Buccaneers (3-3) at Lions (4-2)
8:20 p.m. ET, ESPN
Bucs by 2½
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Joe Theismann's Sunday night spotlight

Why to watch:
The Buccaneers, who are at .500 only on the strength of their outstanding defense, will find out if beleaguered QB Trent Dilfer was really the root of their offensive problems. After a string of 70 consecutive starts -- the second-longest current streak in the NFL next to Brett Favre's 115 -- Dilfer has been benched in favor of Eric Zeier.

A career backup, Zeier has started just 11 games in his five seasons. Four of those starts came last season for the Ravens, and Zeier has a 4-7 career record as the starter. Tampa Bay definitely needs to do something to shake things up on offense. The Bucs failed to score a touchdown in last week's ugly 6-3 victory over Chicago -- although Dilfer had played much better in the preceding games at Green Bay and Minnesota.

The surprising Lions are tied with the Packers for first place in the NFC Central, and Detroit already owns victories over Green Bay and Minnesota. Detroit comes off an impressive victory at Carolina in which its defense completely shut down a Panthers offense that had been putting up big numbers. Despite a rash of injuries -- the latest claiming starting tailback Ron Rivers -- Bobby Ross' team will look to continue its surprising run of success in one of the NFL's toughest divisions. With only 1½ games separating first place from last place, every divisional game is extremely important.

Who to watch:
The spotlight will be on Zeier, who has thrown just 11 regular-season passes in 1999. Zeier might be able to get some easy completions by dumping the ball off to Bucs RB Warrick Dunn, who leads the team with 27 catches for 228 yards and one TD. Speedy Bucs WRs Reidel Anthony and Jacquez Green have struggled to generate big plays in the passing game -- although Zeier averaged 7.25 yards per attempt last season in Baltimore, compared to Dilfer's 6.0 this season. Bucs RB Mike Alstott is averaging 4.8 yards per carry, but the Lions defense has held its last three opponents to less than 65 yards rushing per contest. However, Detroit has shown some weaknesses against big backs like Alstott. Bucs DT Warren Sapp leads the NFL with 7½ sacks.

Lions RBs Greg Hill and Sedrick Irvin will share the load on the ground while Rivers is out for at least a month with a broken ankle. Lions WR Herman Moore should return after missing last week's game with a knee injury. Lions WR Germane Crowell is averaging 14.7 yards per reception and is tied with TE David Sloan for the team lead with three TD catches. Lions QB Charlie Batch will need to use his mobility against Sapp and the aggressive Bucs defense. Lions DE Robert Porcher, who leads the club with 4½ sacks, will provide a good test for Bucs DT Jerry Wunsch.

INJURY REPORT

Buccaneers: OUT: WR Karl Williams (foot). DOUBTFUL: T Jason Odom (back). QUESTIONABLE: DE John McLaughlin (shoulder). PROBABLE: CB Donnie Abraham (neck); WR Reidel Anthony (thumb); G Jorge Diaz (shoulder); WR Bert Emanuel (hamstring); S John Lynch (thigh); DT Warren Sapp (hand); DE Steve White (ankle). Lions: OUT: DE Jared DeVries (foot); WR Herman Moore (knee); RB Ron Rivers (ankle); S Ryan Stewart (groin). QUESTIONABLE: LB Stephen Boyd (foot); WR Germane Crowell (elbow); DE Mike Pringley (shoulder); CB Bryant Westbrook (hamstring).

Bucs' numbers to know:
Although the Bucs defense is clearly one of the league's best, Tampa Bay is not forcing turnovers. The Bucs' six takeaways are tied for the lowest total in the NFL this season. Mostly because of that stat, Tampa Bay is minus-9 in turnover margin. The Bucs have committed 15 turnovers -- 10 interceptions and five fumbles.

Lions' numbers to know:
Detroit's stingy run defense ranks No. 9 in the NFL and is the fourth-toughest unit in the NFC. The Lions are giving up just 87.5 rushing yards per contest. The run defense will be key against the Bucs, who rank No. 5 in rushing offense with 129.8 yards per contest.

What it means:
The Bucs were tabbed by many experts as a possible Super Bowl sleeper in the NFC, but Tampa Bay needs to snap out of its doldrums now. The Bucs are 1-2 on the road, with the only win coming at lowly Philadelphia. If Zeier can provide a little more offensive spark, Tampa Bay is still capable of winning this division. Obviously, Tony Dungy will get some big answers about his offense Sunday night.

As for the Lions, they simply refuse to go away. If Detroit wins this game, the Lions will own victories over their top three challengers for the division title. That would be a key edge in a division where it seems anyone can beat anyone anytime.

Sean Salisbury's breakdown
Buccaneers' game plan:
I'm surprised Dilfer has played so poorly this season and the Bucs offense has struggled. I don't know if the blame solely falls on the quarterback, but Tampa Bay needed to make a change. The Bucs beat the Bears 6-3, but it was done with ugly offense. Zeier will jumpstart the Bucs. He is one of the most solid backups in the league. They can run the football with Alstott and Dunn and have some solid playmakers in Anthony and Green.

Zeier just has to be effective throwing the ball. The Bucs have to open up the offense and spread the ball around. They can't take the play-not-to-lose approach anymore. They need to play to win. They need to be more aggressive and play in better rhythm. The Bucs have such a great defense, so they can afford to take a few more chances on offense. If Zeier throws an interception downfield in the other team's zone, the Bucs defense can stop the Lions or anyone. It would be an upgrade if the offense could score nine points this week.

The Bucs defense is one of the league's best, a championship-caliber unit. The Bucs will play to cause turnovers in order to help the offense and give them a shorter field. The offense hasn't proven it is good enough to establish lengthy drives. So Tampa Bay is thinking points on defense, not just stopping the Lions and making them punt. That's a good attitude to have defensively, but it's also sad because this offense is unable to produce points.

Lions' game plan:
Barry Sanders used to make the Lions go, but now that role belongs to Batch. If he is healthy and efficient, Batch has some weapons to throw to, like Crowell and Johnnie Morton, who can make big plays. The key for the Lions is avoiding turnovers. The Bucs defense, ranked third in the NFL, is difficult to attack. First, though, the Lions need to control Sapp, who can dictate the flow of the game.

Safety John Lynch will hang around the line of scrimmage, making the Bucs stingy against the run. Batch needs to get Crowell into the mix. The Lions might not run well against the Bucs, but they need to run sometimes to set up some good play-action passing opportunities. Detroit must understand that it shouldn't take a lot of points to beat Tampa Bay. If the Lions can score two or three touchdowns, they should be safe.

Bobby Ross will want his offense to play more cautiously, focusing on efficiency and moving the chains. The Lions offense doesn't want to make mistakes and give the Bucs offense a short field. That would allow Tampa Bay to get some offensive confidence.

Zeier is a smart quarterback who has started 11 NFL games. I don't think the Lions defense has to all-out blitz him. The Bucs offense starts with Alstott and Dunn running the ball. They are a great front-running team because of their defense. They are very conservative, so if the Lions defense can keep the Bucs playing a conservative offense, they have a good chance of winning.

The Bucs, in particular, don't execute well when they are stuck in third-and-long situations. I would mix up coverages, because Zeier is smart enough to know where to throw the ball in a man-to-man blitz. He is a ball-control quarterback. It will be more difficult for the Lions to defend Zeier than Dilfer, because they could play straight up against Dilfer. Zeier is more of an unknown quantity.

Pivotal Player:
Zeier. If he can have a big game, that will give him and the Tampa Bay offense some confidence. He might be physically limited, but at this point the Bucs are looking for a quarterback who can get the ball into the right player's hands. I expect him to be more aggressive. He has nothing to lose.