Live Updates: Buccaneers Beat Packers
GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers need a win to stay front and center in the NFC playoff race. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers need a win to maintain their lead in the NFC South. Who will win? Follow along for updates on a dreary Sunday at Lambeau Field.
Final Score
The Buccaneers embarrassed Joe Barry's defense in a 34-20 victory. Here is our game story.
Fourth Quarter
Buccaneers 34, Packers 20 (4:18 remaining)
The Packers’ last-gasp died on three consecutive incompletions and a sack/fumble/loss of 21 on fourth down.
Would coach Matt LaFleur even consider firing his defensive coordinator with three games remaining?
Buccaneers 34, Packers 20 (6:30 remaining)
Could the Packers get a stop? Of course not. On third-and-4, Baker Mayfield hit Chris Godwin for 11. On the next third-and-4, Mayfield connected with David Moore at the first-down marker between De’Vondre Campbell and Keisean Nixon. Nixon missed the tackle and Moore was off to the races for a 52-yard touchdown. Mayfield has thrown for 381 yards, just 16 off his career high.
Buccaneers 27, Packers 20 (10:04 remaining)
The Packers made it a one-score game on Anders Carlson’s 33-yard field goal. Completions of 20 and 19 yards to Dontayvion Wicks moved the offense into scoring position. On second-and-6, a toss to Aaron Jones gained 5. Coach Matt LaFleur challenged the spot and lost. It was a foolish challenge? Does the coach not believe his offense can pick up a third-and-one-half? So, a challenge and timeout were wasted. A “Love Shove” gained the first down but a corner blitz on third-and-4 forced an incompletion.
Now, can the defense get a stop?
Third Quarter
Buccaneers 27, Packers 17 (20 seconds remaining)
Baker Mayfield’s season high was 317 passing yards. He’s up to 318 yards with merely 15 more minutes to get to 400-plus or whatever is needed. In a horrendous performance by Joe Barry’s defense that should ratchet up the pressure on the embattled defensive coordinator, the Bucs answered Jordan Love’s touchdown by getting 22 yards to Cade Otton, 21 yards to Chris Godwin and 22 more to Otton before a 2-yard touchdown pass to tight end Ko Kieft.
Buccaneers 20, Packers 17 (4:18 remaining)
Green Bay’s offense stumbled around for most of 2 hours this afternoon and then found some magic. On third-and-5, Jordan Love found Dontayvion Wicks over the middle, and the rookie dragged the Buccaneers’ defense for about 10 yards for a gain of 22. On third-and-8, with the Bucs sending a corner blitz, Love lofted one to Wicks, who made a leaping catch for 21. On first-and-20, Malik Heath made an incredible sliding catch for 15 to set up a first down. Finally, after two completions to Patrick Taylor lost 4 yards, Love broke contain and threw a bullet to Jayden Reed for an improbable 17-yard touchdown at the sideline against tight coverage by Zyon McCollum.
Buccaneers 20, Packers 10 (10:55 remaining)
That big moment mentioned earlier? None to be found. Baker Mayfield hit running back Rachaad White for a 26-yard touchdown. White looked just like a receiver, catching one up the seam, juking Rudy Ford and going untouched for the 14 yards after the catch. Green Bay gave up a third-and-6 conversion on an 18-yard throw to Mike Evans and a third-and-12 on a way-too-easy receiver screen to Chris Godwin, with tight end Cade Otton blocking Ford as part of the convoy.
Mayfield is destroying the Packers. He’s 16-of-20 for 251 yards and two touchdowns. He hasn't thrown for that many yards in a month.
Buccaneers 13, Packers 10 (14:21 remaining)
The Packers went three-and-out in a dismal start to the second half. A first-down shot play was ruined by Calijah Kancey’s rush on Jordan Love. On third-and-7, Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks were in the same vicinity and Jordan Love threw incomplete; Tucker Kraft was open for what would have been an easy conversion.
So, a big moment is here for Green Bay’s defense, which was torched in the first half.
Halftime
Buccaneers 13, Packers 10
The Buccaneers have piled up 211 yards in the first half. The run defense, for a change, isn’t the problem. Rather, it’s that the Packers have made Baker Mayfield look like Tom Brady. Mayfield is 12-of-14 for 187 yards, with Chris Godwin wrecking the defense with seven receptions for 108 yards.
Jordan Love is 11-of-14 passing for the Packers and Aaron Jones, fresh off injured reserve, has carried nine times for 43 yards. Green Bay’s only touchdown came courtesy of a sack-strip by Kingsley Enagabre that set up Love’s 5-yard scoring pass to Tucker Kraft.
The Packers will get the ball to start the second half.
Second Quarter
Buccaneers 13, Packers 10 (10 seconds remaining)
Chase McLaughlin’s 46-yard field goal gave the Buccaneers the lead just before halftime. The Packers had a chance late in the half, with the Buccaneers facing a third-and-3 from their 18. But Mayfield hit Godwin for 8. And David Moore for 16. And Godwin for 25, with Mayfield’s pass going over Keisean Nixon and Quay Walker. A sack on a well-run stunt by Lukas Van Ness and a hold by Luke Goedeke vs. Rashan Gary made it second-and-29, but Mayfield found Godwin for 24 more to set up the field goal.
Packers 10, Buccaneers 10 (2:13 remaining)
At least the Packers flipped the field, though a delay-of-game penalty on third-and-6 was killer with the Packers approaching midfield. On third-and-11, Jordan Love connected with receiver Jayden Reed on a crossing route; Reed was crunched by linebacker Lavonte David and safety Kaevon Merriweather and went inside the blue medical tent during the commercial break.
Packers 10, Buccaneers 10 (5:31 remaining)
The Packers forced a three-and-out, with Kenny Clark blowing past guard Cody Mauch and hitting Baker Mayfield just as he was throwing the pass. It was Mayfield’s first incomplete pass of the game. Punter Jake Camarda’s 65-yard bomb landed with the spin of a PGA Tour pro’s wedge, so the Packers are buried at the 4.
Packers 10, Buccaneers 10 (7:09 remaining)
Anders Carlson’s 36-yard field goal tied the score. Tucker Kraft had the two big plays. First, on third-and-2, he took a pass in the flat for a gain of 8, thanks in large part to an excellent perimeter block by Romeo Doubs. On the next play, Jordan Love found Kraft storming across the middle for a catch-and-run gain of 36 that ended with Kraft trying to hurdle a defender and taking a hit to a sensitive area.
Buccaneers 10, Packers 7 (12:21 remaining)
Mike Evans beat Eric Stokes for a 19-yard touchdown catch to put the Bucs back in front. Eric Stokes, fresh off injured reserve and making his first start in more than 13 months, bit on Evans’ move to the corner and couldn’t recover as Evans took the route to the post. If Stokes was expecting help, it was nowhere to be found. Baker Mayfield is 7-of-7 for 108 yards.
First Quarter
Packers 7, Buccaneers 3 (49 seconds remaining)
Kinsley Enagbare’s sack-strip-recovery set up a 5-yard touchdown pass to Tucker Kraft. The call was a screen to Kraft, who side-stepped Lavonte David and then cleared the pile at the goal line for the score. It was all set up Enagbare, who beat right tackle Luke Goedeke around the corner, then surged back to nail Baker Mayfield from behind. It was a great hustle play by Enagbare, who was pushed a couple yards into end zone before he hit Mayfield.
Buccaneers 3, Packers 0 (2:25 remaining)
Aaron Jones would be on a snap count, coach Matt LaFleur said. If so, a lot of snaps and production were just wasted. Jones carried eight times for 44 yards on the opening drive, including a 20-yarder behind key blocks from Josh Myers and Tucker Kraft. However, the drive died. On third-and-1 from the 3, Jones lost a yard. On fourth-and-2 from the 4, Jordan Love had Jayden Reed open on an out vs. Dee Delaney but the pass was well off the mark.
Buccaneers 3, Packers 0 (9:02 remaining)
It was a vintage start by Joe Barry’s defense, which gave up a bunch of yards but limited the damage to a field goal after Kenny Clark’s third-down sack of Kenny Clark. Baker Mayfield completed two passes to Chris Godwin for 23 yards and a checkdown to Rachaad White gained 24. However, Quay Walker blew up a first-down end-around and Rashan Gary’s immediate pressure on third-and-6 turned into a sack by Clark. Chase McLaughlin kicked a 39-yard field goal.
Jordan Love vs. the Bucs
Photo by Jeff Hanisch/USA Today Spots Images
Tough-Guy Jayden Reed
The rookie wall is a real thing, but Packers rookie receiver Jayden Reed is ready to run through it.
“Definitely pretty sore,” he said this week. “That’s just what comes with it. Week in and week out, just taking body blows and having to come back and just prepare yourself. You just got to learn how to be a pro, come in every week, know how to take care of your body and manage it, continue to help yourself for the next week.”
Reed has played through a series of injuries. Following the loss to the Giants, he was dealing with a bad ankle. Thanks to his girlfriend, he had a secret weapon in his recovery.
“I got some boots that I usually put on,” Reed said. “They kind of blow up a little bit, squeeze the legs and get the blood flowing and stuff like that. So that’s kind of how I recover at home. And when I come here, I hop in the tubs, get treatment.”
He’s been using the recovery boots since his days at Michigan State. His girlfriend bought him his own set.
“It squeezes your muscles and it gets the blood flowing a little bit,” he said. “And then you know once you take them off, it kind of just flushes everything that’s bad going on in your legs.”
Packers-Buccaneers Inactives
AJ Dillon is out.
And Jaire Alexander won’t play. Again.
With Dillon’s absence, the importance of Jones’ return can’t be overstated against an attacking Buccaneers defense.
“They present you with different looks, pressures, a variety of looks, so you know never know who’s coming,” Jones said. “Everybody’s eligible across the board. They may show one way and then drop guys out and bring it the other way. They try to confuse you.”
While Jones will play, Patrick Taylor and even Kenyan Drake will get their opportunities.
Based on warmups, the starting safeties with Darnell Savage out will be Jonathan Owens and Rudy Ford.
On Alexander, here is some noteworthy detective work by The Athletic's Matt Schneidman.
Huge Game for NFC Playoffs
For two 6-7 teams, there’s a lot on the line. For the Buccaneers, it’s their tenuous hold on the NFC North lead. For the Packers, it’s their tenuous grip on a playoff spot and also the possibility of moving up from No. 7 to No. 6, which would be the difference between (as it stands entering Sunday) a trip to Dallas and a trip to Detroit.
“We just look at every game like we’re trying to go 1-0 every week,” Reed said. “Every opponent is different. I’m sure a lot of people would say we were going to win the last game we played. Previous weeks, they thought we were going to lose. So, I think you just got to bring it in any given Sunday, because every game is going to be different, and you can’t play different every week.”
How important is this game? Here’s what a couple of the models say.
For each of the last 33 seasons, at least four teams have qualified for the playoffs after failing to qualify for the postseason the year before. Entering Week 15, five teams were in that position: Cleveland, Detroit, Green Bay, Indianapolis and Pittsburgh.
Packers-Buccaneers: Today's Vitals
Kickoff: noon Sunday.
Location: Lambeau Field.
TV: CBS (Andrew Catalon, Tiki Barber, Matt Ryan and AJ Ross). The game will not be nationally televised, so will it be on TV where you live? Here’s the broadcast map from 506 Sports.
Stream: fuboTV offers more than 100 channels and a free trial.
Radio: Packers Radio Network (Wayne Larrivee and Larry McCarren), Sports USA (Josh Appel and Mark Carrier) and SiriusXM 109, 228 or SiriusXM.us/PackersSXM.
Betting line: Packers by 3.5 at SI Sportsbook with a total of 41.5. Those numbers have not changed this week.
In the rankings: Green Bay on offense ranks 17th in points per game (21.5), 16th in passing per play (6.47) and 12th in rushing per play (4.27). On defense, it ranks 11th in points per game (20.5), 15th in passing per play (6.33) and 28th in rushing per play (4.61). It is 16th in turnovers (even) and 16th in yardage differential (minus-12.8).
Tampa Bay on offense ranks 22nd in points per game (20.2), 22nd in passing per play (6.33) and 31st in rushing per play (3.52). On defense, it ranks 13th in points per game (20.8), 29th in passing per play (7.21) and ninth in rushing per play (3.91). It is sixth in turnovers (plus-6) and 28th in yardage differential (minus-58.5).
