A heat index approaching 100 degrees, a steamy 88 on the thermometer at kickoff with two teams playing with depleted wide receivers in a game involving two NFC contenders and then there’s Aaron Rodgers on the field with Tom Brady for only the 5th time and the Battle of the Bays revival was a dandy.
The Green Bay Packers prevailed 14-12 before 69,197 sweltering fans, the largest crowd in Raymond James Stadium history, but how they won may have far reaching implications as the now 2-1, 2022 season marches on. Yes, Rodgers dazzled early with clean execution and touchdown passes to rookie Romeo Doubs and Allen Lazard to cap the first two possessions of the game, but the vaunted Buccaneer defense went into shutdown mode from there. However, it was the Packer defense that kept Brady and the Tampa offense out of the end zone until there was just :14 left to play making it a two point game. On the two point try, backed up to the seven thanks to a delay of game penalty, De’Vondre Campbell dropped in coverage to deflect Brady’s pass to the corner of the end zone and the Packers were able to secure an important, confidence building victory.
Considered a liability heading into the season, the Packer special teams is evolving into an asset so on a day when the offense got out-adjusted and couldn’t sustain early momentum, the other two phases of the team helped carry them to the finish line.
Following the win, an exuberant Matt LaFleur said, “That was a heckuva football game, we knew it was going to be a four quarter game.” He also went on to say it answered an extremely important early season question about his squad:
A lot to mull over for sure. The Bucs took the opening kickoff and Brady, playing without the suspended Mike Evans and the injured Chris Godwin and Julio Jones, still found Breshad Perriman for 24 yards on the first snap. Tampa reached the Packer 21 but on third and five, Kenny Clark got through and tripped up Brady for a sack of 6 yards bringing in Ryan Succop for a 45 yard field goal and an early 3-0 lead.
The Packers welcomed David Bakhtiari back in a big way. After playing only 27 snaps against Detroit in the regular season finale last January, a year removed from the first of three knee surgeries, the All-Pro practiced Thursday and Friday, made the active game day roster and opened at his familiar left tackle spot. He wound up in a very unusual rotation with Yosh Nijman, his understudy who has capably filled in since last season. LaFleur said he wasn’t about to have Bakhtiari, “go from 0-60” in his first game back, even against David’s wishes. While he resisted the rotation, he understood the reasoning and was just happy to be playing again, even part-time:
Having both starting tackles back (Elgton Jenkins returned last week), the offense executed smartly on a 10 play, 75 yard opening march. Green Bay was without Sammy Watkins who went on injured reserve with a hamstring injury Friday, and Chrisitan Watson, also with a pulled hamstring, denying him a chance to play in front of family and friends in his hometown. Rookie Romeo Doubs got center stage early with a 21 yard grab that he almost fumbled away, a nine yard out that got him to the five and then a quick slant for his first career touchdown.
The Packers forced a three and out and the offense went right back to work. This time, a 71 yard drive covered 12 plays, with Bobby Tonyan, Lazard and Tyler Davis converting third downs. Davis gained 23 yards to the six where Rodgers connected with Lazard on similar quick slant from the slot and the Packers were impressively up 14-3.
A Rashan Gary sack thwarted the next Tampa series and Green Bay was ready to break the game open. Randall Cobb didn’t practice all week but you wouldn’t have known it when he took a quick up route for 40 yards with a nifty move past the first would be tackler. On third and goal from the five, Rodgers checked to Aaron Jones over the middle past Lavone David who closed and when big nose tackle Vita Vea, who dropped in coverage, sandwiched Jones at the two, the ball came out and rolled into the end zone where Logan Ryan covered it up for a touchback. Instead of 21-3, even 17-3 at a minimum, the Bucs dodged a huge bullet.
Number one pick Quay Walker picked up the miscue by knocking the ball loose from Perriman inside the Packer 30 and Darnell Savage recovered in the final minute of an impressive first half.
Both defensive teams turned things up from there. The Packers would pick up only one first down from before the Jones fumble, until their final possession of the 4th quarter. Tampa’s D had a say but an illegal block on Lazard killed the first series of the second half. Keiseasn Nixon, who came on early when Jaire Alexander exited in the first series with a groin injury, made his presence felt. He jarred the ball loose from Russell Gage with Jarran Reed recovering to kill Tampa’s first series of the third. When the Packers went three and out again, Pat O’Donnell punted and Nixon made a huge play, catching the ball at Tampa’s two yard line. Green Bay didn’t let Brady out of the goal post shadows by blitzing on consecutive snaps. Jake Carmada punted from the back line and Amari Rodgers brought it back 27 yards to the Tampa 32. However, Tipa Galeai was called for running into the kicker but it appeared he was engaged with a blocker who pulled him into Carmada’s leg. Given another chance, Carmada hit a 61 yard punt and Rudy Ford was called for an illegal block and instead of starting at Tampa’s 32, Green Bay began the drive at their own 35.
Three plays later, Rodgers tried to hit Tonyan over the middle but Ryan made a long run to jump in front of the crowd for a diving interception. The Bucs got no closer than the 28 and with another stop, thanks to tight coverage from Nixon on third down, Succop made it two for two on 45 yard field goals to make it 14-6.
Green Bay’s offense continued to flounder but the defense wasn’t about to concede as Clark’s second sack of the game forced another punt and Green Bay had 5:57 left to run out. When Lazard caught a six yard slant on third and four, it was the Pack’s only conversion after starting 5 for their first 5 on the scoring drives. Lazard then ran away from Antoine Winfield Jr. for a 26 yard sideline catch to the Tampa 32. On second and 10, Juwann Winfree and Doubs ran a criss cross route but they bumped into each other when it looked like Winfree might come clean. Rodgers got sacked on third and 10 and they punted one last time to the 11, O’Donnell’s 5th of 7 punts inside the 20.
There was 3:09 left to play.
It was Brady time and the seven time Super Bowl winner didn’t disappoint. He found Gage twice for gains of 9 and 15 and then Fournette was left free on the left flat for 17 more. Four more completions against the prevent coverage had Tampa at the Packer 10 in the final minute. Adrian Amos was flagged for pass interference which gave the Bucs a first and goal from the three with :26 left. Fournette got two up the middle and Tampa called their final timeout. On second and goal, a play action fake was covered well and Brady threw it well over the head of Cameron Brate. On third and goal, just as the play clock expired, Brady took the shotgun snap and found Gage over the middle for the one yard touchdown with :14 to play, making it a two point game.
Before they snapped the conversion, the Bucs didn’t beat the play clock this time and were moved back five yards to the seven. That took a run out of the equation. Brady got flushed a bit to his right and tried to fire a pass to right corner of the end zone where Gage was blanketed by Savage. It never got there as Campbell reached high to tip the ball and it fell harmlessly to the end zone turf.
Lazard cradled a high hop onside kick and Rodgers took a knee to finish off an exhausting, defensive battle.
By the numbers, Green Bay outgained Tampa Bay 315-285. They held a 6:50 time of possession advantage. Rodgers finished 27 of 25 for 255 yards with two scores and a pick for a rating of 103.9 Doubs was the most productive receiver, 8 catches on 8 targets for 73 yards and his first NFL touchdown. Tonyan was next with 6 catches for 37 yards. Lazard was 4 for 45 and a touchdown. The ground game never got rolling, just 67 yards on 25 carries. Aaron Jones was 12 for 36, A.J. Dillon 12 for 32.
Brady finished 31 of 42 for 271 yards and a score, but he was sacked three times for 20 yards, a rating of 98.4. Gage caught 12 passes for 85 yards to lead the receivers, Fournette managed 35 yards on 12 rushing attempts.
Up until the final, 89 yard drive engineered by Brady, the Packer defense had allowed Tampa just 196 yards and only two field goals.
Campbell’s big play at the finish capped a big game, a team high 14 tackles, one for a loss and of course, a large pass break up.
Aside from Alexander, center Josh Myers went down late with either a bad cramp or lower leg injury, nothing was disclosed post game. Jake Hanson finished up at center.
The inactive players were Watson, Rasheed Walker, Caleb Jones, Sean Rhyan, Samori Toure and Jonathan Ford.
The Packers will return home to face Brady’s old bunch, the New England Patriots at Lambeau Field next Sunday at 3:25 PM.
