Mayfield and Buccaneers can’t take advantage of banged-up Lions in 24-9 loss

DETROIT (AP) — Monday night was supposed to be Baker Mayfield’s next chance to shine.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback was facing a Detroit Lions secondary missing all four starters and several backups. Mayfield was getting Mike Evans back from injury and seemed to have the perfect situation.

It didn’t work.

Mayfield went 28 of 50 for 228 yards, one touchdown and one interception in a 24-9 loss to the Lions.

“As a skill group, we just didn’t connect on enough plays,” Mayfield said. “We were behind the sticks a lot, and that allows their defensive line and linebackers to pin their ears back and come after me.

“That doesn’t put the offensive line in a fair position.”

Tampa Bay wasn’t able to establish the running game, finishing with 12 carries for 41 yards, and Mayfield was sacked four times and hit several more.

“Detroit did a good job of keeping Baker in the pocket and got pressure up the middle,” Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles said. “That’s an important part of the game. We have to block it better and protect him better.”

Even Lions coach Dan Campbell was stunned by his defense’s achievements.

“I knew we were going to challenge them and do more than we did last week,” he said. “But that’s a good quarterback over there and they’ve been playing good football. I had confidence, but nine points?”

The Buccaneers had just 58 yards of offense in the first half and needed the defense to force a Jared Goff interception to avoid being shut out. Chase McLaughlin kicked a 53-yard field goal as time expired to get them within 14-3.

Things got worse when Evans left the game in the second quarter with a concussion and a broken clavicle. Mayfield targeted Evans four times without a completion. Bowles said he hopes his star receiver could be back before the end of the season.

“Obviously, losing Mike isn’t great for the team, but I really hate it for him,” Mayfield said. “Other guys are going to step up, but I know Mike is going to be around the team supporting those guys.”

Early in the third quarter, Emeka Egbuka got behind the Lions defense, but Mayfield badly underthrew him, turning a possible touchdown into an incomplete pass.

Mayfield recovered, though, hitting Tez Johnson for a 22-yard score.

Bowles went for an early two-point conversion, but Mayfield’s pass was underthrown.

The Buccaneers didn’t scored again, thanks in part to an odd replay review. On 4th-and-4 from the Tampa Bay 37, Mayfield hit Cade Otton over the middle. He dove for the first-down line and fumbled, with offensive guard Ben Bredeson recovering the ball downfield.

The officials ruled Otton had fumbled the ball after getting it past the first-down line, so it was Tampa Bay’s ball at the 41. The Lions challenged the call, and the officials originally ruled Otton hadn’t fumbled, because he was down before the ball came out.

Moments later, the officials announced that after a second look, Otton was short of the first-down mark, so it was Detroit’s ball.

“I’m still confused about that double review,” Mayfield said. “There were a lot of things in that game were questionable, and that’s frustrating.”

Tampa Bay turned the ball over on downs on their last three possessions, including an 18-play drive that ended when Mayfield threw an incompletion pass on 4th-and-8 from the Lions 12.

“We had to get something out of that drive,” Mayfield said. “We put so much energy into it and then came up empty.”

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