Breakdowns
9/23/22
4 min read
Packers-Buccaneers Breakdown: Focus on the Run, Not Rodgers vs. Brady
When you think of Tom Brady vs. Aaron Rodgers, you're thinking it's going to be a high-scoring game. But, maybe not this time, because these two defenses are good, and these two offenses are struggling right now.
This is going to be a tough matchup. I'd take the under if I was a betting man in this one. Great side bet: Out of Green Bay's offense, Tampa Bay's offense, and Tampa Bay's defense, who scores more?
Taking It Out on the Tablet
You saw Brady's frustration boil over when he rifled the surface tablet and tried to break it last week. Watching Tampa Bay against New Orleans, they're going to miss Mike Evans, because they only completed one other ball down the field that wasn't to him, a touchdown to Breshad Perriman. Chris Godwin and Julio Jones haven't practiced this week, Evans is suspended, they are in trouble at wide receiver. And they're not as good at tight end without Gronk.
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The one thing Tampa has is they are running the ball well. Leonard Fournette leads the league in touches right now. They are doing a nice job. Fournette is a load as a running back.
The Bucs are going to struggle again on offense, but it's hard to ever go against Brady. They hung in there, basically scored one touchdown, and their defense put it away against the Saints. — Koetter
Speaking of That Defense...
Good luck running the ball against Tampa Bay and Todd Bowles. That's a staple down there: They don't let you run the ball. They're going to line up in Bear defense, they're going to cover those inside guys, and they're going to put eight guys in there and play tight coverage on whoever lines up at receiver for Green Bay. They are not going to let Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon go off and run the football like they did last week against the Jets. That'll frustrate the offense and Aaron Rodgers. — Pagano
Not the Green Bay We're Used to
Green Bay is struggling on offense. The one thing we said last week, they need to let Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon touch the ball more. They did that in Week 2, and the offense looked a lot better.
But when we think of Green Bay and Rodgers, we think about up and down the field throwing the ball all over the yard. Rodgers has been sacked seven times already, and he's been hit a lot more than that. Almost all of Green Bay's receivers haven't practiced this week. So the Packers, it's hard to believe, but they have to run the ball and play defense, because this is going to be a low-scoring one. — Koetter
Stacking the Box
When you look at Green Bay's defense, its numbers aren't great. Their rush defense is 27th right now. So Fournette, that's who they're going to have to stop. They're going to have to load up, stack the box, and do everything they can to make it really hard for Tampa to run the football.
They'll play tight coverage, they've got the defenders like Jaire Alexander to do it. They have guys who can get up on Perriman and whoever Tampa Bay has at receiver. — Pagano
WATCH MORE: Marvin Lewis and Mike Zimmer Break Down Bucs Defense
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