Buccaneers-Lions Final Score: Tampa Bay wins thriller in Detroit

The Bucs got off to a good start in Detroit, harassing Matthew Stafford on defense and picking apart their secondary on offense. Two interceptions in the first half keyed a 17-14 lead for Tampa Bay, with one of them returned for a touchdowns. Mike Glennon once again looked solid, at one point completing nine consecutive passes. The running game couldn't get going all game against the Lions' stout front, but that didn't matter as Mike Glennon had another strong performance through the air.

At the half, the Bucs led 17-14. For the fourth straight week, the Buccaneers took a lead into halftime thanks to a Leonard Johnson pick-six in the two-minute drill. Gerald McCoy pressured Matt Stafford, who threw a pass so bad that Brandon Pettigrew tried to duck to get out of the way and let Johnson get a good jump on the ball.

As per usual, though, the Buccaneers struggled to keep it up in the third quarter. Losing Darrelle Revis for the game at halftime didn't help, but the offense turned suddenly stagnant as well. A Keith Tandy interception off a horrible Matt Stafford decision kept the Bucs in the game for one drive after the Lions took a 21-17 lead, and another defensive stop later the Bucs actually managed to do something surprising.

Mike Glennon hit a deep ball in stride. To Tiquan Underwood. For an 85-yard touchdown. Now that was surprising, as the rookie quarterback has struggled with deep throws in his career. With two 40+-yard completions on the day, though, complaining about Glennon's deep ball didn't make much sense. Glennon finished the game going 14/21 for 247 yards, two touchdowns and four sacks.

Equally important was a resurgent Tampa Bay defense that seemed to be on the verge of collapsing after giving up a touchdown drive to start the second half. Three turnovers in the second half stopped the Lions from scoring more than a touchdown, including one weird fumble by Kris Durham. Even the struggling special teams unit got in on the fun, getting its second blocked punt in as many games -- although Rian Lindell then missed the resulting short field goal and then missed another field goal after the fourth turnover, with Glennon taking an unnecessary sack making it a little more difficult on the Tampa Bay kicker.

In the end, the defense closed it out with another curious turnover. The Lions marched inside the Bucs' red zone, targeted Calvin Johnson -- and backup safety Kelcie McCray knocked the ball into the air, allowing Johnthan Banks to pick it up and seal the game.

The Bucs are now 3-8 and have won their last three games after starting the year 0-8. It's a confusing year in Tampa.

Injuries

Darrelle Revis suffered a groin injury in the first half and did not return. FOX's Laura Okmin reported that his left knee was being iced on the sidelines.

What's next?

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers travel to Carolina to take on the Panthers.