Pride of Detroit
The Detroit Lions (4-2) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-1) will square off in a Week 7 “Monday Night Football” battle between two of the best teams in the NFC. If the Lions want to get back to their winning ways, they’ll need to follow the defensive keys to victory laid out in this week’s Honolulu Blueprint.
Note: this is the first of two keys to victory articles this week.
For a detailed look at the opposing scheme, make sure you check out our complementary breakdown piece: Lions Week 7 Preview: Breaking down Bucs’ offensive and defensive schemes.
“They’re playing hot football, it’s a very good team” Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell said. “Baker is – you guys know I’ve got a lot of respect for (Bucs QB) Baker Mayfield. The way he plays, his leadership, his ability to push the ball down the field, make plays with his legs. I just think he’s playing at a high level. So, he’s a guy that gives them a chance anytime they’re in a game.”
Mayfield has been sensational in 2025 and is currently the frontrunner in the MVP conversation.
Entering his third season with the Bucs, Mayfield is working with his third different offensive coordinator, after Liam Coen accepted the Jaguars head coaching position and passing game coordinator Josh Grizzard was promoted. Grizzard retained many of the concepts Coen (and Dave Canales, Panthers HC) installed, but has incorporated additional wrinkles that better suit Mayfield’s style of play. Not only does Mayfield have more control over the offense under Grizzard, but the new OC has also unlocked the vertical passing game, allowing Mayfield to thrive.
Here’s an excerpt from Next Gen stats on Mayfield’s success with the deep ball:
“Baker Mayfield has attempted a downfield pass (10+ air yards) on 37.4% of passing attempts this season, the 2nd-highest rate of any quarterback. On these downfield passes, Mayfield has completed 45.2%, a mark below league average (48.2%). However, he leads the league in downfield attempts (73), resulting in 33 completions for 845 yards (3rd-most), and 9 touchdowns (1st). His 7 deep touchdown passes (20+ air yards) are 4 more than any other quarterback this season.”
Mayfield currently has the sixth-best passer rating in the NFL (108.5), and sixth-best EPA per dropback (0.23 points per passing play), and is the No. 1 quarterback in the NFL in EPA per dropback against zone coverage (0.41). For reference, Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes is No. 2 behind Mayfield, and we saw him take advantage of the Lions’ zone coverage schemes in Week 6.
With the Bucs’ vertical passing game clicking, teams have used zone to try and take away explosive plays, but Mayfield has done a terrific job of manipulating safeties and taking advantage of vacated zones of coverage. His ability to identify pre- and post-snap advantages, combined with quick decision-making and the ability to keep plays alive with his feet,...
