The most unlikely of matchups is set to take place this Sunday at Ford Field, as the Detroit Lions play host to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. From a Lions team that made history last week with their first playoff win in over 30 years, to a Tampa Bay squad who snuck in by the grace of winning a less than competitive NFC South, it’s bound to be an animal house with the “OnePride” faithful set to show in full force. In a rematch of week six, the Lions look to continue their success into round three while the Bucs push for another win against a heavily favored opponent.

Detroit battled every second of round one when they took on the Los Angeles Rams. With two quarterbacks facing off against their former teams, it made must see television. The Lions started off hot but had their usual drop off in the second half, in which the Lions’ defense had to step up and secure the victory. A huge factor in that game was the crowd, which was able to reach 133 decibels at one point. This was a new Ford Field record and forced Los Angeles to use two timeouts early in the second half, which proved to help win us the game late in the fourth quarter.

Tampa Bay on the other hand was a team who was technically ranked higher than their opponent, the Philadelphia Eagles, but had a worse regular season record. Despite the Eagles being 3.5-point favorites, the Bucs dominated this game 32-9 with an absolute onslaught of passing that caught the Eagles’ secondary off guard. Their quarterback, Baker Mayfield, ended the game with a 119.8 passer rating, one of his best so far this season.

What is it going to take for either one of these teams to be successful? The proof is in their performances from round one.

Lions quarterback, Jared Goff, is on back-to-back games with at least a 110 passer rating, which can bring trouble for the Bucs secondary. Back in week six when these two teams met for the first time, he had a 107.5 passer rating. If the Buccaneers want to stun Detroit, they’ll need to disrupt Jared Goff with an early interception. Goff did have a tough stint in the middle of the year with the turnover bug, he has since cleaned it up but the Buccaneers will try to trigger it again.

That won’t be an easy task though, as Tampa’s pass defense ranks 29th in opponents yards per game with 248.9 and opposing quarterbacks finish with an average passer rating of 92. If Goff and Amon Ra St. Brown can heat up quickly, the yards will start to rack up quick and the Bucs won’t be able to keep up. Don’t forget about Josh Reynolds, Sam LaPorta, Jahmyr Gibbs, or Jameson Williams, because just when you think you got one guy locked down, any of these players could have an impact on the game.

Speaking for Jahmyr Gibbs, he and David Montgomery have been the one two punch that has rocked the NFL this year. They’ll have a tough bout against Tampa, as the Buccaneers have held opponents to just 3.9 yards per carry on average, which is tied for 8th in the NFL, and 95.3 rushing yards per game, which is 5th in the NFL.

Detroit’s secondary needs to find an identity soon other than being bad. They gave up 367 yards to Matthew Stafford last week and two touchdowns, with 181 yards and a score going to Puka Nacua. They’ll have their hands full with Tampa Bay’s Mike Evans this Sunday who is tied for the most touchdowns this season with 13.

Look for Aidan Hutchinson in the backfield this week. He’ll be matched up against Luke Goedeke, who has allowed seven sacks this season. James Houston will also be back in the lineup in return from injury, so that can ease the load for Hutchinson if he finds himself double teamed.

Don’t be fooled by the disparity between the records of these two teams. The ‘Bucs’ have a high rated run defense, and a lethal receiver combo in Evans and Chris Godwin. Mayfield has also shown poise in his new home in Tampa after his journeymen stint with a few teams for the past few years.

The Lions have a plethora of guys in their offensive group that will be impact players, but the biggest impact in this game will be the crowd. “One Pride” fans were as loud as a jet engine from start to finish. Seeing how much the city loves this team, I think a new NFL record could be seen on Sunday. If the Rams had to spend two timeouts because of the Detroit faithful, I can only imagine what woes the Bucs will have to go through with the atmosphere at Ford Field.

Hundreds of analysts have sided with the Lions for this game and its foreign territory for Detroit to be the favorite. Even with the newfound backing from the masses, this Lions group hasn’t forgotten that it’s Detroit versus everybody. I believe that mentality will win the Lions this game. It’s a 6.5-point spread for this game, so the oddsmakers think it’s going to be a close one.

Sunday at 3:00 P.M., we could see history as the Lions could return to the NFC Championship game after 32 years. Either way, it’s two quarterbacks who have had similar, but unique journeys to where they find themselves today. Jared Goff and the Lions. Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers. Two wild season stories but one will end Sunday. Who will come out on top?