TAMPA, Fla. – It’s a 70’s throwback game with the Bucs wearing their Creamsicle uniforms against a 4-1 Lions team that’s clicking on all cylinders.
“We’ve got to grind, we’ve got to work, we’ve got to claw,” Bucs head coach Todd Bowles said. “The Creamsicle is nice for the fans; even some of the players looked at it nice. We’re not going to win the game because we put on different colored uniforms.”
The Bucs are rested, coming off an early bye week, while the Lions are on a three-game winning streak, having dominated the Carolina Panthers 42-24 last week. Both teams are in first place in their respective divisions. But Bucs head coach Todd Bowles is downplaying his team’s place in the standings.
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“We haven’t done anything yet,” Bowles said. “We went 3-1—that’s it. That doesn’t mean anything. Nobody remembers September when you get to December.
The game was flexed to a 4:25 pm start Sunday because of the first-place teams going at it and the emergence of two quarterbacks that are up for comeback player of the year in Lions, Jared Goff, and the Bucs Baker Mayfield.
“Jared is a stud,” Mayfield said. “Coming from someone that needed a fresh start as well. “He’s got all the tools you’d want. Tall guy; he’s got a good arm, really really smart. He’s able to make plays. The sneaky part about his game is his play action.”
This game is being hyped as one of the best matchups Sunday in the NFL, even though no one would have predicted it before the season started.
While much has been made of Goff and the Lions offense, Detroit’s defense is near the top of the NFL in points allowed and yards allowed. Bucs WR Chris Godwin knows it’s going to be a challenge.
“I think the first thing that kind of jumps off is the effort that they play with,” Godwin said. “They’ve got a lot of guys with a high motor. Aidan Hutchinson is doing a great job. I think they’ve got some experienced DBs that fly around.”
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Detroit’s offense put 42 points on Carolina last week without WR Amon-Ra St. Brown and running back Jahmyr Gibbs. Bucs safety Antoine Winfield Jr., who had a monster game in the Bucs’ win against the Saints two weeks ago, believes this will be as big of a test for the Bucs’ defense as the Eagles Monday Night game in which the Bucs lost.
“They (Lions) are a good team. “They have weapons all over. Good receiving corps, good quarterback, and good running back. We have to do our best as much as possible to contain them.”
With Bowles trying to downplay it, Bucs big left tackle Tristan Wirfs admits the team is pumped to not only step up to the challenge of facing a red-hot Lions team but also to wear the throwback uniforms.
“Definitely an exciting atmosphere in here,” Wirfs said. We know it’s going to be crazy in Raymond James. They have all the orange lights going, and we have all our Creamsickle stuff, and seeing all of the pictures on Instagram is incredible.“
So will all the Bucs be looking good sporting the Creamsickle uniforms Sunday?
“I don’t know about it for a couple of our redheads on the team,” Mayfield jokes. “But I’ll take it.”
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