Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-1) @ Detroit Lions (4-2)
Monday, October 20, 7:00 PM ET
What more could NFL fans ask for than for a Monday night matchup between two 1st-place teams in the NFC, and two teams that could be jockeying for a spot in the Super Bowl in just a couple of months?
Baker Mayfield has played like an MVP for the Bucs this season, and his supporting cast around him is one of the most exciting in the NFL. The Bucs have so many different weapons on offense, so many ways to beat you, and Mayfield is the straw that stirs the whole drink.
They're going to give the Detroit Lions all they can handle, but the Lions are going to be playing ticked off in this game after losing on Sunday night against the Kansas City Chiefs. The drama here is going to be awesome.
This is a matchup where the Lions are currently favored by 5.5 points at home, and that's an understandable gap. The Bucs have, on a couple of occasions, flirted with disaster this season, but they're not called the "Cardiac Bucs" (by me) for nothing. This team has been clutch when it matters most.
The Lions need to hope that this game doesn't come down to Baker Mayfield having the ball late in the 4th quarter, whether the Bucs are leading or down by one score. He's been as clutch as anyone in the NFL this season, absolutely cooking with grease when the pressure is on.
Part of me badly wants to pick the Bucs as a straight-up upset this week, but the Lions are coming off of a loss, playing at home, and they're going to refocus. If Detroit had pulled it out against the Chiefs, the Bucs might have caught them on an off week.
Prediction: Lions win 31-27