2002 · Week 15

Final

Buccaneers

Tampa Bay

QB Brad Johnson

23·20

Lions

Detroit

QB Joey Harrington

Ford Field · dome · fieldturf

Closing spread

TB -9.5

Total

37

Model margin

-1.8est.

DET perspective

Push chance

None

half-point line — cannot push

Win probability

  • Lions
  • Buccaneers

How each play moved the game.

Lions winsBuccaneers wins

Matchup

Where the edges are

Season-long league percentiles for both sides, mirrored. The saturated side of a lopsided row holds the edge.

Buccaneersedge mapLions
  • -0.043EPA / play-0.148
  • 42.2%Success rate34.3%
  • +0.019EPA / dropback-0.156
  • -0.146EPA / rush-0.134
  • 6.9%Explosive rate8.1%
  • 35.3%Third-down rate29.8%
  • 41.7%Red-zone TD rate49.8%
  • 1.22Points / drive0.96
  • 1.9%Turnover rate2.9%
  • -0.206EPA / play allowed+0.065

Bar length is league percentile, already oriented so longer is better. The saturated side of a lopsided row holds the edge; rows within ~12 points are washed as even.

The rivalry

TB lead 11–10 since 1999

Meetings average 41.3 points. DET are 14-7 ATS in the series.

Previous meetings
SeasonMatchupScoreWinner
2025 · W7TB @ DET924DET
2024 · W2TB @ DET2016TB
2023 · playoffsTB @ DET2331DET
2023 · W6DET @ TB206DET
2020 · W16TB @ DET477TB
2019 · W15TB @ DET3817TB
2017 · W14DET @ TB2421DET
2014 · W14TB @ DET1734DET

Box score

Individual performances

Buccaneers

Passing

PlayerC/AttYdsTDINT
Brad Johnson24/4125300

Rushing

PlayerCarYdsAvgTD
Michael Pittman11464.21
Aaron Stecker4287.00
Brad Johnson221.00

Lions

Passing

PlayerC/AttYdsTDINT
Mike McMahon10/2115811
Joey Harrington0/1000

Rushing

PlayerCarYdsAvgTD
Aveion Cason10626.20
Rafael Cooper8506.30
Mike McMahon210.51

Receiving

PlayerRecTgtYdsTD
Bill Schroeder48961
Aveion Cason23380
Mikhael Ricks1290
Germane Crowell1570
Scotty Anderson1220

Where this game is likely to land

  • Model
  • Smooth (normal)
  • Betting line

Probability of each final margin. Football scoring clusters — the spikes at 3 and 7 are real, and a smooth model misses them.

line -9.52.9%4.7%3.1%7.5%7.1%2.8%

Positive margins favour Lions; negative favour Buccaneers.

Half-point at risk

1.18%

outcomes that flip if the line moves 0.5

Model home win

44.2%

Expected total

43.3est.

Model

Where the number comes from

Each component is additive, in points of expected margin.

  • Team ratings (opponent-adjusted EPA)-4.36
  • Home-field advantage+2.56
  • Quarterback adjustment0.00
  • Rest differential0.00
  • Expected margin-1.80