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Divisional round: Five things to watch as Lions host Bucs; plus prediction

For the Detroit Lions, the next game is the biggest game even if a Super Bowl berth is only two wins away. The Lions face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Divisional Round at 3 p.m. on Sunday at Ford Field. The winner moves on to play the winner between the 49ers and Packers in the NFC Championship game on Jan. 28.

For Lions coach Dan Campbell focus is the key. The Lions, who are 6-point favorites, cannot overlook the Bucs who they beat 20-6 in Week 6.

The coach seems to have gotten that message across this week.

“They know we only have three left here and then you get a bye— after two— and then you get the third one (the Super Bowl). So there’s only three left here, but it all starts with one,’’ Campbell said on Friday. “That’s really the process all year no matter where you’re at — if you lost one, won five in a row, now you’re in the playoffs. Man it’s all about the one in front of you. You have to stay focused on that. Everything we’ve got – full focus on this game.’’

He needs them to do their job one more time for their 14th win this season.

“For any of the butterflies of the first playoff game ever for a lot of guys, got the monkey off your back. Well now you’re in your second playoff game, you ‘ve got experience in that, you understand the environment, you understand what our house is going to be like, which is electric which should give you a surge of energy,’’ Campbell said. “I think this is good, but it’s all focus on one.’’

Five things to watch:

1. A huge difference last week was preventing the Rams from scoring on three trips to the red zone. And, the Lions offense scored on all three trips inside the 20. Numbers like that will go a long way in winning most games during the postseason and really any time. While the Lions excel in the red zone, the Bucs are third best in the NFL in red zone defense. Something’s got to give. “They pressure, pressure but once you get in third down they calm things down and they do what they do and they’re really good at it especially when you get in there really tight,’’ Campbell said. “They’ll play a couple coverages and they don’t care if you know what it is, they’re better at it than you are and they’ve done a great job of it.’’

2. Quarterback Baker Mayfield and his two wide receivers, Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, can be a handful. It’s tough to judge his performance in the wildcard win over the Eagles, because Philadelphia’s defense was awful. He was 22 of 36 for 337 yards and three touchdowns. “We’ve got a find to squeeze this in on Baker,’’ Campbell said. “If you let him sit back there and play with rhythm and a hitch, it’s dangerous because he will get it up to his guys and he’s going to give them a chance to make a play. (Mike) Evans is an issue, we can’t let him go off.’’ In their first meeting the LIons held the Bucs to just two field goals.

3. In the first meeting on Oct. 15, Jahmyr Gibbs was out with an injury and David Montgomery left the game early with a rib injury. The Lions managed just 40 rushing yards. It won’t be easy to run the ball since the Bucs have the NFL’s fifth best rushing defense allowing 95.3 yards per game. “They load the box up. They really condense you in there and so it’s hard. It’s tough sledding and we did not rise to the challenge well enough as a whole unit. So, whoever we had up last time, we fell short of our standard and the good news about where we are as an offense is we can shift and we can flow, and that doesn’t shut us down entirely,’’ Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson said. “If we can’t run the ball, then we have other ways to attack the defense as well. So, fortunately that was the case the first time we played them. We are still built on the run though. I think our guys upfront, they relish the opportunity to do that, and we’ve got really good backs that we need to get the ball, so hopefully we can have a little more success than the first go around.”

4. Jared Goff has been playing his best football to end the season and was a huge reason the Lions won their first playoff game in 32 years. The fans made it known they loved him with their Jar-ed Goff chants and he returned the love completing 22 of 27 (81 percent) for 277 yards, one touchdown and zero interceptions. “He’s at his best when his back is against the wall. Now, it hasn’t been against the wall but he’s doing well. That’s something that has always impressed me,’’ Campbell said. “When things don’t look good or we’re not moving the ball or you have a couple turnovers and you feel like the world is coming in on you. He’s at this best coming out of that.’’

5. The Lions have outscored opponents 111-78 in the first quarters, including jumping out to a 14-3 lead in the first quarter against the Rams last Sunday. Detroit scored on its first two drives. The defense would like the fans to do their part like they did against the Rams. “It is a joy to be able to play at home in front of these guys. And they did a hell of a job assisting us. I don’t know if you noticed, but the two timeouts, I think that had to do something with the crowd noise and him not being able to hear,’’ defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn said. “And the quarterback (Matthew Stafford), he knows how Ford Field is, so I’m sure he was expecting that, but man, it was outstanding. It was outstanding. And look forward to it this week.”

INJURY UPDATE: WR Kalif Raymond (knee) is out; TE Sam LaPorta (knee) and LB James Houston (ankle) are questionable.

PREDICTION: Lions 31, Bucs 17. The Lions are the better team since they first met.

NFL divisional round: Lions, Bucs much different than in their first meeting

Notes: LaPorta continues to improve; no apologies for physicality

ALLEN PARK — While this will be the second meeting this season between the Detroit Lions and the Tampa Bay Bucs. The Lions are six-point favorites, but there is no such thing as a cakewalk in the NFL playoffs.

In Week 6, the Lions defeated the Bucs, 20-6, at Tampa Bay.

“This is a better team than where we faced them, but we’re better too,’’ Lions coach Dan Campbell said on Wednesday.

Since then both teams have evolved.

“It’s so long ago and they’re such a different team and so are we. … It’s different teams, it’s different time of the year, it’s a different location,’’ Lions quarterback Jared Goff said. “There’s a lot of differences there, but I know they’re a good team and a good defense.’’’

The Bucs finished the season hot, winning five of their last regular season games and then beat the Eagles, 32-9, to earn the chance to play in this divisional round.

In that first game — the start of a four-game losing streak Tampa Bay — the Lions defense held the Bucs to two field goals and their run game to just 46 yards. Goff was 30 of 44 for 353 yards with two touchdowns. The Lions were without Jahmyr Gibbs and had trouble running the ball.

“They’re good, really good. They were really good when we played them the first time and made it hard on us,’’ Goff said. “We’ll have our hands full, they’ve been playing well.’’

The Lions won their first playoff game in 32 years when they beat the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday at Ford Field. Because the Packers upset the Cowboys, Detroit earned another home game.

‘It’s not dirty, it’s how we hit’

The Lions defense is physical and tough. They say it’s not dirty football, it’s how the Lions play.

Rams tight end Tyler Higbee tore his ACL as a result of a tackle from Lions safety Kerby Joseph in Detroit’s wildcard win on Sunday.

Kerby has been under some criticism around the NFL for the physical way he plays. Week ago he was also involved in a tackle that resulted in a torn ACL for Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson.

On ‘X’ Joseph defended himself saying the NFL doesn’t allow hitting up high so he had no choice.

Dan Campbell offered no apologies on Wednesday.

“That’s how we play football here, just keep your head up, see what you hit. That’ll always be what I tell Kerby, just keep your eyes up so you don’t hit on the crown of your helmet and you hit spine, you mess yourself up,’’ Campbell said. “He’s going for the thigh board and staying away from the head. That’s how we play defense here. It’s not dirty, it’s how we hit.’’

LaPorta coming along

Sam LaPorta, who hyperextended his knee in Week 18, healed enough to play against the Rams..

“I was impressed, he helped us. He was not 100 percent, but he helped us win that game,’’ Campbell said. “He did exactly what we needed him to do for that game and he’s coming along. He’s gotten better, he feels better than he did at this time last week. That’s encouragaing.’’

The rookie tight end had three catches on three targets — one for a touchdown.

Campbell said of course they wouldn’t have played him if there was a chance of further damage to his knee.

“For a young player who doesn’t know what this is and is not 100 percent, knew he could get this done and he could help us,’’ Campbell said. “That goes a long way, that’s not an easy thing for a young player.’’

UP NEXT: Buccaneers at Lions in divisional round, 3 p.m. on Sunday at Ford Field.

Lions Dan Campbell’s focus on next opportunity, not on big win over Rams

ALLEN PARK — While the 24-23 playoff win over the Rams was momentous for the Detroit LIons, another opportunity awaits.

It’s one reason coach Dan Campbell didn’t get much sleep on Sunday night.

“Honestly I had a fire going, the TV on, I’m thinking about the game, just going back through the game in my head,’’ Campbell said on Monday. “I didn’t watch the game until this morning, go back through it, relive it a little bit.as much as I can. I try not to watch the game right after I don’t want to grade it emotionally.’’

The Lions will host the winner of Monday night’s Bucs-Eagles in the NFL Divisional playoff round at 3 p.m. on Sunday at Ford Field.

So the work is not done.

“It’s like I said last night, believe me it feels good to win, it feels good to do that, I’m so much into right now the next one, the next thing here, it’s right in front of us, it’s all about the next one and how do we stay right where we’re at, make some corrections and get ready for this next home game,’’ Campbell said. “ I just know the opportunity we’ve got here.’’

Any big-time celebrations will just have to wait.

“I can’t quite go there. Believe me, I’m excited (as he stretched out his arms for emphasis), don’t think for a minute I’m not, but I just know we’ve got an opportunity here. I want to make sure I’m on it.’

Again he mentioned the crowd and the electric atmosphere at Ford Field which has been rocking all season.

“It was probably the best I’ve ever been a part of. So much of it was the fact that the thing started an hour before the game. It was four hours of nonstop barrage of the fans going off, the chants for Goff, what a special, special environment,’’ Campbell said. “For anybody who was there you’ll never forget that for the rest of your life you’ll remember that.’’

Veteran sports writer Peter King, who has covered the NFL for 40 years, was in the pressbox for the game. In his column on Monday he said in terms of quality of the game, atmosphere and electricity it was one of the top five games he’s ever covered.

With another game at Ford Field, it will be the first time in franchise history the Lions have hosted two playoff games in one season. The Lions beat the Bucs, 20-6, in Week 6. They did not face the Eagles this season.

INJURY UPDATE: Linebacker Alex Anzalone injured his shouder during the game, but Campbell said on Monday he should be alright. He left the facility after getting treatment better than when he walked in which was a good sign. Plus, he’s tough.