HH. Jahmyr Gibbs didn’t just play Monday night — he erupted for 218 total yards and two touchdowns, carrying the Detroit Lions past the Buccaneers in a statement win that screamed one thing loud and clear: Detroit’s not just good this year, they’re dangerous. 🦁🔥 #OnePride #MondayNightFootball

No healthy defensive backs, no problem. At least when you have Jahmyr Gibbs.

Gibbs had a career game Monday with 218 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns as the Detroit Lions beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a showdown of two of the best teams in the NFL, 24-9.

Gibbs electrified the Ford Field crowd with touchdown runs of 78 and 5 yards and had three other plays of 20-plus yards, and the Lions got a stingy defensive effort from a unit playing without both starting safeties and both starting cornerbacks.

The Lions (5-2) got two takeaways from their no-name secondary and held the Bucs (5-2) to 58 yards in the first half while getting big minutes from Arthur Maulet (five tackles, one interception), Nick Whiteside (three pass breakups), Rock Ya-Sin (two PBUs) and Thomas Harper (one PBU).

Jared Goff finished 20-for-29 passing for 241 yards with a 27-yard touchdown pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown and two turnovers, while Baker Mayfield was 28-for-50 for 228 yards with one touchdown and one INT.Need a news break? Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more!

Here are three thoughts from Monday’s game.READ MONARREZ: Jahmyr Gibbs takeover for Detroit Lions reminiscent of Barry Sanders’ big games

More Gibbs, please

It was a popular refrain last week, even from some Lions coaches. David Montgomery had four carries for 24 yards in the Lions’ loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, and more than a few people suggested the team needed to get him more involved in the offense.

I get it. Montgomery is a good player, and he’s been a key cog in one of the NFL’s best rushing attacks for three years running now.

But Gibbs is a great player, one of the three best backs in the NFL, and if the Lions need to maximize anyone’s touches going forward it’s his.

Gibbs had a monster Monday, rushing for 136 yards and two touchdowns and catching three passes for 82 yards in the Lions’ commanding victory. He broke tackles. He ran over defenders. And he dazzled everyone watching.

Gibbs broke a 78-yard touchdown run late in the first half, when he looked shot out of a cannon on a perfectly-blocked play. He spun his way into the end zone for a second score late in the third quarter, after the Bucs scored their only touchdown of the day. And he converted a fourth-and-1 early in the fourth quarter when he made one defender miss and ran through two more at the sticks.

Gibbs is a lightning bolt capable of turning any touch into a big play and the Lions have done right to pivot the offense in his direction this season. That doesn’t mean there isn’t a place for Montgomery in the gameplan. There is; the Lions need to keep Gibbs healthy for the playoffs.

But this team is better when Gibbs is touching the ball and on the field.

Alim the dream

The Lions played pretty good defense the first six weeks of the season, but one thing they lacked was an interior pass rush.

Not anymore. Alim McNeill returned from the torn ACL he suffered last December to play his first game of the season Monday and made an instant impact at defensive tackle.

McNeill beat center Graham Barton to force Mayfield out of the pocket on Tampa’s first pass play, had another pressure a series later on a first-and-15 incompletion, tipped a third-and-3 pass to force a punt on Tampa’s third series and had another pressure that led to a Derrick Barnes sack.

McNeill’s return wasn’t the only reason for the Lions’ dominant defensive showing Monday; it wasn’t even the driving force behind one of the best defensive outings of the Dan Campbell era, all things considered. Tampa had 58 yards of offense at halftime, including 1 yard on its six third-down plays, and the secondary was dominant against the Bucs’ vaunted passing attack.

But having McNeill back in the lineup gave the NFL a glimpse of how good the Lions defense can be. With most of their secondary starters – Brian Branch, Kerby Joseph, Terrion Arnold, D.J. Reed – due back shortly after the bye, the Lions have one of the makings of one of the best defenses in the NFL.

Assessing the contenders

The NFC is shaping up to be quite the bottleneck as we head into November (or close enough, since the Lions have a bye next week).

The Green Bay Packers have the best record in the NFL by percentage points at 4-1-1 (.750) and the Lions are one of five teams with a 5-2 record (.714) along with the Buccaneers, Philadelphia Eagles, Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers.

The Packers are a real threat to finish with the best record in the NFC. They beat the Lions head-to-head in November, with a rematch on tap for Thanksgiving.

I’d rank the Packers as the Lions’ closest competition for the No. 1 seed, with the Eagles and Rams close behind. Philadelphia plays the Packers and Lions in primetime in back-to-back weeks after its Week 9 bye and that stretch could determine who has homefield advantage throughout the playoffs.

The Bucs have losses to the Lions and Eagles on their resume and will be hard-pressed to get the No. 1 seed now. The Rams and 49ers have the most favorable remaining schedules, though San Francisco’s injury problems could be too much to overcome and there’s no telling how long Matthew Stafford will last, though he’s playing excellent football.

Dave Birkett covers the Lions for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at[email protected]. Follow him onBluesky,X andInstagram at @davebirkett.