Instant Takeaways from Packers Hard Fought Road Win Over Bucs
By Paul Bretl
On the road, the Green Bay Packers come away with a hard-fought win over Tampa Bay.
Here are the instant takeaways from that Packers’ performance.
-David Bakhtiari was back, but on a pinch count, and in somewhat of an unorthodox approach, he rotated series early on with Yosh Nijman. Against a very good Bucs’ defensive front, the Packers’ OL held up well. Running the ball wasn’t easy, but it was effective enough, and Rodgers had the time he needed for the most part. They handled blitzes well too.
– Overall, the Packers won the battle at the line of scrimmage. On defense, they were able to put consistent pressure on Brady against a banged-up Bucs’ OL and they bottled up Leonard Fournette. They faced some adversity but responded well by forcing punts and turnovers. This group appears to be rounding into form.
– The Packers didn’t blitz once in the first two games; they did, however, against Tampa Bay on a few occasions with Quay Walker and De’Vondre Campbell. I wrote earlier in the week that if there’s a week to blitz, this is it, given that Brady gets the ball out quickly and the best way to disrupt him is with pressure up the middle.
– The run game wasn’t overly effective, as I just mentioned, but it was nice to see the Packers stick with it. In years past, they may have abandoned it earlier than they should have. The run game is a big part of their offense now, and they treated it that way against a stout defense.
– Unfortunately, Jaire Alexander left early on with a groin injury. Keisean Nixon took over as the slot cornerback in nickel, with Douglas and Stokes on the boundary–and credit to Nixon, he filled in well.
– After giving up an opening possession touchdown in each of the first two games, the Packers did give up some yardage but held Tampa Bay to a field goal.
– Romeo Doubs played a larger role with the Packers not having Sammy Watkins or Christian Watson, and he took advantage. Doubs is so explosive and does such a good job of creating space.
– Pat O’Donnell was very good for the Packers again. He had five punts inside the 20-yard line and a long of 57. Although the offense couldn’t move the ball, O’Donnell didn’t let the field position flip.
– Ball security remains an issue for the Packers. They now have three lost fumbles through three games. Rodgers has also thrown two interceptions already this season.
– Aaron Rodgers was excellent early on, not only with his efficiency, but the Packers ran a lot of RPOs, and he dialed up the correct call often. Rodgers was also very good about getting the ball out quickly as well. Unfortunately, the offense, along with Rodgers, were unable to put this game away in the second half. The run game struggled, and they found themselves in a lot more second and third and longs. Once Jones fumbled, for whatever reason, they just couldn’t move the ball anymore.
– Rudy Ford has been such a valuable addition as a gunner. He flies down the field. Keisean Nixon made a play of his own.
– The Packers’ defense has been very good in the red zone this season, despite sometimes letting the opponent get there a little too easily.
– We saw the same formula from a week ago from the Packers offense with the ball being spread around, RPOs, Jones and Dillon with plenty of opportunities, and a decent run-pass mix.
– After the defense dominated much of the game, the Packers became really passive on that final Bucs possession.