by Rod Pearson
Friday, Oct 17, 2025
Game Time: 7:00 pm ET, Monday, October 20, 2025
Venue: Ford Field, Detroit, MI
Where to Watch: ESPN, ABC
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Point Spread: Buccaneers +6, Lions -6; Over/Under: 52.5 points
Bet365: Point Spread: Buccaneers +5.5, Lions -5.5; Over/Under: 52.5 points
BetMGM: Point Spread: Buccaneers +5.5, Lions -5.5; Over/Under: 52.5 points
Season Record
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 5-1 (1st place, NFC South)
Detroit Lions: 4-2 (2nd place, NFC North)
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Recent Form
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: won their last game at home against the San Francisco 49ers 30-19.
Detroit Lions: lost their last game on the road against the Kansas City Chiefs 30-17.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Detroit Lions Preview and Analysis
The Buccaneers are entering this game with a 5-1 record overall and they have a 1-0 record in their divisional games too. They are 2-1 in their home games, 3-0 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be on the road for this game. They won their last game against the San Francisco 49ers 30-19. Baker Mayfield was the starting QB and he completed 17/23 passes for 256 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. Rachaad White led the team in rushing yards with 65 and 1 TD. Kameron Johnson led the receivers with 64 receiving yards on 4 receptions and 1 TD. SirVocea Dennis led the defense in that game with 6 solo tackles and 1 assisted tackle while YaYa Diaby led the defense in sacks with 2. Jamel Dean and Kindle Vildor each came away with 1 interception for them in that one.
The Lions are entering this game with a 4-2 record overall and they have a 1-1 record in their divisional games too. They are 2-0 in their home games, 2-2 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be at home for this game. They lost their last game against the Kansas City Chiefs 30-17. Jared Goff was the starting QB and he completed 23/29 passes for 203 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. Jahmyr Gibbs led the team in rushing yards with 65. Jameson Williams led the receivers with 66 receiving yards on 6 receptions and 1 TD. Alex Anzalone led the defense in that game with 7 solo tackles and 5 assisted tackles while Jack Campbell, Aidan Hutchinson, and Al-Quadin Muhammad each led the defense in sacks with 1. No one on the defense came away with an interception for them in that one.
Buccaneers vs Lions Prediction
The current betting odds have the Lions listed as a 6 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Lions have looked really good in their games this season with their 4-2 record overall which has them right near the top of the NFC North. They lost their season opener to the Packers and started to roll after that, winning 4 games in a row, but now they are coming off another loss in their last one. They lost on the road to the Chiefs 30-17 and they didn't look great in that game, but the Chiefs are still one of the best teams in the NFL and they continue to get healthier. Now the Lions are back at home and they are going to be looking to bounce back in a big way, especially with the best record in the NFC coming into town. Meanwhile, the Buccaneers have looked great in their games this season with their 5-1 record overall which has them right at the top of the NFC South. They are off a 30-19 win over the 49ers in their last one and they have been rolling in their games this season. Their offense has been putting up a ton of points and their defense has looked a lot better this season too, but this Buccaneers offense is also dealing with a lot of injuries. Their run game hasn't been nearly as good with Bucky Irving out and Baker Mayfield is running out of guys to throw to with all of the injuries to their WR's. As good as the Bucs have been lately, they are due for another loss with the Lions looking to bounce back and they won't be able to overcome the injuries in this game against a team that is also considered to be one of the best in the NFC. The best way to place a bet here is on the Lions to cover the spread in this game.
Buccaneers Lions Prediction: Our NFL Pick for Monday, October 20, 2025 (7:00 pm ET start time) is Lions 31 Buccaneers 23.
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NFL Betting Trends
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 4-7 ATS off a home win. 47-77 ATS in October games. 8-4 OVER as a road underdog of 7 points or less. 9-4 OVER after scoring 30 points or more last game. 9-4 OVER vs. good passing teams averaging 7 or more passing yards/att.
Detroit Lions: 30-14 ATS in all games. 25-11 ATS as a favorite. 6-0 ATS after a 2 game road trip. 8-4 ATS vs. good offensive teams - scoring 24 or more points/game. 26-17 OVER in all games. 16-6 OVER as a favorite of 3.5 to 9.5 points. 8-4 OVER vs. good offensive teams - scoring 24 or more points/game.
Key Injuries
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: B. Irving (RB) Injured - Foot. Z. McCollum (CB) Injured - Thumb. B. Morrison (CB) Injured - Hamstring. J. Williams (RB) Injured - Concussion. L. David (LB) Injured - Knee. R. Dixon (P) Injured - Personal. E. Egbuka (WR) Injured - Hamstring. M. Evans (WR) Injured - Hamstring. C. Godwin Jr. (WR) Injured - Fibula. L. Haggard (OT) Injured - Shoulder.
Detroit Lions: S. Vaki (RB) Injured - Groin. T. Decker (OT) Injured - Shoulder. Z. Cunningham (LB) Injured - Hamstring. A. McNeill (DL) Injured - Knee. T. Arnold (CB) Injured - Shoulder. K. Joseph (S) Injured - Knee. A. Maddox (CB) Injured - Hamstring. D. Reader (DL) Injured - Back.
Notable Quotes
“I was in disbelief like everybody else. It happens every other week or so that he makes those types of plays an you just pray he doesn't get hurt or anything happens to him but he has a knack. He has a knack that you can't teach or coach. It was an unbelievable play.” - Todd Bowles after his team’s win against the 49ers in their last game.
“We just didn't make the plays we needed to make. We were able to do some good things in phases at times but not enough for a team like that with the pedigrees they have. We were not able to compliment each other and we were not able to make it a game, really. We weren't.” - Dan Campbell after his team’s loss against the Chiefs in their last game.
Starting Lineups
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
WR Shepard, Sterling
WR Miller, Ryan
WR Johnson, Tez
TE Otton, Cade
QB Mayfield, Baker
RB White, Rachaad
Detroit Lions
WR TeSlaa, Isaac
WR Williams, Jameson
WR St. Brown, Amon-Ra
TE LaPorta, Sam
QB Goff, Jared
RB Gibbs, Jahmyr
Statistical Leaders
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Passing: Baker Mayfield (1,539)
Rushing: Bucky Irving (237)
Receiving: Emeka Egbuka (469)
Touchdowns: Emeka Egbuka (5)
Detroit Lions
Passing: Jared Goff (1,390)
Rushing: Jahmyr Gibbs (390)
Receiving: Amon-Ra St. Brown (452)
Touchdowns: Amon-Ra St. Brown (6)
Coaches:
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Todd Bowles (4th season)
Detroit Lions: Dan Campbell (5th season)
Rod Pearson
About the Author:
Rod Pearson has been a rabid sports fan his entire life. He grew up in Ontario, and was skilled in both hockey and baseball, and pitched in an elite baseball league for many years. In 2022, Rod decided to hang up his glove, so that he could write about the sports he loves -- but from a gambling perspective. Join Rod every day as he breaks down the games to find the best betting value.
