A look at the under-the-radar players in Lions vs. Buccaneers who could have a big impact on the game.
There will be plenty of stars on the field for the divisional round matchup between the Detroit Lions and Tampa Bay Buccaneers . The Lions have five Pro Bowlers and five All Pros. The Bucs only have one Pro Bowler (Mike Evans), but several like Antoine Winfield Jr., Tristan Wirfs, and Chris Godwin who are big-time players.
The Lions have already made it publicly known that one of their main goals this week is to stop Evans.
“Evans is—man, he’s an issue, and our guys know that,” coach Dan Campbell said on Friday. “We can’t let him go off.”
The Bucs will have their hands full with players like Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jahmyr Gibbs, Sam LaPorta, and Aidan Hutchinson.
But who’s a player that’s being overlooked by the general media? Who is a player that may not be on the marquee, but could have a big day on Sunday?
Today’s Question of the Day is:
Which key player is being overlooked in Lions vs. Buccaneers?
My answer: I’ll give one for both teams. For the Lions, I think it’s Ifeatu Melifonwu. A lot has been made about how the Lions will look differently from their Week 6 matchup against the Buccaneers. They’ll have both Brian Branch and C.J. Gardner-Johnson available, after both were injured and inactive for the first time around. Yet, barely anybody brings up the fact that Melifonwu will be out there, too, and he’s had a big hand in Detroit’s increasingly disruptive play on defense. He’s added a new dimension to their pressure packages, and he also has seven pass breakups and two interceptions in the past five games.
For the Buccaneers, I worry a bit about Trey Palmer. If the Lions plan on giving Evans extra attention—and it sure sounds like they do—it could give Palmer more one-on-one opportunities, and he’s the kind of player that could expose that. With 4.33 speed, Palmer is a big-play, downfield threat—which is exactly what has given the Lions issues in the past. He should have had a big play against Detroit the last time around, but Baker Mayfield overthrew him. Additionally, Palmer had a 56-yard touchdown just last week against the Eagles.
Who are the overlooked players you see in this game? Scroll down to the comment and let us know!