The Detroit Lions are one step closer to their first Super Bowl appearance. The Lions faced a resilient Tampa Bay Buccaneers team in the NFL Divisional Round on Sunday and came out with a 31-23 win to advance to the NFC Championship.

This is the first time since the 1991 season that the Lions reached the NFC Championship game and only the second time in franchise history. The Lions won four NFL championships, but they all came before the Super Bowl era.

The Bucs went toe to with the Lions throughout the first three quarters, and it seemed like they could come up with another upset after previously eliminating the Philadelphia Eagles in the wild card. However, the Lions stepped it up in the fourth quarter, scoring two quick touchdowns to make it 17-31

Tampa Bay gave themselves a chance by putting six points on the board with a 75-yard touchdown drive that also included a failed two-point conversion. The Bucs got the ball back with 1:59 left on the clock, but their final drive ended after two plays thanks to an interception by Lions’ linebacker Derrick Barnes.

The Lions will now travel to Levi’s Stadium next Sunday to face the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship game.

The post Lions Beat the Bucs, Make the NFC Championship Game for the First Time Since 1991 appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Green Bay Packers’ Lambeau Field isn’t a place where opposing quarterbacks usually thrive. However, that didn’t stop Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Baker Mayfield from becoming only the second quarterback in history to have a perfect passer rating at the legendary stadium in Sunday’s 34-20 victory over the Packers.

Mayfield delivered arguably his best performance of the season against the Packers. He completed 22 out of 28 pass attempts while throwing for 381 yards, four touchdowns, and no interceptions for a perfect rating of 158.3. The only other QB with a perfect passer rating at Lambeau Field is Packers’ legend Aaron Rodgers, who did it back in 2019.

Mayfield played on Lambeau Field two times on previous occasions, but he notched two losses and overall struggled. It is why he described his performance on Sunday as “third time’s a charm.”

“Our team was really prepared to come in here. Just like we talked about that mentality, the playoff mentality, to come in here with one job in mind and just find a way to win, and we did that,” Mayfield said after the game.

The win allowed the Buccaneers to remain ahead of the New Orleans Saints and on top of the NFC South with a 7-7 record. The Packers, on the other hand, fell to a 6-8 record and face an uphill battle to sneak into the playoffs.

The post Bucs’ Baker Mayfield is Second QB to Have a Perfect Passer Rating at Lambeau Field appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Tampa Bay Buccanneers wide receiver Russell Gage is set to miss the entirety of the 2023 NFL season after suffering a knee injury during his team’s joint practice with the New York Jets on Wednesday, sources familiar with the matter claimed. The player was carted off the practice field in Florham Park, New Jersey following the injury.

“We hear it’s going to be pretty serious, and I’ll wait to hear the final results,” Bucs coach Todd Bowles stated following the practice. “I can tell by the way that he was sitting on the truck that it was probably something that happened pretty bad. Our hearts go out to him, and we’ll see how it goes.”

Catching 51 passes for 426 yards and a career-high five touchdowns in 13 games in his first season with the Bucs in 2022, Gage’s time in Tampa has been marred by injury issues. The 27-year-old player agreed to take a pay cut during the offseason to remain with the Bucs.

The post Buccaneers WR Russell Gage Suffers Season-Ending Injury appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Russell Gage had to leave his team’s 31-14 wild-card playoff loss to the Dallas Cowboys early on Monday night after suffering a concussion and possible neck injury.

Gage was stretchered off the field late during the fourth quarter of the game after being on the receiving end of a hard shot to the neck from safety Donovan Wilson. While he attempted to get up, he collapsed back down onto the ground, with players from both teams taking a knee to pray for his recovery.

“They took him to the hospital,” Buccanneers coach Todd Bowles reported after the game. “Right now, he has a concussion. They’re also testing him for potential neck injuries.” Bowles added that while Gage managed to move his fingers after taking the hit, he is unsure of the player’s abilities to move his other extremities.

Gage’s injury comes just two weeks after Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field during his team’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals. While this incident caused players to panic following Gage’s injury, Buccaneers tight end Cam Brate stated that seeing Gage moving helped to subside their panic.

The post Russell Gage Leaves Cowboys Game Early With Concussion appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Tampa bay Buccaneers came back from a double-digit deficit to defeat the Carolina Panthers 30-24 on Sunday to win the NFC South title for the second consecutive season. This is the 14th consecutive season that veteran Tom Brady will appear in the playoffs.

“We’ve been through a lot this year, so we have a lot of resiliency and strength, so we don’t get down when we get down score-wise,” Bucs coach Todd Bowles said following his team’s remarkable comeback. “They buckled down, they stayed together as a team and they came through.” This marks Bowles’ first playoff berth as Tampa Bay’s head coach.

Quarterback Tom Brady proved to be a standout player during the Bucs’ victory, ending an 11-game streak without a touchdown alongside wide receiver Mike Evans. Brady made three touchdown passes to Evans.

Brady’s 63-yarder that lead to the first touchdown handed Evans 1,000 receiving yards for the ninth consecutive season, putting him level with Tim Brown for second-most in NFL history behind only Jerry Rice.

This victory also marks the first occasion this season on which the Bucs have been able to secure victory after conceding 20 or more points to the opposition.

The post Bucs Win NFC South Following Brady Heroics appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers found out some bad news on Tuesday when it was reported that Jason Pierre-Paul could miss the 2019 season after suffering a fractured neck in a car accident last week.

Pierre-Paul, 30, was involved in a single-car accident in South Florida last week.

This is the second time that the defensive end has suffered a bizarre injury resulting from an accident. In 2015, while celebrating the 4th of July, a firework exploded in Pierre-Paul’s hand, causing him to have his right index finger amputated.

While the length of his absence from football is still unconfirmed, this could mean that the Bucs’ defensive line will miss one of its biggest pieces for the entirety of next season.

Pierre-Paul signed a four-year, $62 million contract with his former team, the New York Giants, in February 2017. He made two Pro Bowls and won one Super Bowl in his time with the Giants.

The Giants traded Pierre-Paul to Tampa Bay before the 2018 season. In his first year as a Buc, the Florida native recorded 12.5 sacks, leading the team, and 58 total tackles.

While it seems unlikely that the defensive end will be able to play next year, Tampa Bay will have its fingers crossed that he’ll be able to return at some point.

The post Jason Pierre-Paul Expected to Miss 2019 Season After Suffering Fractured Neck appeared first on SportzBonanza.

There are less and less NFL teams with coaching vacancies each day. After the Green Bay Packers zeroed in on Matt LaFleur, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Arizona Cardinals, Cleveland Browns, and Denver Broncos all followed and found their new head coaches in the last 48 hours. New York Jets, Cincinnati Bengals, and Miami Dolphins now remain the only teams in the league without an HC.

Buccaneers were the first one to find a new HC, agreeing to a four-year deal with Arians on Tuesday. Arians, who decided to retire as Cardinals’ coach after the 2017 season, spent the last year as an NFL analyst for CBS.  He will succeed Dirk Koetter, who was fired after three seasons in which he compiled 19-29 record.

“Bruce Arians is one of the NFL’s most well-respected coaches over the past two decades, and we are excited to have him leading our team,” – said Buccaneers owner Bryan Glazer in a statement. “Throughout this process, we focused on finding the right coach with a proven ability to elevate our players and lead our team forward. Bruce has played a large role in the development and career success of some of our league’s best players, and we look forward to seeing him continue that work here with our franchise.”

Cardinals, on the other hand, decided to turn to college football for their new head coach hiring Kliff Kingsbury to replace Steve Wilks. Kingsbury was fired as Texas Tech coach in November after he had three straight losing seasons. 

Browns decided to stay in the house after interviewing several candidates and choose their interim offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens as the man who will lead the franchise in the future. Kitchens doesn’t have previous head coaching experience and was relatively unknown before taking over OC job in Week 9 of 2018 NFL season. The 44-year-old, who joined the franchise just a year ago as a running backs coach, is credited with getting most out of Browns’ offense in the eight games he called plays which was a big reason why the front office decided to give him this promotion.

Finally, Chicago Bears’ defensive coordinator Vic Fangio is getting the HC job with Broncos. Fangio doesn’t have the experience of being at the helm of an NFL team but has spent the last 33 years serving at various assistant positions. He is credited for turning the Bears’ defense, which was 30th in the NFL before he joined in 2014, into NFL’s No.1 defense in scoring and takeaways.

The post Buccaneers, Cardinals, Browns, and Broncos All Find New Head Coaches appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Detroit Lions are one step closer to their first Super Bowl appearance. The Lions faced a resilient Tampa Bay Buccaneers team in the NFL Divisional Round on Sunday and came out with a 31-23 win to advance to the NFC Championship.

This is the first time since the 1991 season that the Lions reached the NFC Championship game and only the second time in franchise history. The Lions won four NFL championships, but they all came before the Super Bowl era.

The Bucs went toe to with the Lions throughout the first three quarters, and it seemed like they could come up with another upset after previously eliminating the Philadelphia Eagles in the wild card. However, the Lions stepped it up in the fourth quarter, scoring two quick touchdowns to make it 17-31

Tampa Bay gave themselves a chance by putting six points on the board with a 75-yard touchdown drive that also included a failed two-point conversion. The Bucs got the ball back with 1:59 left on the clock, but their final drive ended after two plays thanks to an interception by Lions’ linebacker Derrick Barnes.

The Lions will now travel to Levi’s Stadium next Sunday to face the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship game.

The post Lions Beat the Bucs, Make the NFC Championship Game for the First Time Since 1991 appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Green Bay Packers’ Lambeau Field isn’t a place where opposing quarterbacks usually thrive. However, that didn’t stop Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Baker Mayfield from becoming only the second quarterback in history to have a perfect passer rating at the legendary stadium in Sunday’s 34-20 victory over the Packers.

Mayfield delivered arguably his best performance of the season against the Packers. He completed 22 out of 28 pass attempts while throwing for 381 yards, four touchdowns, and no interceptions for a perfect rating of 158.3. The only other QB with a perfect passer rating at Lambeau Field is Packers’ legend Aaron Rodgers, who did it back in 2019.

Mayfield played on Lambeau Field two times on previous occasions, but he notched two losses and overall struggled. It is why he described his performance on Sunday as “third time’s a charm.”

“Our team was really prepared to come in here. Just like we talked about that mentality, the playoff mentality, to come in here with one job in mind and just find a way to win, and we did that,” Mayfield said after the game.

The win allowed the Buccaneers to remain ahead of the New Orleans Saints and on top of the NFC South with a 7-7 record. The Packers, on the other hand, fell to a 6-8 record and face an uphill battle to sneak into the playoffs.

The post Bucs’ Baker Mayfield is Second QB to Have a Perfect Passer Rating at Lambeau Field appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Tampa Bay Buccanneers wide receiver Russell Gage is set to miss the entirety of the 2023 NFL season after suffering a knee injury during his team’s joint practice with the New York Jets on Wednesday, sources familiar with the matter claimed. The player was carted off the practice field in Florham Park, New Jersey following the injury.

“We hear it’s going to be pretty serious, and I’ll wait to hear the final results,” Bucs coach Todd Bowles stated following the practice. “I can tell by the way that he was sitting on the truck that it was probably something that happened pretty bad. Our hearts go out to him, and we’ll see how it goes.”

Catching 51 passes for 426 yards and a career-high five touchdowns in 13 games in his first season with the Bucs in 2022, Gage’s time in Tampa has been marred by injury issues. The 27-year-old player agreed to take a pay cut during the offseason to remain with the Bucs.

The post Buccaneers WR Russell Gage Suffers Season-Ending Injury appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Russell Gage had to leave his team’s 31-14 wild-card playoff loss to the Dallas Cowboys early on Monday night after suffering a concussion and possible neck injury.

Gage was stretchered off the field late during the fourth quarter of the game after being on the receiving end of a hard shot to the neck from safety Donovan Wilson. While he attempted to get up, he collapsed back down onto the ground, with players from both teams taking a knee to pray for his recovery.

“They took him to the hospital,” Buccanneers coach Todd Bowles reported after the game. “Right now, he has a concussion. They’re also testing him for potential neck injuries.” Bowles added that while Gage managed to move his fingers after taking the hit, he is unsure of the player’s abilities to move his other extremities.

Gage’s injury comes just two weeks after Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field during his team’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals. While this incident caused players to panic following Gage’s injury, Buccaneers tight end Cam Brate stated that seeing Gage moving helped to subside their panic.

The post Russell Gage Leaves Cowboys Game Early With Concussion appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Tampa bay Buccaneers came back from a double-digit deficit to defeat the Carolina Panthers 30-24 on Sunday to win the NFC South title for the second consecutive season. This is the 14th consecutive season that veteran Tom Brady will appear in the playoffs.

“We’ve been through a lot this year, so we have a lot of resiliency and strength, so we don’t get down when we get down score-wise,” Bucs coach Todd Bowles said following his team’s remarkable comeback. “They buckled down, they stayed together as a team and they came through.” This marks Bowles’ first playoff berth as Tampa Bay’s head coach.

Quarterback Tom Brady proved to be a standout player during the Bucs’ victory, ending an 11-game streak without a touchdown alongside wide receiver Mike Evans. Brady made three touchdown passes to Evans.

Brady’s 63-yarder that lead to the first touchdown handed Evans 1,000 receiving yards for the ninth consecutive season, putting him level with Tim Brown for second-most in NFL history behind only Jerry Rice.

This victory also marks the first occasion this season on which the Bucs have been able to secure victory after conceding 20 or more points to the opposition.

The post Bucs Win NFC South Following Brady Heroics appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers found out some bad news on Tuesday when it was reported that Jason Pierre-Paul could miss the 2019 season after suffering a fractured neck in a car accident last week.

Pierre-Paul, 30, was involved in a single-car accident in South Florida last week.

This is the second time that the defensive end has suffered a bizarre injury resulting from an accident. In 2015, while celebrating the 4th of July, a firework exploded in Pierre-Paul’s hand, causing him to have his right index finger amputated.

While the length of his absence from football is still unconfirmed, this could mean that the Bucs’ defensive line will miss one of its biggest pieces for the entirety of next season.

Pierre-Paul signed a four-year, $62 million contract with his former team, the New York Giants, in February 2017. He made two Pro Bowls and won one Super Bowl in his time with the Giants.

The Giants traded Pierre-Paul to Tampa Bay before the 2018 season. In his first year as a Buc, the Florida native recorded 12.5 sacks, leading the team, and 58 total tackles.

While it seems unlikely that the defensive end will be able to play next year, Tampa Bay will have its fingers crossed that he’ll be able to return at some point.

The post Jason Pierre-Paul Expected to Miss 2019 Season After Suffering Fractured Neck appeared first on SportzBonanza.

There are less and less NFL teams with coaching vacancies each day. After the Green Bay Packers zeroed in on Matt LaFleur, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Arizona Cardinals, Cleveland Browns, and Denver Broncos all followed and found their new head coaches in the last 48 hours. New York Jets, Cincinnati Bengals, and Miami Dolphins now remain the only teams in the league without an HC.

Buccaneers were the first one to find a new HC, agreeing to a four-year deal with Arians on Tuesday. Arians, who decided to retire as Cardinals’ coach after the 2017 season, spent the last year as an NFL analyst for CBS.  He will succeed Dirk Koetter, who was fired after three seasons in which he compiled 19-29 record.

“Bruce Arians is one of the NFL’s most well-respected coaches over the past two decades, and we are excited to have him leading our team,” – said Buccaneers owner Bryan Glazer in a statement. “Throughout this process, we focused on finding the right coach with a proven ability to elevate our players and lead our team forward. Bruce has played a large role in the development and career success of some of our league’s best players, and we look forward to seeing him continue that work here with our franchise.”

Cardinals, on the other hand, decided to turn to college football for their new head coach hiring Kliff Kingsbury to replace Steve Wilks. Kingsbury was fired as Texas Tech coach in November after he had three straight losing seasons. 

Browns decided to stay in the house after interviewing several candidates and choose their interim offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens as the man who will lead the franchise in the future. Kitchens doesn’t have previous head coaching experience and was relatively unknown before taking over OC job in Week 9 of 2018 NFL season. The 44-year-old, who joined the franchise just a year ago as a running backs coach, is credited with getting most out of Browns’ offense in the eight games he called plays which was a big reason why the front office decided to give him this promotion.

Finally, Chicago Bears’ defensive coordinator Vic Fangio is getting the HC job with Broncos. Fangio doesn’t have the experience of being at the helm of an NFL team but has spent the last 33 years serving at various assistant positions. He is credited for turning the Bears’ defense, which was 30th in the NFL before he joined in 2014, into NFL’s No.1 defense in scoring and takeaways.

The post Buccaneers, Cardinals, Browns, and Broncos All Find New Head Coaches appeared first on SportzBonanza.