are facing a fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line.
5:02 p.m. -- Jared Goff hits Brock Wright for a big gain, going 30 yards to Tampa Bay's 24-yard line.
4:58 p.m. -- Detroit's defense forces another punt, and the offense will begin its next drive at its own 36-yard line.
4:51 p.m. -- The Lions are forced to punt after a chop block penalty on David Montgomery negates a third down conversion. Tampa Bay has the ball on it's own 40-yard line.
4:47 p.m. -- Jonah Jackson has been ruled out for the remainder of the game with a knee injury.
4:44 p.m. -- A third-down sack by Aidan Hutchinson takes the Buccaneers out of field goal range and forces a punt. The Lions take over on their 15-yard line with 10:29 remaining in the third quarter.
4:25 p.m. -- END Q2: Lions 10, Buccaneers 10. Frank Ragnow returned to the game for the final snap before halftime.
4:22 p.m. -- Baker Mayfield hits Cade Otton for a 2-yard touchdown. The game is now tied, 10-10, with :15 remaining in the first half.
4:20 p.m. -- Baker Mayfield connects with Mike Evans for 29 yards down to the Lions' 2-yard line.
4:13 p.m. -- Jared Goff is sacked on a third down. On the play, Frank Ragnow was down holding his knee. The center was able to walk off under his own power.
4:07 p.m. -- Two-minute warning: Lions 10, Buccaneers 3.
4:04 p.m. -- Chase McLaughlin misses a 50-yard field goal. The Lions take over on their own 40-yard line with 2:24 remaining in the first half.
3:58 p.m. -- Lions' offensive guard Jonah Jackson is questionable to return with a knee injury.
3:54 p.m. -- The Lions force a punt but are unable to capitalize, as three straight incompletions stall out their drive. Tampa Bay takes over on its 13-yard line.
3:39 p.m. -- Jared Goff hits Josh Reynolds for a 9-yard touchdown. The Lions lead the Buccaneers, 10-3, with 12:33 remaining in the first half.
3:36 p.m. -- Jared Goff connects with Sam LaPorta to convert the third down.
3:33 p.m. -- END Q1: Lions 3, Buccaneers 3. The Lions have a third-and-4 at Tampa Bay's 44-yard line.
3:25 p.m. -- Chase McLaughlin connects on a 43-yard field goal to tie the game. The Buccaneers' drive was derailed by a Brian Branch sack.
3:22 p.m. -- Two completions from Mayfield have the Buccaneers across midfield and inside the Lions' 30-yard line.
3:16 p.m. -- Michael Badgley connects on a 23-yard field goal. The Lions lead the Buccaneers, 3-0, with 8:25 remaining in the first quarter.
3:09 p.m. -- C.J. Gardner-Johnson picks off Baker Mayfield's pass. The Lions take over on Tampa Bay's 41-yard line.
3:08 p.m. -- Ifeatu Melifonwu sacks Baker Mayfield to force a third down.
3:05 p.m. -- The Lions go three-and-out on their opening possession. Tampa Bay takes over on its 20-yard line.
3:01 p.m. -- The Lions won the toss and elected to receive.
2:45 p.m. -- Tight end Sam LaPorta is active for the Lions, while outside linebacker James Houston is inactive after returning to the active roster this week.
