The Lion King Dethroned
October 21, 2025
Baker Mayfield, formerly known as the Lion King, was handled quite easily by the Detroit defense Monday night. Of course, Baker was dubbed the Lion King after his 2024 visit to Ford Field where they took down the mighty Lions. This time, things were a bit different.
There was plenty of excitement for Tampa Bay when it was announced that both injured star receivers Mike Evans and Emeka Egbuka would be active for this big clash. Much excitement left early on when Mike Evans came down on both his head and shoulder area on a deep pass across the middle. It was later determined that Evans broke his collarbone and will now miss a majority of the season, if not all of it. You can’t write about the Bucs without acknowledging the pillar of greatness that has been the career of Evans, the streak of 11 straight 1,000 yard seasons will now come to a sad end.
Baker and the offense needed to immediately refocus but found it difficult with the relentless pressure of the Lions defense. It was a Detroit defense that generated 2 sacks on 6 quarterback hits with 20+ pressured throws. Mayfield was under duress all evening and couldn’t find any help in the run game. Success would rely on the passing game where Mayfield attempted 50 passes (3 shy of his most in an NFL game!).
Things weren’t any better on the defensive side of the ball as Jahymyr Gibbs was carving them up left and right. His 218 combined yardage total from receptions and rushing attempts is the second most since Calvin Johnson in 2013! He put on a show in one night that would be most back’s full season highlights. With an average yards per carry of eight, Gibbs left no crumbs and had himself a day.
Like we stated last week, when the Lions rushing attack is on.. the Lions offense is on, and Monday was no exception. Goff was efficient, not overly impressive but he didn’t need to be. This offense feeds off their rushing attack and the success of their ground game opens up everything through the air – Even more than you’d see with most teams due to the respect defenses need to show for Gibbs. In fact, we made it through this whole piece without mentioning St. Brown’s big day (6 receptions, 86 yards and 1 td).
The Lions rebounded nicely after their big let down in Kansas City – Proving once again in a statement victory over Tampa that they will be one of the main contenders this season. The Bucs will take a trip to New Orleans before heading into their bye. This will hopefully give them time to bring back some of their injured offensive playmakers and give them an additional week to get healthy.
Keith, Author
Keith runs youth flag football leagues by day, and by night he hosts the podcast and writes articles with the confidence of a man who’s been rushing quarterbacks since dial-up. A longtime flag football DE and lifelong Falcons fan, he’s no stranger to heartbreak and enjoys watching the bears get slaughtered each week. Equal parts coach, critic, and chaos, Keith calls it like he sees it… even if it hurts.
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