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DETROIT -- Detroit Lions fans appear to be cautiously optimistic about their chances of victory against a red-hot Tampa Bay Buccaneers team that sits atop the NFC. As fans made their way into Ford Field ahead of the Monday Night Football matchup between the two powerhouses, Corey Hamilton, a 36-year-old Lions fan from Detroit, stood outside the stadium taking pictures with Brya Tyler, 35, who accompanied him to the game. While he was in great spirits when chatting with MLive about the Lions, he had his concerns about how the team would perform offensively after scoring only 17 points during their Week 6 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. When sharing what worries him about the offense, his thoughts mirrored those of Lions coach Dan Campbell in the week leading up to the game, touching on the usage of the Lions’ running back tandem. “Man, if I could be honest, probably to get (David) Montgomery involved a little bit more — probably (Jahmyr) Gibbs and Montgomery a little bit more,” Hamilton said. “I want to say Montgomery only had like four carries or something last week. But probably get the run game going early.” Well, Mr. Hamilton, you are correct. During that loss to the Chiefs at Arrowhead, Montgomery finished with four carries for 24 yards, while Gibbs quadrupled Montgomery’s carries, ending with 17 for 65 yards. Aside from the offense, Hamilton didn’t shy from his concerns about how Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield would perform against a depleted Lions secondary. Coming into this game, Mayfield has thrown for 1,539 yards and 12 touchdowns to one interception. His performance through six games has the eight-year veteran in MVP odds on sports betting sites. “Their receivers are a little banged up, so I think that’ll probably be the only thing that’ll slow down Baker right now,” Hamilton said. “But we don’t have a secondary, so he’s probably going to throw for 300 tonight, I ain’t going to lie. It’s going to be a good game -- it’s going to be high scoring.” The Buccaneers will be without Pro Bowl receiver Chris Godwin for a second straight game due to a fibula injury. However, six-time Pro Bowl receiver Mike Evans and rookie receiver Emeka Egbuka -- both of whom are dealing with hamstring injuries -- are likely to have an impact for Monday’s game against a depleted Lions secondary, as Hamilton mentioned. Cornerbacks D.J. Reed (hamstring) and Terrion Arnold (shoulder), along with safeties Brian Branch (suspension) and Kerby Joseph (knee), are out of action for the pivotal matchup. However, Alex Viga, a 17-year-old Lions fan from Macomb Township, remains optimistic about the Lions’ chances of improving to 5-2. Along with a score prediction of 38-34, Viga, accompanied by his father, Bill, told MLive he’s confident in the Lions’ secondary, all because of one seven-year veteran who he thinks will be key in slowing down the Buccaneers’ passing attack led by Mayfield. “Rock Ya-Sin, probably,” Viga told MLive. “I know he’s been playing pretty well.” Last week, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes completed two of his three passes when targeting Ya-Sin, who got the start at cornerback, for a total of 19 yards. “I feel pretty confident,” Viga said. “I think there’ll be a lot of energy in the stadium, so as long as our defense can hold up, I think we’ll be good.”
