We’ve got ourselves another Monday Night Football doubleheader to close out Week 7, the first of which will kick off in Detroit with the Buccaneers, currently holding the NFC’s No. 1 seed, heading north to Michigan to take on the Lions.
Tampa Bay comes into this one fresh off its second win in a row that saw Baker Mayfield once again make chicken salad out of chicken you-know-what, while the Lions return home to Ford Field following a loss against the Chiefs that saw their high-powered offense held to just 17 points.
Here are three bold predictions for Monday night’s NFC battle.
Jared Goff will redeem himself with a non-passing touchdown
Whether it’s a simple quarterback sneak or some sort of elaborate trick play, something tells me the Lions will do their best to get Jared Goff in the end zone on Monday night—for real this time.
For those unfamiliar, the Detroit signal-caller had a receiving touchdown called back in Week 6 due to what the referees dubbed an illegal formation. The ruling has since started a bit of controversy, with coach Dan Campbell claiming the officials told him the NFL stepped in to overturn the score.
At any rate, while Lions coordinator John Morton may not be as exuberant a play-caller as Ben Johnson was, I’ve got a feeling he’ll do right by his signal-caller on Monday. I’m predicting Goff scores either a rushing or receiving touchdown against Tampa Bay.
Baker Mayfield and Jared Goff will combine for 700-plus passing yards
On the topic of quarterbacks, both Goff and Buccaneers signal-caller Baker Mayfield have been sensational to start this season. Mayfield—top-two in MVP odds heading into Monday night—has thrown for 1,539 yards and 12 touchdowns to just one interception this year, and has thrown for 250-plus yards in each of his last three games.
Goff, meanwhile, led the NFL in touchdowns passes heading into the weekend (he’s since been passed by Matthew Stafford and Dak Prescott) and while he’s no Mayfield in the yards category, he’s thrown for 200-plus in all-but one game this season while leading the Lions to the league’s second-highest points-per-game output at 31.8.
Needless to say, Monday night’s game from Ford Field has the potential to be an all-time shootout. I expect both Mayfield and Goff to play at their best, put up points, and combine for at least 700(!) total passing yards.
Buccaneers will win by double-digits to take a stranglehold over NFC
In predicting that this one will be a shootout, I’m also leaning toward the Buccaneers pulling away at the end—showing Detroit who the new boss is in the NFC.
The Bucs are 5–1 to start the season, their only loss being to the reigning Super Bowl champion Eagles in Week 4, with their most recent victory coming in an 11-point triumph over the 49ers. In that one, Mayfield was without his top two wide receivers in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, but still managed to get the job done to the tune of 256 yards and two touchdowns.
On the opposite sideline, the Lions are coming off their own double-digit loss to the Chiefs that saw them score fewer than 34 points for the first time since Week 1. While they’re a good enough team to rebound, this Bucs squad is a different breed this year. I’m predicting a barn burner that ultimately results in a 41–31 Tampa Bay win.
More NFL on Sports Illustrated
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Three Bold Predictions for Buccaneers vs. Lions on 'Monday Night Football'.
