Detroit Lions’ stock report: Risers galore in shipwreck of Buccaneers

The Detroit Lions returned home and, with a raucous Ford Field crowd behind them, completely took the wind out of the sails of their NFC rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They now head into their bye week riding high and due for some much-needed rest and recovery.

In what was expected to be a high-scoring affair—with an eye-popping betting total of 54.5—the story of the night turned out to be Detroit’s defense. Despite being without their top four starting defensive backs, Kelvin Sheppard’s unit threw together arguably its best game plan of the season. The preparation, execution, and relentless disruption made for a miserable Monday night for Baker Mayfield.

Sheppard’s defense allowed just nine points—the Buccaneers’ lowest total since Week 3 of last season and only the second time since the start of 2024 they’ve been held under 20. Even more impressive, Tampa Bay’s 31.8% offensive success rate was their lowest since the Tom Brady era (Week 2, 2022). The 3.8 yards per play was their lowest mark since Week 10 of last year, and the 51.9% pressure rate was the highest allowed since Week 11 of 2023.

It was one of the finest defensive performances of the NFL season, and fittingly, this week’s stock report is filled with risers on that side of the ball—along with a few offensive sparks who helped fuel a victory by more than two touchdowns.

Stock up: Nick Whiteside II, CB

While the Lions brought in more proven NFL veterans at cornerback—Tre Flowers (three snaps) and Kendall Fuller (practice squad, not elevated)—it was recent St. Louis Battlehawks standout Nick Whiteside II who stepped in and logged the most outside cornerback snaps (40) opposite Amik Robertson. Whiteside rotated early with Rock Ya-Sin, who later exited with an injury, before taking over in the second half and delivering a statement performance. He registered three pass breakups in the fourth quarter alone—two in the end zone—plus a fourth that denied Tampa Bay’s two-point conversion attempt.

Matched up for much of the night with Offensive Rookie of the Year candidate Emeka Egbuka, Whiteside’s sticky coverage held the young receiver to zero catches on four targets, despite Egbuka leading all Buccaneers receivers with 53 snaps. As Detroit gets healthier at cornerback over the coming weeks, they may have uncovered a genuine depth gem in the player Dan Campbell has dubbed “Ironside.” Given how he’s performed, the Lions might need to think twice before trying to sneak him back to the practice squad.

Stock up: Jahmyr Gibbs, RB

Gibbs was the explosive stick of dynamite the Lions needed to counter Todd Bowles’ well-coached, blitz-happy Buccaneers defense. In one of the best performances of his young career, he accounted for a career-high 218 total yards—a whopping 57.5% of Detroit’s offensive output.

He delivered the longest run of his career, a 78-yard touchdown where he hit 22.23 mph, but his impact went beyond the ground game. After entering the night with just 112 receiving yards through six games, Gibbs reignited his role in the passing attack, hauling in three catches for 82 yards—all gains of 20+. His five explosive plays were the difference in jump-starting an offense that otherwise scored just three touchdowns on nine drives into Tampa Bay territory. Gibbs was overdue to bust one open, and his burst was the Lions’ offensive lifeline in this one.

Stock down: Jared Goff, QB

Goff has been mostly sharp and efficient this season, but he hit some turbulence against Tampa Bay’s defense. The pocket often caved under Bowles’ pressure—with several unpicked-up blitzes contributing to four sacks (tied for his season high)—and Goff never found his full rhythm. Outside of high-percentage throws to Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jahmyr Gibbs, he went just 11-of-25 for 73 yards (4.87 yards per attempt).

Detroit converted only 4-of-15 third- and fourth-down attempts (26.7%), a steep drop from their 43.4% season average entering the game (10th in NFL). Goff’s timing appeared disrupted by the consistent heat, with five of his nine incompletions coming on those crucial downs. He’ll look to regroup over the bye week before facing Brian Flores’ blitz-heavy Vikings defense—a matchup he’s historically handled well.

Stock up: Thomas Harper, SAF

Major credit goes to Harper, who reprised a new role as Kerby Joseph’s replacement at deep safety—and thrived in it. Harper was one of just four Lions defenders to play all 69 defensive snaps after logging only 10 total snaps the previous week. Impressively, 51 of those came at free safety, despite spending most of his 1,600-plus collegiate snaps at Oklahoma State and Notre Dame working closer to the line of scrimmage as a slot defender.

Harper looked natural patrolling the middle of the field and taking away explosive plays from the Buccaneers’ passing game. He was targeted twice, both incompletions, and delivered a key pass breakup on a Mayfield rollout throw intended for Egbuka along the sideline. Harper was instrumental in holding Mayfield to 0-for-5 on deep passes (20+ air yards)—a drastic shift from his 10-for-25, 418-yard, seven-touchdown line on such throws entering the game. His steady debut in a full-time role showcased valuable versatility and added much-needed stability to an undermanned Lions secondary.

Stock up: Arthur Maulet, NB

Another member of the self-dubbed “Legion of Whom,” Maulet embodied the grit and resilience that defined one of the most impressive wins of the Dan Campbell era. Facing an NFC-leading 5-1 Buccaneers squad that entered red-hot offensively, Detroit’s patchwork defense never flinched—and Maulet delivered one of its signature moments. His jaws of life interception, ripped straight from tight end Cade Otton late in the second quarter, came just one drive after Amik Robertson’s forced fumble and firmly signaled that the Lions defense was dictating the tone of the night.

Stationed primarily in the slot in the middle of the field, Maulet was around the action constantly. Though he allowed several short receptions to Sterling Shepard, they were contained to minimal damage—seven total catches for just 41 yards in total—while posting a stingy 48.4 passer rating allowed. A number of his tackles were right at or short of the sticks in the passing game. Maulet had been playing strong ball for Baltimore back in 2023, and now looks to have found another defense where his physicality and instincts can shine when called upon.

Stock down: Jameson Williams, WR & David Montgomery, RB

Before you deliver a flaming bag of dog feces to my door, this isn’t a major criticism of either player. Both have the talent to make consistent impacts in the second half of the season, into the playoffs, and beyond. This is as much about a need for them to make impact plays as it is about them getting more opportunities.

Williams had some encouraging flashes against the Chiefs as a receiver, and his blocking and field-stretching ability continue to open opportunities for others. But through seven games, his production is notably down—averaging roughly 1.5 fewer catches and 25 fewer yards per game compared to last year. He was held without a catch against Tampa Bay for the first time since that ugly Week 14 loss to the Bears in 2023, just his third catchless game since then. Williams already has five games with fewer than 50 receiving yards—more than he had all of last season—and five games with two or fewer catches (he had only three such games in 2023). When the offense sputters in opponent territory and fails on 11 third or fourth down attempts, you’d like to see Williams be one of the players capable of changing that.

As for Montgomery, he’s played just 47 snaps over the past two weeks (38.5%) and logged only 21 total touches in that span. His 1.6 yards per carry on 13 attempts against the Buccaneers told the story of a ground game that never quite found traction. The signature “Monty drive”—where the Lions impose their will, bleed the clock, and break opponents’ spirits—never materialized. The offense also failed to move the chains in late-game rushing situations when protecting the lead, something that’s been a hallmark of this group in the past. Montgomery also missed a blitz pick-up this game of SirVocea Dennis that resulted in a third down sack which was uncharacteristic.

The bye week should serve as a reset not only for both players, but also for offensive coordinator John Morton. It’s an opportunity for him to get back in the lab and design ways to better accentuate their strengths—just as he’s done with Amon-Ra St. Brown, Gibbs in the passing game this week, and at times with Sam LaPorta.

Stock up: Jack Campbell, LB

After a rough outing against the Chiefs where a lot was placed on his plate, Campbell got right back on track in what’s shaping up to be a career year. He was all over the field against Tampa Bay, finishing with eight tackles, two tackles for loss, and a sack on a failed carpet monster Mayfield scramble—made possible by Alim McNeill’s bulldozing bull rush. In coverage, he allowed just six receiving yards on four targets.

Campbell was a constant eraser of Rachaad White, seemingly meeting him for scheduled appointments at the line of scrimmage on first downs. His early-down dominance helped throttle Tampa Bay’s run game and repeatedly put them behind the sticks in second-and-long situations. One of his best plays came on third down, when he diagnosed and detonated a tunnel screen to White out of an empty set to force a punt. He later chased down Sean Tucker on a dump-off for minimal gain—another example of how the Buccaneers’ backs couldn’t find breathing room with No. 46 lurking nearby.

Stock up: Derrick Barnes, LB

Something about facing the Buccaneers seems to rev Derrick Barnes’ engine. He tied his season high with 61 defensive snaps and set a new career mark with 23 pass-rush reps—many of them as a delayed spy blitzer.

Tampa Bay entered with one of the league’s most prolific scrambling quarterbacks, but the Mayfield magic on second-reaction plays never materialized, largely thanks to Barnes. Mayfield finished with zero rushing attempts after coming in with the second-highest first-down scramble rate in the NFL. Barnes consistently rallied to the pocket, creating controlled chaos that kept Mayfield off balance throughout. He recorded a third-down sack to stall a drive, batted down a pass at the line of scrimmage, and generated pressure that led to Tyrus Wheat’s forced fumble. He also appeared to force what could’ve been another fumble on White early in the third quarter—a play wiped out by an unfortunate quick whistle for forward progress.

Quick hits:

STOCK UP

Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR: After a quiet showing against the Chiefs, St. Brown came out firing with a 27-yard catch-and-run touchdown on the opening drive to breathe life into the offense. He stacked several chunk plays in the first half, finishing with six catches for 86 yards on 10 targets. The only disappointment — none of that damage came after halftime.

Taylor Decker, LT: Not a flawless outing, as he allowed a strip sack and committed a false start, but it was valuable to get the offensive line’s core unit back together. Decker shook off the rust before the bye week and should benefit from the extra rest to gear up for the stretch run. The offensive line as a whole will hope to continue to gel and improve coming out of the bye week.

Graham Glasgow, C: Vita Vea is one of the strongest players in football, and all things considered, Glasgow held his own in keeping the massive nose tackle from being a bigger factor.

Penei Sewell, RT: Sewell continues to do rare, special things at right tackle. The run game wasn’t as dominant as usual, but he still operated as a human U-Haul truck, clearing out defenders at every opportunity.

Alim McNeill, DT: The return of “Twinkle Toes”—and those unmistakable pink shoes—made a noticeable difference. McNeill generated five first-half pressures and helped keep Mayfield under duress. He looked a bit winded by the fourth quarter after logging a surprising 45 snaps but was an early disruptor all the same.

D.J. Reader, DT: McNeill’s return allowed Reader to stay fresh, and the result showed. Reader closed strong with four total pressures on just 13 pass-rush snaps, creating havoc late in the game.

Aidan Hutchinson, DE: No strip-sack this time, but Hutchinson’s 12 total pressures marked the second-highest output of his career. That production is even more impressive considering he was chipped on over half (56%) of his first-half snaps as he was the focus of the Buccaneers offense.

Tyrus Wheat, DE: Eight snaps, 1.5 sacks. That’s what efficiency looks like.

Alex Anzalone, LB: A steady force once again, Anzalone played a huge part in shutting down Tampa Bay’s run game—including neutralizing Mayfield’s scrambling threat. Alongside Campbell and Barnes, he’s anchoring what might quietly be the best linebacker trio in football which helped to elevate the inexperience in the secondary.

Amik Robertson, CB: Dawg. A player who seemingly helped to bring the peanut punch to the Lions defense last season did it again for the Lions much needed first turnover of the game. He played a heck of a game as the CB1. He set the tone for the defensive backfield to coalesce and have confidence. Brad Holmes hasn’t issued a mid-season contract extension yet this year, maybe that happens for Robertson tacking on 2026, during the bye week.

Erick Hallett, SAF: Hallett gave a rock-solid performance opposite of Harper, making his first career NFL start in Year 3, and primarily playing in the box with a few timely downhill hits in the short passing game.

Loren Strickland, SAF: Strickland was able to hop in for 13 snaps and contributed with a tackle of receiver Ryan Miller on the fourth-and-21 that resulted in a failed attempt and the last offensive play for the Buccaneers before a late Teddy Bridgewater kneel down.

Jack Fox, P: Five punts for a season-high 51.2-yard average. Fox was a genuine field-flipping weapon whenever the Lions offense stalled deep in their own end.

STOCK DOWN

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