Packers-Buccaneers Predictions: Will Advantage at Quarterback Be Enough?

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers, coming off a humiliating loss and with the meat of their schedule on the horizon, desperately need to earn a bounce-back victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday

The Buccaneers, who are 0-3 following three one-score defeats, might be even more desperate than the Packers.

In a game pitting teams with fatal flaws and disappointing records, here are our weekly predictions.

Bill Huber’s Packers Prediction

Wisconsin sports teams have been torpedoed by the worst luck imaginable over the years. Between the Miller Park roof and Baker Mayfield’s thumb, the sports gods have thrown the Badger State a bone this week.

The quarterback matchup today is Jordan Love, who entered the season considered a top-10 passer in the league, against Jalon Daniels, an undrafted rookie who will be making his first start.

This should be an advantage too big to waste. And maybe it will be.

However, in 2023, Tommy DeVito, an undrafted rookie, led the Giants past the Packers 24-22. He was 17-of-21 and led the Giants to a walk-off field goal.

The Packers were trounced last week by the Falcons, a team with a superb run defense and attacking personality. Against the Buccaneers on Sunday, the Packers will face a superb run defense with an attacking personality.

That’s going to be a problem.

Coach Matt LaFleur knows there can’t be a repeat of last week’s one-sided offense that included just eight handoffs to running backs. He’ll want to establish the run; unfortunately for him, the Buccaneers rank second in the NFL against the run. Will he stubbornly ride the team tricycle into the garage door 20 times? Or will the changes on the offensive line pay immediate dividends?

It’s wild to think the Packers let two starting offensive linemen go this offseason, didn’t sign a veteran in free agency and added only one lineman with a fifth-round draft pick, and then went through training camp with Jonathan Gannon’s blitzers parading into the backfield, but somehow thought their offensive line would be good enough to win games.

It was complete mismanagement. The Packers are fortunate to be 1-2. They might be more fortunate that Love is healthy.

Finally, general manager Brian Gutekunst did something. He signed three experienced linemen this week. Two of them, left guard Laken Tomlinson and right guard Kevin Zeitler, might wind up starting on Sunday after three practices.

Are they in good enough shape to handle the Buccaneers for 60-some plays on a 90-degree day? Will they know what they’re doing against one of the most aggressive defenses in the NFL?

What does it matter? The phrase “desperate times mean desperate measures” has never been more accurate. Between injuries and ineffective play, the Packers have to hope the combined 25,000-plus snaps of regular-season experience between Zeitler and Tomlinson will be good enough for the Packers to cobble together a winning performance on offense.

“Definitely early mornings, late nights right now,” Zeitler said on Friday. “Been a whirlwind. But doesn’t matter. Whatever it takes to get this offense down as fast as possible.”

So long as the offensive line doesn’t lose the game, which one could argue is why they lost against the Vikings and Jets, the Packers should win. Daniels is going to be an X-factor as an athlete and runner at times. However, if Gannon can keep the 6-foot rookie trapped in the pocket, he might have a hard time moving the ball with any consistency through the air given the state of his beat-up receiver corps.

The Packers, obviously, are a flawed team. Fortunately for them, Daniels is not Michael Penix. Running back Bucky Irving is not Bijan Robinson. Receiver Emeka Egbuka is not Drake London. The Bucs just don’t have the horsepower to replicate the Falcons’ success last week.

It won’t be pretty, but the Buccaneers’ offensive limitations will be the difference. At the end of the day, Green Bay will be 2-2, which, all things considered, is a win through the first quarter of the season.

Prediction: Packers 16, Buccaneers 6.

Bill’s Record: 2-1.

Jacob Westendorf’s Packers-Buccaneers Prediction

If Baker Mayfield was playing, there’s no way I would be picking the Packers, even with the reinforcements on the offensive line.

Green Bay has played poorly in all three games this season, and they probably don’t deserve the benefit of the doubt here.

The reality, however, is quarterback Jalon Daniels is an undrafted rookie making his first start. It’s hard to envision the Bucs being able to cobble together enough offense with what might need to be a gimmicky offense to keep the young quarterback comfortable.

So, the Packers will squeak by, setting up a showdown next week with Chicago.

Prediction: Packers 14, Buccaneers 13.

Jacob’s Record: 1-2.

The Packers haven't handled the blitz well this year and now will face "blitz monster" coach Todd Bowles. That's among 3⃣ reasons why they'll lose.https://t.co/QxzVB3QXAs

Then again, the new linemen will be one of 3⃣ reasons why they'll win.⬇️https://t.co/3KwFYpCPMF
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) October 4, 2026

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