The last five games would be a snap, they said. Easiest closing schedule in the league, they said. Well, don’t look now, but the Green Bay Packers are getting set to face another team riding a two-game winning streak in a matchup that will feel like a playoff game at Lambeau.
How will the Packers respond to Monday night’s flat performance? How will they handle Todd Bowles’ aggressive, physical defense and playmakers like Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and Rachaad White? And will they manage to get through a special teams play without getting penalized?
The Packers and Buccaneers currently have seats at the NFC postseason table, but they’re both just as capable of landing a top-ten pick in next year’s draft. We know a couple of things: Since 1990, the Bucs are 1-14 in the great state of Wisconsin. Baker Mayfield will visit Green Bay for the third time in December, wearing three different uniforms. He’ll be looking for his first win there on Sunday.
We don’t know who will be on the field on Sunday; both teams are banged up. We’ll start with Christian Watson, who’ll miss another game with the hamstring injury. Just tell me he’ll be good to go in Minneapolis on New Year’s Eve – I can wait till then.
The backfield is a mystery: AJ Dillon broke his thumb late in the New York Giants game. While he returned to practice Friday, it’s very possible he misses his first game as a pro. Aaron Jones says he’s pretty confident he’ll be out there, but I’ll believe it when I see it. If they’re both out, the running game will be in the hands of Patrick Taylor and Kenyan Drake.
Receiver Dontayvion Wicks is questionable with an ankle injury and was limited in practice on Thursday and Friday. If the Packers hold him out, it will mean an increased role for Samari Toure, who rose from the dead on Monday night.
Jayden Reed passed a concussion test after the game but has an ankle injury. He should be out there, but we may not see him run the ball 17 times like we did at Met Life. (Maybe it just seemed like 17 times.)
On the other side of the ball, Darnell Savage missed practice all week and seems unlikely to play. Quay Walker should be back after being limited in practice on Thursday and Friday. The Packers have listed both of those guys as questionable. Same with Jaire Alexander, who mysteriously didn’t make the trip with the team on Monday as conspiracy theories fly. It sure would be nice to see him out there dueling Mike Evans on the outside, but I’m not holding my breath.
The Bucs have injury worries of their own, most notably run-stuffing nose tackle Vita Vea, who’s doubtful with a toe injury. Strong safety Ryan Neal is also listed as doubtful. Starting corner Carlton Davis is out, and fellow starter Jamel Dean is questionable, though he practiced fully on Friday. Stud linebacker Devin White and receiver Chris Godwin are also questionable but have been practicing and should be able to go.
If the Packers return to their winning ways, it will be because Jordan Love looks like the guy we saw in the weeks leading up to the Giants game. That means protecting the ball; Tampa Bay has 19 takeaways. It also means lighting up an aggressive defense that blitzes 38% of the time, the third most in the league.
With the secondary hurting, Love must always identify where Antoine Winfield is and find the favorable matchups that will be there for him. It would be nice to see Doubs, Reed, and Kraft targeted liberally. Tampa’s defense has given up 54 plays of 20+ yards and over 7 yards per pass attempt, fourth most in the league.
The Pack’s defense won’t have to worry about Mayfield’s legs after allowing Tommy DeVito to look like Michael Vick on Monday night. But they will need to deal with Evans, Godwin, and White. The latter has been one of the league’s most productive backs over the last six weeks, both on the ground and through the air. Getting Walker back would be huge when it comes to slowing White down.
None of us really know what to expect from Joe Barry’s defense at this point. You’d like to think that Green Bay’s defense would flex in a December home game with a Florida team coming to visit. Then again, I’d like to believe Santa Claus is real.
The uncertainty of the Pack’s backfield has me a bit concerned, but I have to believe that the absence of Vea will make things a lot easier for whoever is back there. Love and the passing game should move up and down the field. I mean, Desmond Ridder threw for 350 yards against them last week. The question is, can the Pack convert in the red zone and not settle for field goals? The Bucs sport a top-five red zone defense.
I’m going to believe the Pack will bounce back from Monday night. I’m going to believe that the NFC South is filled with mediocrity. The teams are just 11-25 when they’re playing outside their crappy division. The Packers hold on to their wild card spot for another week.
Packers 23
Bucs 17
