Buccaneers vs. Detroit Lions

1997 · A Proper Farewell to the Old Ship

Tampa Bay’s 20–10 victory was the last Buccaneers game at Tampa/Houlihan’s Stadium. Mike Alstott’s 31-yard touchdown run helped turn the old stadium’s final chapter into a playoff celebration. The Bucs had their first postseason victory since the 1979 season.

2023 Season · A Fight at Ford Field

On January 21, 2024, Tampa Bay and Detroit were tied 17–17 after three quarters. Detroit pulled ahead in the fourth and protected a 31–23 win. The calendar said 2024; the playoff berth belonged to the 2023 NFL season.

Franchise granted

July 12, 1930, as the Portsmouth Spartans.

First NFL season

1930.

Detroit era

Relocated and became the Lions in 1934.

Division

NFC Central, 1970–2001; NFC North since 2002.

Home stadium

Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan.

First Bucs game

November 20, 1977, at the Pontiac Silverdome: Detroit 16, Tampa Bay 7.

Championships

NFL titles in 1935, 1952, 1953 and 1957.

October 2026 Leadership Snapshot

Principal owner

Sheila Ford Hamp

President / CEO

Richard Haddad

General manager

Brad Holmes

Head coach

Dan Campbell

Offense

Drew Petzing, offensive coordinator

Defense

Kelvin Sheppard, defensive coordinator

Special teams

Dave Fipp, coordinator

Petzing joined as offensive coordinator in 2026. Haddad’s appointment was announced in August 2026 with a September start, updating the older Rod Wood-era leadership information.

Lomas Brown · A Championship Finish

Brown spent eleven seasons with the Lions before later stops brought him to Tampa Bay. His final NFL season ended with the Buccaneers’ Super Bowl XXXVII championship, connecting one of Detroit’s celebrated offensive linemen with Tampa Bay’s first Lombardi Trophy.

Ndamukong Suh · A Familiar Force

Detroit drafted Suh second overall in 2010. His later journey included a Super Bowl LV victory with Tampa Bay—a reminder that a formidable former opponent can eventually become a treasured part of the krewe.

Bruce Gradkowski · A Former Bucs Quarterback

Tampa Bay drafted Gradkowski in 2006, and he played for the Bucs in 2006–07. In 2026 he is Detroit’s assistant wide receivers coach, bringing a familiar name to the Lions’ sideline.

Kacy Rodgers · A Defensive-Line Connection

Rodgers coached Tampa Bay’s defensive line from 2019 through 2024 before moving to Detroit. His 2026 Lions title is run game coordinator/defensive line, linking the teams through coaching as well as players.

1930–1934 · The Spartans Become Lions

The Portsmouth franchise joined the NFL in 1930. Financial pressure in the small Ohio market led to a move to Detroit in 1934. The new Lions identity took root alongside a Thanksgiving tradition that began that same year.

1935–1957 · The Championship Foundation

Detroit won its first title in 1935 and added three in the 1950s. Those four championships belong to the pre–Super Bowl NFL; they should not be described as Super Bowl wins. Bobby Layne, Doak Walker and their contemporaries helped define the club’s golden era.

1960s–1980s · A Changing Game and a New Home

The franchise passed through coaching changes, the 1970 merger and the move from Tiger Stadium to the Pontiac Silverdome. Billy Sims brought star power to the early 1980s, while the Lions and Buccaneers became familiar NFC Central opponents.

1989–1998 · Barry Sanders and the Art of Escape

Sanders made an ordinary handoff feel like the opening of a trapdoor. His ten-season Lions career included 15,269 rushing yards and a 2,053-yard season in 1997. The team reached the NFC Championship Game after the 1991 season, and its 1990s playoff appearances made this another major chapter in Detroit football.

2000s · A Difficult Rebuild

The move to Ford Field brought a new stadium but not an immediate on-field turnaround. The 2008 Lions finished 0–16. That season is part of the history, not a permanent description of the franchise or the supporters who remained with it.

2009–2020 · Stafford, Johnson and New Chapters

Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson gave Detroit a formidable passing identity. Jim Schwartz and then Jim Caldwell led playoff teams; Caldwell’s tenure began in 2014, not 2012. Later coaching and front-office changes set the stage for another reset.

2021–2024 · Campbell and Holmes Rebuild the Pride

The Campbell–Holmes partnership began in 2021. Detroit won the NFC North in 2023 and 2024, reached the NFC Championship Game after the 2023 season, and finished the 2024 regular season 15–2. Ford Field’s January 2024 playoff wins decisively retired the old claim that the building had never hosted postseason football.

2025–2026 · The Story Keeps Moving

The Lions finished 9–8 in 2025. The 2026 chapter brings Petzing’s arrival, Haddad’s leadership appointment and the next Buccaneers visit. This guide keeps those developments separate from earlier eras instead of leaving the timeline frozen under a decade-old “present” heading.

1930–1933 · Universal Stadium, Portsmouth

The Spartans’ Ohio home belongs to the franchise’s pre-Detroit chapter. It later became known as Spartan Municipal Stadium.

1934–1940 · University of Detroit Stadium

The Lions used the university stadium in their early Detroit years, including the 1935 NFL Championship Game. Their early schedule also overlapped with use of the baseball stadium that became Tiger Stadium.

1938–1974 · Briggs / Tiger Stadium Era

Detroit’s baseball park became the Lions’ long-term outdoor home, with early shared use and a return to the university stadium in 1940. The Lions left after the 1974 season.

1975–2001 · Pontiac Silverdome

Many of Tampa Bay’s old division visits took place under the Silverdome’s air-supported roof in Pontiac. This is where the clubs first met in 1977 and where the Bucs clinched the NFC Central title in 1981.

2002–Present · Ford Field

The Lions returned to downtown Detroit in 2002. Ford Field is an enclosed stadium with a fixed roof and approximately 65,000 seats. It hosted Super Bowl XL in 2006 and later became the setting for the Lions’ home playoff victories in January 2024.

Its roof is not retractable. The Captain’s ambition to cover Raymond James Stadium has therefore produced a new notebook heading: “Motor City Roof Research—Do Not Attempt to Tow.”

Thanksgiving Football

Detroit’s Thanksgiving tradition began in 1934. It gives the Lions a place in the holiday routine even for households that normally wear another team’s colors. The Captain considers any football game served with a feast to be a sensible maritime custom.

Roary Has the Floor

Roary is part of the club’s fan and community presence. The Lions’ Roary’s Roundtable program includes football education, reading activities and mascot visits—including an appearance with Tampa Bay’s Captain Fear.

One Pride

Detroit’s modern uniform presentation carries “One Pride” inside the home jersey collar. It is a fitting label for a fan base whose story includes championship memories, lean years and the return of playoff football to its own building.

The Parrot’s Visiting-Krewe Advice

Bring your voice, respect the home supporters and keep the rivalry friendly. A blue jersey is not a declaration of naval war. Roary is not accepting a ransom payment, and nobody has authorized the Captain to charge a treasure-bag inspection fee.