DETROIT (3-10) At TAMPA BAY (8-5)
Sunday, 1 p.m., FOX
OPENING LINE – Buccaneers by 4 1/2
RECORD VS. SPREAD – Detroit 9-3-1; Tampa Bay 7-5-1
SERIES RECORD – Lions lead 27-25
LAST MEETING – Buccaneers beat Lions 38-20, Nov. 23, 2008
LAST WEEK – Lions beat Packers 7-3; Buccaneers beat Redskins 17-16
LIONS OFFENSE – OVERALL (17), RUSH (27), PASS (11)
LIONS DEFENSE – OVERALL (19), RUSH (22), PASS (13)
BUCCANEERS OFFENSE – OVERALL (21), RUSH (11), PASS (22)
BUCCANEERS DEFENSE – OVERALL (16), RUSH (27), PASS (11)
STREAKS, STATS AND NOTES – Tampa Bay 8-0 vs. teams with losing records compared to 0-5 against opponents with winning records. After facing Detroit and Seattle at home, Bucs close regular season on road at New Orleans. With the Lions and Seahawks both currently under .500, chances of remaining in contention for wild-card playoff spot appear good. … Lions are out of playoff contention, but coming off 7-3 win over Green Bay, which helped Bucs in race for postseason berth. Win was first as NFL starter for Detroit QB Drew Stanton. … Lions WR Calvin Johnson is 84 yards receiving shy of becoming first Detroit player to post two seasons with over 1,000 yards and at least receiving 12 touchdowns. Johnson’s 29 TD catches since 2008 tied for second most in NFL. … Lions DT Ndamukong Suh has eight sacks and can break record for rookie DT with three more in final three games. … Suh was second pick in draft, one spot ahead of Bucs DT Gerald McCoy, who tore left biceps during last week’s 17-16 win at Washington and is out for season. After slow start, McCoy made steady progress over past month and finished with three sacks. … Bucs second-year quarterback Josh Freeman has thrown for 2,708 yards, 17 TDs and six interceptions. Bucs 10-1 when he has an 80-plus quarterback rating. … Despite not playing much early in season, Tampa Bay RB LeGarrette Blount has 667 yards rushing and five TDs, both second among NFL rookies. … Bucs WR Mike Williams has been one of league’s top rookie receivers. He leads first-year players with 784 yards receiving and is tied for lead with seven TD catches. Another Bucs rookie receiver, second-rounder Arrelious Benn, had breakout game last week with four catches for career-best 122 yards against the Redskins.
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