For the second straight week to start the season, the Lions have themselves a rematch from last season’s playoffs. After knocking off the Los Angeles Rams once again, the Lions are preparing for a rematch of the Divisional Playoffs against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The two teams have a long history with each other. Let’s touch on that history a bit here.
Sunday’s meeting will be the 63rd all-time meeting with the Lions and Buccaneers, including two postseason matchups. The Lions lead the all-time series 33-29. This will also be the second year in a row the teams meet in the regular season. Detroit won in the regular season, 20-6, then in the playoffs, 31-23.
The two franchises were once long-time division foes. From 1977-2001, the two teams resided in the old NFC Central. The Lions joined the division in 1970 while the Buccaneers joined in 1977 after spending their inaugural season of 1976 in the AFC West. The NFL wanted the two expansion franchises of 1976, the Buccaneers and Seattle Seahawks, to play each other in the first two years as well as every other team in the NFL. Thus, the franchises swapped conferences in 1977 — the Seahawks played in the NFC West in 1976.
The two teams would remain in the NFC Central together until the NFL realigned the divisions in 2002 with the addition of the Houston Texans. The NFC Central effectively became the NFC North and the Lions were kept with the Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings, as they had all been in the same division since 1961. The Buccaneers joined the New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers in the new NFC South.
As division rivals, the Lions were 27-24 against the Buccaneers with one postseason loss (1996 NFC Wild Card). Since realignment, Detroit has a 6-5 edge, including last year’s win in the Divisional postseason. Detroit has won two straight and three of the last five meetings. The Lions go for three straight in this series this Sunday afternoon.
