The Buccaneers must remain focused this week as they can’t afford to overlook the 0-10 Lions who beat them 23-13 last season.  That shouldn’t be a problem for the Bucs as they had two weeks to prepare for the Lions due to the bye they had last week.  The Bucs might tilt a tad more towards the passing game this week now that Ernest Graham is out for the season.  Warrick Dunn will still get his carries and he should have a good game against a woeful Lions’ Defense that is allowing a stunning 171.5 yards rushing per game and 5.1 yards per carry.  Opposing teams of the Lions are roll up 230.2 yards passing per game and have a rating of 109.5 so Jeff Garcia will likely be shredding up the secondary with deep shots to Antonio Bryant and Joey Galloway.

The Lions have at least be competitive lately which gives them hope against the Bucs tomorrow but they are still a lousy football team overall.  The Lions would love to keep the ball on the ground with rookie Kevin Smith more than usual in a attempt to control the football and keep the defense off the field.  That will be easier said than done against a Bucs’ Defense that is allowing 99.3 yards rushing per game and 3.8 yards per carry.  The Lions also must protect Daunte Culpepper better on pass plays as Lions’ QBs have been sacked 37 times already this season.  If Culpepper has time to throw the ball then Calvin Johnson could have a big game.  But, if Culpepper is rushed the Bucs will likely pick off more than one of his passes.

PREDICTION:  TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS 23, DETROIT LIONS 10

The Buccaneers will be without starting safety Jermaine Phillips for the next 4-6 weeks due to a broken arm.  Phillips has played in 8 games for the Bucs this season and he has made 33 tackles, has 1 interception and he has defensed 3 passes.  The Bucs will have the bye week to coach up 2nd year safety Sabby Piscitelli who will be moving into the starting lineup.  Piscitelli has played in 8 games this season and he has made 26 tackles, has 1 interception and he has defensed 2 passes.  There shouldn’t be too much of a dropoff with Piscitelli in place of Phillips as he is a playmaker.

The Buccaneers were down 24-13 heading into the 4th quarter before rallying late in the game and forcing it into OT where Matt Bryant won the game with a 34-yard field goal.  Jeff Garcia showed the heart of a champion in this game as he completed 31 of 43 passes for 339 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 interception.  Ernest Graham carried the ball 19 times for 62 yards (3.3 ypc) and he also caught 5 passes for 29 yards (5.8 avg).  But, Graham’s biggest play was when he threw a 3-yard TD pass to TE Alex Smith.  WR Antonio Bryant also had a huge game catching 8 passes for 115 yards (14.4 avg) with a TD grab.  The Bucs rolled up 423 total yards of offense, but, the special teams were also huge for them in this game as Clifton Smith returned a kickoff 97 yards for a TD in the 2nd quarter.  The Bucs did not play well on defense in this game as the usually pitiful Chiefs’ offense rolled up 384 yards on them.  The Chiefs rushed for a stunning 183 yards on 36 carries (5.1 ypc) in this game and WR Mark Bradley threw a 37-yard TD pass to QB Tyler Thigpen.  Still, a win is a win and this improved the Bucs to 6-3 on the season.

This game looks like a complete mis-match on paper as the Bucs are sitting at 5-3 while the Chiefs are 1-6 on the season.  The Bucs won’t likely overlook the Chiefs who played a solid game last week against the Jets before falling 28-24 late in the 4th quarter.  The Buccaneers should be able to do whatever they want to against a Chiefs’ D that is allowing 196.9 yards rushing and 207.9 yards passing per game.  The Bucs will probably come out throwing the ball in this game as the Chiefs only have 4 sacks this season.  That means that Jeff Garcia will have a lot of time to dissect the Chiefs’ D and with Joey Galloway back and Antonio Bryant excelling the Chiefs are in big trouble tomorrow.  The Bucs will likely give Ernest Graham a lot of work in this game with Warrick Dunn kinda gimpy and he should have a good game.

The Buccaneers have one of the best defenses in the NFL so Tyler Thigpen is unlikely to have near as much success as he had throwing the ball last week against the Jets.  The Chiefs would like to run the football but they won’t likely have much success without Larry Johnson against a Bucs’ D allowing only 88.9 yards rushing per game and 3.6 yards per carry.  The Chiefs have allowed 22 sacks this season so the Bucs will be bringing the heat against Tyler Thigpen who must limit his mistakes.  The Bucs already have 12 pickoffs this season and they will likely be paying a lot of attention to Dwyane Bowe and Tony Gonzalez.

PREDICTION:  TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS 31, KANSAS CITY CHIEFS 3