Early Look at the Detroit Lions opponents: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

lionThe Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a former division rival and recent wild card competitor for the Lions. Here is how the teams match up in 2017.

The Buccaneers were almost always the NFC Central’s punching bag. They were the team that had clearly been wedged in, and there was no grit to the regional rivalry. That factor can be combined with the fact that the two teams were never good at the same time. It has been a pretty tame rivalry over the years.

No longer division rivals, the two teams have had little or no bad blood recently, and the Detroit Lions lead the all time series 30-27. It is not a massive historical lead, but this is not one of the teams that Lions fans have become pre-conditioned to hate.

This year’s Buccaneers team have high hopes going into the season. They have loaded up on weapons for their young quarterback, and are riding a continual wave of improvement in all aspects of the game over the last few seasons. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers share a division with the Falcons, Saints, and Panthers now. It is not difficult to see a future where their team improves, but their final record does not. The Falcons were the NFC’s representative in the 2016 Superbowl, the Panthers were the 2015 NFC representative in the Superbowl, and the Saints have loaded up for what may be their last season with Drew Brees.

They are also the HBO Hard knocks team this year, so if you are interested in checking up on the Lions former rival in the “black and blue” division. be sure to tune in for that. The show is always interesting, but when it is a team the Lions play, it is even more so.