Two Montgomery runs left Detroit in a third-and-five as the two-minute warning arrived. After the break, Goff threw incomplete in Williams' direction and the Lions sent out K Jake Bates to try a 54-yard field goal. Bates pulled it wide left with 1:52 left in the half.
The Bucs had a chance to cut into the lead before halftime but immediately suffered another turnover. Otton made a nice one-handed grab of a short pass over the middle but on the ensuing tackle by CB Arthur Maulet the defender was able to wrestle the ball loose for an interception.
The Lions took over at the Bucs' 48 and got a one-yard run by Gibbs and an eight-yard grab on an out by St. Brown. Detroit let Goff keep it on a sneak up the middle and he powered for enough to move the chains as the clock tied down to 46 seconds. The Lions promptly spent their first timeout of the half. On the next play, Smith timed his blitz perfectly and swarmed over Goff for a nine yard sack. After a second timeout, Goff tried to hit St. Brown down the left sideline but Dean intercepted the pass at the 30 and returned it to the 43 with 21 seconds left.
That was enough time for Mayfield and McLaughlin to get the Bucs on the board. Mayfield completed passes over the middle of 11 yards each to Shepard and Tez Johnson to get the ball to the Detroit 35 and McLaughlin came on to easily drill a 53-yard three-pointer.
The Bucs got the ball to start the second half after a kickoff return out to the 33 by Kam Johnson. Mayfield then found Egbuka on a crossing route for 18 yards to the Detroit 46. After a seven-yard run by White, Mayfield took a shot to Egbuka in the end zone but it was broken up. A quick pass underneath to Shepard gave the Bucs enough for a first down at the Lions' 36, but a one-yard run by White and a false start by Charlie Heck put the Bucs into a second-and-14 hole. Mayfield had Tez Johnson in his sights on second down but his pass was broken up at the line by Barnes. After a 12-yard catch-and-run by Tez Johnson, the Bucs went for it on fourth down and got it on a four-yard run over left tackle by White. Two plays later, Mayfield just got a screen pass out to Tez Johnson over a leaping defender and the rookie did the rest, weaving through traffic to score on a 22-yard catch. The Bucs went for two but failed, leaving the score at 14-9.
The Lions' next drive started at their 27 and Zyon McCollum made a quick stop on a second-down stop by TE Sam LaPorta to make it third-and-two. TE Brock Wright got wide open on a third-down release out to the left and got 14 yards for a first down at the 49. Gibbs then broke free for a 15-yard gain into Bucs territory, and two plays later took a swing pass down the right sideline all the way to the Bucs' five, with S Antoine Winfield Jr. just saving the touchdown. Rather, the touchdown was delayed, as Gibbs spun away from a defender on the next snap and ran it in for the score to make it 21-9 with just under five minutes left in the third quarter.
Kam Johnson ran across most of the field horizontally on the ensuing kickoff return but only got to the 21. A reception and a counter run by White picked up a total of seven yards, and Mayfield's third-down pass in Egbuka's direction was off the mark, leading to a punt. The kick wen tout of bounds at the Detroit 25.
The Bucs' defense got to Goff quickly on first down and forced a throwaway, and Montgomery's second-down run only got two. However, a quick curl down the left seam by LaPorta got him open for a gain of nine and a first down. Three plays later, the Lions faced a third-and-two just shy of midfield and gave it to Montgomery, and he came up a yard shorts as the third quarter came to an end. The Lions went for it on fourth down with a tricky option play that ended up with Montgomery fighting through several to get the first down. However, the Bucs' defense stood up at that point and forced a punt, which Kam Johnson fair caught at the 11.
Mayfield got the drive going with a precise 20-yard pass to Otton up the left sideline. An incompletion in Egbuka's direction down the right seam followed, but the two hooked up for six yards on second down. After a third-down incompletion, the Buccaneers went for it on fourth down and appeared to move the chains on a wild play that involved Otton catching a short pass, fumbling and G Ben Bredeson falling on the loose ball at the 41. The Lions challenged the play and lost, but the officials then took what they termed a second look and determined that Otton was tackled short of the line to gain.
Detroit thus took over at the Bucs' 40 with 11:31 to go. The Bucs' defense got a quick stop, with Vea dropping Gibbs for no loss and OLB Anthony Nelson getting a second-down sack. The Lions sent out Bates again and this time he drilled a 58-yard field goal to make it 24-9 with 10 minutes left.
The Bucs started their next drive at their 29 and got a quick 13 yards on a seam route to Otton. Two plays later, another completion to Otton got eight and left the Bucs in a third-and-two. Mayfield handed off to White on third down and the back powered for just enough to move the sticks. After two incompletions, and a declined holding call, Mayfield once again kept the drive alive with a 13-yard pass to Tez Johnson over the middle, down to the Lions' 35. Two snaps later, Mayfield had the ball stripped from his grasp but T Tristan Wirfs was able to pounce on it at the 29 to make it third-and-four. Mayfield was forced into an incompletion on third down, but he found Otton on an in-breaker on fourth down for seven yards to the 22. It was third-and-eight moments later, and a crossing route to Shepard got just five. On fourth down, CB Arthur Maulet was flagged for pass interference, leading to a first down for the Bus at the Lions' 14 with 5:20 left. Two plays later, Mayfield got off a pass to Egbuka in the end zone but CB Nick Whiteside made an amazing last-second knockdown to prevent the touchdown. After an incompletion in White's direction on third down, the Bucs once again went for it on fourth down and Mayfield's pass in Egbuka's direction was broken up in the end zone.
The Bucs used all three of their timeouts on the ensuing drive to get the ball back and forced a punt that put the ball back at Tampa Bay's 33. Two incompletions were sandwiched around an 11-yard sack of Mayfield, and on fourth-and-21 Mayfield's completion to Ryan Miller came up seven yards short. The Lions were able to run out most of the remainder of the clock and, after a punt, the Bucs kneeled to end the contest.