DETROIT — Ndamukong Suh believes that more than the sky’s the limit for the Detroit Lions’ defense.

“I would say we’re close to Mars but we’re not there yet,” said Suh, the perennial All-Pro defensive tackle. “It’s exciting. This is the time of year where you want to feel you’re moving somewhere in a positive direction. Mars is one of the closest planets to Earth and we want to go find the other ones.”

Suh led a crunching defensive performance, collecting one of Detroit’s six sacks and three of its 10 tackles for loss in the Lions’ 34-17 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday at Ford Field.

Linebacker DeAndre Levy sacked Bucs quarterback Josh McCown twice as Detroit (9-4) moved within a half-game of Green Bay for the NFC North lead.

“We have a great defensive line and they were getting after him,” Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford said. “As a quarterback, it’s great when you can get in a groove and you’ve got a chance to go back and maybe change the game and win it. When it’s not going your way, it’s tough. He’s a tough guy. He took some big-time shots.”

Stafford was sacked four times but otherwise had enough time to carve up Tampa Bay’s secondary. He passed for 311 yards and three touchdowns, going 26-for-34, while running back Joique Bell had a rushing and receiving touchdown.

Stafford found his best receiver early and often. Calvin Johnson caught eight passes for 158 yards and a touchdown.

“We’ve definitely found a rhythm,” said Johnson, who has been hampered by a high ankle sprain much of the season. “I can’t call our future but we’re just going to keep on plugging away. I’m feeling pretty good, the best I’ve felt in a little while.”

Bell gained 83 yards on the ground and 50 yards on five receptions. Running back Reggie Bush, who was sidelined for the fifth time in seven games with an ankle injury, gained 26 yards on eight carries.

Rookie wide receiver Mike Evans caught two touchdown passes from McCown for Tampa Bay (2-11). Evans caught four passes for 45 yards and wide receiver Vincent Jackson had 10 receptions for 159 yards. McCown was 20-of-39 passing for 250 yards but was intercepted twice and hit 14 times.

“They got too much pressure on our quarterback,” Bucs coach Lovie Smith said. “I think it’s reasonable to say that. We’ve got to do something to give ourselves a chance. Offensively, we didn’t protect the quarterback and didn’t run the ball. We never really got anything going.”

What the Lions said:

“Every week he gets healthier and healthier and better and better. We all know what a competitor he is. He’s doing everything he can to be out there and play at a high level. He had some big chunk plays and some short underneath catches today. I’m just happy for him that he feels good.” — Quarterback Matthew Stafford on wide receiver Calvin Johnson.

What the Bucs said:

“You never envision anything like this. You put in all of the work, you do things the right way, and I think we are still doing it the right way. For some reason, it’s just not transferring on to the game field, so it’s unfortunate.” — Wide receiver Vincent Jackson.

What we learned about the Lions:

1. The Lions’ fearsome front four is the key to their chances of making the playoffs. They overwhelmed Tampa Bay’s offensive line, leading to six sacks and constant pressure on Josh McCown while concurrently stifling the Bucs’ rushing game. They got four of their sacks from the line with Ndamukong Suh and Ezekiel Ansah combining for two sacks and seven quarterback hurries. “Those are guys you have to be concerned with,” Lions coach Jim Caldwell said. “You’d better find different ways to block them because you get one and the other guy’s loose.”

2. The running game is still a concern, despite Joique Bell’s 83-yard performance. Bell got 57 of those yards on one carry. Subtract that and the Lions had 56 yards on 30 carries. Yet Caldwell tried to look at the bright side. “Anytime you can get up over 100-something odd yards, I don’t care when you get it, I don’t care how we have to get it, I think we’re moving in the right direction,” he said. “We haven’t arrived yet, obviously.”

–WR Calvin Johnson continued his late-season surge by catching eight passes for 158 yards and a touchdown. Bothered by a high ankle sprain much of the season, Johnson has 19 receptions for 304 yards and three touchdowns in the last two games to quiet critics who said he might be slowing down. Johnson said the ankle is still a nagging issue. “Injuries, they don’t go away,” he said. “You just try to maintain those things the best you can.”

–TE Joseph Fauria caught his first touchdown pass of the season, a 10-yarder late in the third quarter. Fauria had been sidelined most of the season with an ankle injury. He caught seven touchdown passes during his rookie season as one of Matthew Stafford’s favorite options near the goal line. Fauria limped off the field during the team’s first series with a left ankle injury but was able to return before halftime.

–FS Glover Quin made his fifth interception of the season, picking off a Josh McCown pass during the second quarter that led to Detroit’s second touchdown. Quin is the first Lions safety to have five or more interceptions since Kurt Schulz had seven in 2000. Quin, who was tied for fourth in the league in interceptions entering the game, recorded interceptions in back-to-back games for the second time in his career.

–LB DeAndre Levy had another stellar outing in what is shaping up as an All-Pro season. Levy, who had a half-sack all season, dropped quarterback Josh McCown twice. He finished with five tackles, giving him 121 for the year. The closest teammate to him is linebacker Tahir Whitehead, who has 61.

What we learned about the Bucs:

1. The Bucs might need to throw the ball 40 or 50 times the rest of the way because they have no running game. They came into the game ranked No. 29 in rushing at 83.3 yards per game and didn’t even approach that, gaining 26 yards on 14 carries. Lead back Doug Martin carried just five times and backup Charles Sims had minus-4 yards on his five carries. “We weren’t committed enough to the run early on,” coach Lovie Smith said.

2. A quarterback change could be coming, even though Josh McCown played well. McCown took a severe beating, getting hit 14 times and sacked six. When asked if he might switch back to the younger Mike Glennon, Smith said, “These last three games, we will consider all things. There are a lot of things we want to do but the number one thing is to win.”

–WR Mike Evans continued to build on his brilliant rookie season, catching two more touchdown passes to give him 10 on the season. He hauled in a 6-yard score in the closing seconds of the first half and added a juggling, 26-yard touchdown in the second. He was targeted 11 times, though he only caught four passes for 45 yards. He needs 65 yards to reach the 1,000-yard mark.

–DT Gerald McCoy gave the team a scare when he limped off with a non-contact, right knee injury during the first quarter. He was able to return before the half ended and finished with two tackles, though he was unable to add to his team-high 8 1/2 sacks. McCoy’s up-the-middle pressure did help the Bucs record four sacks against Detroit’s Matthew Stafford.

–LB LaVonte David suffered a concussion late in the third quarter when he took a knee to the helmet while attempting to make a tackle. David, who was questionable to play because of a hamstring injury, will have to go through the league’s concussion protocol before he can return this season. He made five tackles prior to the injury, giving him a team-high 121 for the year.

–WR Vincent Jackson had his biggest game of the season, hauling in 10 passes for 159 yards. He had just 50 receptions entering the game with Mike Evans surpassing him as the go-to receiver. Jackson, one of the league’s high-paid wideouts, still hasn’t caught a touchdown pass since the fourth game of the year.