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ReFo: Buccaneers @ Lions, Week 14

2014-REFO-WK14-TB@DETThe Lions took care of the Bucs 34-17 in Detroit on Sunday, moving to within a half-game of first place in the NFC North, pending the Packers' game Monday night. Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson led the way on offense as they usually do, while the defense put constant pressure on Bucs quarterback Josh McCown. Overall it was a pretty thorough domination by the Lions on both sides of the ball. In fact, the Lions didn't even miss a tackle all game (while Tampa Bay missed 13).

Although the Buccaneers were able to keep it close on the scoreboard into the fourth quarter, the outcome was never really in doubt. Tampa Bay's ground game was non-existent, and McCown didn't had a chance to get anything going through the air thanks to the relentless pressure put on by the Lions' defensive line.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Performances of Note

Dashon Goldson, SS: -3.3

Breakdown: Goldson put up his worst performance of the season in a year filled with poor performances. He managed just one tackle in the game while missing two, and gave up four catches on five targets for 91 yards, including letting Johnson get behind him for a 53-yard gain in the third quarter.

Signature Play: Q4, 7:55 remaining. Here Goldson takes too hard of an inside angle as running back Joique Bell breaks through the line and ends up sprinting for a season-high 57-yard gain, setting up the Lions' final touchdown.

Oniel Cousins, LT: -1.8 pass blocking

Breakdown: Cousins was the primary culprit in McCown spending so much of the afternoon on his back, although there was plenty of blame to go around. He gave up three pressures and two more hits on his QB. In his three starts at left tackle, he has allowed 17 QB disruptions in 183 total snaps.

Signature Play: Q4, 4:25 remaining. Ezekiel Ansah shoots the inside gap too quickly for Cousins, forcing McCown out of the pocket and into the waiting arms of Ndamukong Suh.

Lavonte David, LB: +3.0

Breakdown: David stood out among a sea of poor play from his teammates with another solid game of his own, especially in coverage; on seven targets, he allowed just four receptions for 25 yards. He had to leave the game for a while after taking a knee to the head, but still managed four defensive stops, second-best among Buc defenders.

Signature Play: Q3, 11:23 remaining. With Jeremy Ross running a short hitch route into the end zone, David is able undercut it, deflecting the pass and forcing a field goal by the Lions.

Detroit Lions – Performances of Note

Calvin Johnson, WR: +4.2

Breakdown: Johnson was in vintage form against the Bucs, putting up his highest receiving total since the opening weekend of the season, finishing with eight catches on nine targets for 158 yards and a touchdown. He took advantage of Johnthan Banks in coverage the most, catching four of his eight balls against him, although it didn't really seem to matter who the Bucs sent his way.

Signature Stat: Johnson is ninth out of 45 ranked receivers in Yards Per Pass Route Run at 2.49.

Ezekiel Ansah, DE: +2.8 pass rush

Breakdown: Ansah continues to shine in his sophomore season, leading the way among the Lions' pass rushers with seven total QB disruptions. That may be five fewer than his insane 12 from last week, but it's still a terrific number. He's now totaled 50 quarterback pressures on the year, good enough for the second-best Pass Rush Productivity among 4-3 defensive ends at 13.2.

Signature Play: Q3, 10:27 remaining. Ansah gets right around Cousins with his outside speed rush, forcing McCown into a bad throw.

Jason Jones, DE: -3.8

Breakdown: Among the outstanding defensive line play from the Lions on Sunday, Jones was the one exception. He managed a single hurry in 34 pass-rush snaps, and didn't register a tackle, while his overall grade for the year fell to -10.0. His most notable play may have been his facemask penalty right before halftime, which gave the Bucs a first down after having been stopped on 3rd-and-17, leading to their first touchdown of the game.

Signature Stat: His Run Stop Percentage of 1.5% places him 51st out of 53 ranked 4-3 defensive ends.

PFF Game Ball

Ezekiel Ansah gets our game ball for leading the Lions' relentless pass rush on Sunday against Tampa Bay.

 

Follow Roland on Twitter: @PFF_RolandB

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