If you’re searching for Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Detroit Lions match player stats right now, there’s a wrinkle: the two teams haven’t played each other this season. The next meeting is a Week 11 game in Detroit. The most recent game with a full set of player numbers is the Monday Night Football contest on October 20, 2025, which the Lions won 24–9.
This page gives you that complete box score, explains what drove the result, and puts it in the context of the recent series. It also covers what to watch on November 22, and how to follow live stats when the teams meet again.
Quick answer
The last game played: Lions 24, Buccaneers 9, October 20, 2025. The Score lists this result as the previous matchup ahead of the 2026 game.
The next game: Tampa Bay travels to Ford Field in Detroit for Week 11 on Sunday, November 22, 2026, with local-market coverage on CBS. Kickoff is 1 p.m. Eastern.
There are no player stats for the November game yet, and any site showing them before kickoff is showing projections or placeholders. If you land here after November 22, the final box score belongs in the 2025 section’s format; the structure below shows exactly what to look for.
Game snapshot: Lions 24, Buccaneers 9
| Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 0 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 9 |
| Detroit Lions | 7 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 24 |
Going in, Tampa Bay held the NFC’s best record at 5–1, and Baker Mayfield had thrown 12 touchdown passes against one interception. The same preview noted rookie Emeka Egbuka was dealing with a hamstring strain and Chris Godwin a fibula injury. Egbuka played (he was targeted 12 times), while Godwin does not appear in the box score.
Detroit scored a touchdown in each of the first three quarters. Tampa Bay never led and managed one touchdown and one field goal all night.
Passing stats
| Player | Team | CMP/ATT | Yards | TD | INT | Sacks taken | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jared Goff | DET | 20/29 | 241 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 91.3 |
| Baker Mayfield | TB | 28/50 | 228 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 66.1 |
The yardage totals tell only part of the story. Goff averaged 8.3 yards per attempt on 29 throws. Mayfield averaged 4.6 on 50. Tampa Bay needed 21 more attempts to produce a similar yardage total, and that gap is the cleanest summary of how the two offenses functioned.
One detail trips up many readers: Mayfield’s line shows 228 passing yards, but the team total shows 210. The difference is yards lost on sacks. Individual lines list gross passing yards, while team net passing subtracts sack yardage. Goff’s 241 and Detroit’s 215 follow the same pattern. Teddy Bridgewater appeared for one kneel-type carry (one rush, minus-one yard) and did not attempt a pass.
Rushing and receiving stats
Detroit Lions
| Player | Rush (att–yds–TD) | Targets | Rec | Rec yds | Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jahmyr Gibbs (RB) | 17–136–2 | 3 | 3 | 82 | 0 |
| David Montgomery (RB) | 13–21–0 | 3 | 2 | 18 | 0 |
| Amon-Ra St. Brown (WR) | — | 10 | 6 | 86 | 1 |
| Brock Wright (TE) | — | 3 | 3 | 23 | 0 |
| Kalif Raymond (WR) | — | 3 | 3 | 17 | 0 |
| Sam LaPorta (TE) | — | 3 | 3 | 15 | 0 |
| Jameson Williams (WR) | — | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Gibbs was the game’s most productive player by a wide margin. His longest run covered 78 yards, and his 136 rushing yards plus 82 receiving yards add up to 218 scrimmage yards. He averaged 8.0 yards per carry; the rest of Detroit’s running game (Montgomery and Goff combined) managed 28 yards on 15 carries.
St. Brown led the Lions in targets and caught Detroit’s only receiving touchdown.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
| Player | Rush (att–yds–TD) | Targets | Rec | Rec yds | Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rachaad White (RB) | 10–38–0 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 0 |
| Sean Tucker (RB) | 1–4–0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Tez Johnson (WR) | — | 9 | 4 | 58 | 1 |
| Cade Otton (TE) | — | 9 | 7 | 65 | 0 |
| Emeka Egbuka (WR) | — | 12 | 4 | 58 | 0 |
| Sterling Shepard (WR) | — | 7 | 7 | 25 | 0 |
| Ryan Miller (WR) | — | 1 | 1 | 14 | 0 |
| Mike Evans (WR) | — | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Tampa Bay completed 28 of 50 passes, but the yardage per catch was low. Sterling Shepard caught all seven of his targets for 25 yards, and Rachaad White’s four catches netted six. Egbuka’s 12 targets produced four catches, a 33.3% catch rate, and Mike Evans was targeted four times without a reception.
I can’t tell you from the box score alone why those targets didn’t connect. Coverage, pressure, and play design all matter, and the numbers don’t separate them. What the box score does show is that the volume was there while the efficiency wasn’t.
Defense and special teams
| Category | Buccaneers | Lions |
|---|---|---|
| Sacks | 4 | 4 |
| QB hits | 9 | 8 |
| Tackles for loss | 7 | 4 |
| Interceptions | 1 (Jamel Dean) | 1 (Arthur Maulet) |
| Fumble recoveries | 1 (Elijah Roberts) | 1 (Aidan Hutchinson) |
| Field goals | 1/1 (Chase McLaughlin) | 1/2 (Jake Bates) |
| Extra points | 0/0 | 3/3 (Jake Bates) |
Standout Tampa Bay defenders: Tykee Smith recorded eight solo and five assisted tackles with a sack, the highest tackle count on the team. SirVocea Dennis added eight solo and four assisted tackles with a sack. Yaya Diaby had a sack and a forced fumble, and Lavonte David logged one solo and six assisted stops.
Standout Detroit defenders: Tyrus Wheat is credited with two sacks and a forced fumble. Jack Campbell had three solo and five assisted tackles with a sack, and Derrick Barnes also recorded a sack. Erick Hallett II led the secondary with six solo and two assisted tackles.
Note that the Lions’ individual sack credits add up to slightly more than the team total of four, which usually reflects split (half) sacks. Different stat providers sometimes credit these differently, which is why a number can shift by half a sack between sites.
What the numbers actually say
On paper, this game looks close. Each defense had four sacks, one interception, and one fumble recovery, and Tampa Bay actually led in QB hits and tackles for loss. So why a 15-point margin?
1. Explosive plays. Gibbs’s 78-yard run and 8.0 yards per carry gave Detroit short fields and scoring drives without needing long, sustained marches. Tampa Bay’s longest rush was seven yards.
2. Efficiency per throw. Goff threw 21 fewer passes and finished with more yards. Tampa Bay’s passing game spent 50 attempts to net 4.6 yards per try.
3. Finishing drives. Tampa Bay scored on one touchdown and one field goal despite its pass volume. Detroit scored three touchdowns and a field goal on fewer plays.
4. A turnover wash. Because neither team won the turnover battle, the result came down to production rather than luck. That makes the 24–9 outcome more representative of how the game played out than a game decided by a pick-six or a fumble return.
A caution: these are my readings of the box score, not official findings. Box scores can’t capture things like pre-snap alignment, blown assignments, or injuries during the game.
Recent Buccaneers–Lions series history
The teams have met several times in recent years, with some memorable individual performances.
| Date | Result | Notable player performance |
|---|---|---|
| Dec 15, 2019 | — | Jameis Winston: 28/42, 458 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT (per FantasyData) |
| Dec 26, 2020 | Buccaneers 47, Lions 7 | Tom Brady threw four touchdown passes and Blaine Gabbert added two |
| Jan 21, 2024 (Divisional Round) | Lions 31, Buccaneers 23 | Jahmyr Gibbs 31-yd TD run; Mayfield threw three TD passes |
| Sep 15, 2024 | Buccaneers 20, Lions 16 | Chris Godwin: 7 catches, 117 yards, 1 TD |
| Oct 20, 2025 | Lions 24, Buccaneers 9 | Jahmyr Gibbs: 136 rush yards, 2 TD, 218 scrimmage yards |
The two most recent meetings before 2025 were tight. In September 2024, Mayfield was an efficient 12-for-19 for 185 yards with one touchdown and one interception, and Godwin was his primary target. Despite that win, Detroit’s Aidan Hutchinson recorded 4.5 sacks in the game. The playoff game in January 2024 was also decided by a single score late, with Detroit scoring twice in the fourth quarter.
In October 2023, the teams also met in a regular-season game, in which Goff threw for 353 yards and Amon-Ra St. Brown caught 12 passes for 124 yards and a touchdown.
The pattern over this stretch: quarterback play has been strong on both sides, but the results have tended to hinge on whichever skill player breaks a game open. Winston’s 458 yards in 2019, Godwin’s 117 in 2024, and Gibbs’s 218 scrimmage yards in 2025 are all examples.
The next meeting: November 22, 2026
Where each team stands (as of October 5, 2026):
- Tampa Bay is 0–4, with losses to Cincinnati (33–27), Cleveland (23–19), Minnesota (23–16), and Green Bay (17–14). Three of the four losses were by a touchdown or less, and all four came by 7 points or fewer except Cincinnati and Minnesota, both by a margin of 6 and 7. They play at Dallas on October 9.
- Detroit is 2–2, with wins over New Orleans (31–30) and the New York Jets (31–24), and losses at Buffalo (41–31) and at Carolina (32–26). Their next game is at Arizona on October 11.
Both records will change several times before November 22, so treat these as a snapshot.
Early betting lines, for context only: DraftKings lists Detroit as a 4.5-point favorite with a total of 49.5, and Tampa Bay at +185 on the moneyline. Lines move with injuries and form, and the figure above was posted well before kickoff.
Players to watch: The Score’s matchup page lists Baker Mayfield, Bucky Irving, and Emeka Egbuka for Tampa Bay, and Jared Goff, Jahmyr Gibbs, and Amon-Ra St. Brown for Detroit as the featured offensive names. Rosters and availability can change, so confirm against the injury report in the week of the game.
The matchup question worth watching: Based on last year’s box score, the key questions are whether Tampa Bay can turn pass volume into efficient yardage, and whether Detroit’s run game continues to produce chunk plays. Those are my reading of the 2025 data, not a prediction.
How to read an NFL box score
If you’re newer to football stats, here’s what the abbreviations mean:
- CMP/ATT: completions and attempts. Completion percentage is CMP divided by ATT.
- YPA (AVG): yards per attempt for passing. Above 7.0 is generally considered healthy; below 5.0 signals a struggling passing game.
- TD/INT: touchdowns and interceptions thrown.
- SCK: times sacked. Sack yardage is subtracted from team net passing.
- Rating: the NFL passer rating, a formula combining completion rate, yards, touchdowns, and interceptions. The maximum is 158.3.
- TGTS/REC: targets and receptions. The ratio is the catch rate.
- YDS/TGT: yards per target, a useful efficiency gauge for receivers.
- TFL: tackles for loss, tackles behind the line of scrimmage.
- FF/FR: forced fumbles and fumble recoveries.
A common mistake is judging a quarterback by yardage alone. Mayfield’s 228 yards looks respectable until you see the 50 attempts behind it.
Where to find reliable player stats
Official and primary-source sites are the most dependable:
- NFL.com Game Center for official play-by-play and player statistics.
- Pro Football Reference for historical box scores and series records.
- Team sites (Buccaneers.com and DetroitLions.com) for schedules and injury reports.
- FantasyData for fantasy-oriented box scores, including this article’s source data.
When two sites disagree by a yard or half a sack, official NFL scoring is the tiebreaker.
FAQs
What was the final score of the last Buccaneers vs Lions game?
Detroit won 24–9 on October 20, 2025, in a Monday Night Football game.
Who had the best stats in the last Buccaneers–Lions game?
Jahmyr Gibbs, with 17 carries for 136 yards and two touchdowns plus three catches for 82 yards. Amon-Ra St. Brown added six catches for 86 yards and a touchdown.
How many yards did Baker Mayfield throw for against the Lions?
In the October 2025 game, Mayfield completed 28 of 50 passes for 228 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. He was sacked four times.
When do the Buccaneers play the Lions in 2026?
Sunday, November 22, 2026, at Ford Field in Detroit, with a 1 p.m. Eastern kickoff.
Where can I watch the game?
Local-market coverage is on CBS, per the Buccaneers’ official how-to-watch page. Check your local listings closer to the date, since broadcast details are the kind of thing that can change.
Are there any player stats for the 2026 game yet?
No. The game hasn’t been played. Pages showing numbers for it before kickoff are projections.
Who leads the all-time series?
I wasn’t able to confirm an official all-time series record, so this article doesn’t state one. Pro Football Reference’s team head-to-head page is the best place to verify it.
The bottom line
The last Buccaneers–Lions game ended 24–9 because Detroit produced bigger plays and better efficiency, not because of turnovers or sacks, which were even. Gibbs’s 218 scrimmage yards and Goff’s 8.3 yards per attempt stood against Tampa Bay’s 4.6 per attempt on 50 throws.
The 2026 rematch arrives November 22 with Tampa Bay at 0–4 and Detroit at 2–2 as of this writing. When it’s played, check the same categories used above: yards per attempt, explosive runs, catch rate, and turnovers.
