By Five Things the Buccaneers Must Do to Beat the Packers
By Ken Filler | Tampa Bay Sports Journal
TAMPA — The Buccaneers have spent three weeks finding ways to lose. Sunday, they need to find a way to win.
The Buccaneers enter their game against the Green Bay Packers at 0-3, with rookie Jalon Daniels set to make his first NFL start.
Baker Mayfield is out with a right thumb injury.
Kickoff is Sunday at 1 p.m. at Raymond James Stadium. Green Bay comes in at 1-2.
That is a tough spot for a young quarterback. It is also a chance for the rest of this team to show what it is made of.
Bucs fans have heard enough about talent and potential.
We want to see clean football, solid blocking, and drives that end in touchdowns.
The season still has plenty of football left. But the Bucs cannot keep digging this hole deeper.
Here are five things the Buccaneers must do to beat the Packers.
1. Protect Jalon Daniels and give him a simple start
The Bucs have allowed an NFL-high 13 sacks through three games. Green Bay’s Lukas Van Ness leads the Packers with 2.5 sacks.
That should get Todd Bowles’s attention.
Daniels should not spend his first start dodging defenders before he can even look downfield.
Tristan Wirfs and the entire offensive line need to give him room to work.
Protection also falls on the coaches.
Offensive coordinator Zac Robinson should give Daniels a few easy throws early. A quick pass to a receiver or a short throw to a running back can help him settle in.
I would also like to see a few plays that let Daniels move and throw. His legs can help this offense, but asking him to escape pressure all afternoon is asking for trouble.
“He’s not playing by himself. Everybody has to do their job,” Todd Bowles said last week.
Catch the passes. Pick up the rush. Get the play called on time. A rookie quarterback has enough to think about without cleaning up everyone else’s mistakes.
2. Let Bucky Irving help carry the offense
This is a good week to lean on the running game.
Green Bay ranks 28th against the run, allowing 138.7 yards per game. Irving is averaging 4.5 yards per carry.
After dealing with a glute injury during the week, he has no game designation on the final injury report.
The opportunity is there. The Bucs need to take it.
A steady running game can give Daniels shorter third downs and keep Green Bay from coming after him on every snap.
It can also make the fake handoff more useful when the Bucs want to throw.
That starts with the line opening holes. Irving can make defenders miss, but he should not have to beat someone in the backfield to get back to the line of scrimmage.
Kenny Gainwell can help share the work, too.
The key is patience. One short gain should not cause Robinson to give up on the run.
At the same time, running into a wall over and over does no one any good. Find what works and keep giving the backs chances.
The Bucs need an offense that can move the chains without asking Daniels to make a great throw on every drive.
3. Turn red-zone trips into touchdowns
Here is a number that helps explain this start: Tampa Bay has scored touchdowns on just 30% of its trips inside the opponent’s 20-yard line. That ranks 30th in the NFL.
You cannot keep leaving that many points on the field.
Chase McLaughlin can make kicks. But the Bucs need to stop making him the answer to every stalled drive.
Near the goal line, everything gets tighter. There is less room to throw and less time to hesitate.
The Buccaneers need plays that Daniels knows well, receivers who finish catches and blockers who finish their jobs.
A false start can turn a good scoring chance into a much harder one. A sack can do the same.
I want to see the Bucs attack those chances with purpose. If the run is working, trust it. If a receiver has a good matchup, give him a chance.
Playing with a rookie does not mean settling for three points every time.
The Bucs need to help Daniels finish drives. Long possessions feel good, but touchdowns are what put pressure on the other team.
4. Keep Jordan Love from hitting the big play
Green Bay has struggled to run the ball, averaging a league-low 48.7 rushing yards per game.
The Buccaneers allow just 76 rushing yards per game, second-best in the NFL. The Bucs should make that strength count.
Stop the run, then make Jordan Love work for his yards. Do not let one missed assignment wipe out a full quarter of good defense.
Christian Watson has 17 catches for 284 yards and four touchdowns. He can change a game in a hurry.
Matthew Golden and tight end Tucker Kraft give Love other dangerous options.
Zyon McCollum and the secondary have a big job ahead of them. Keep receivers in front, tackle after the catch, and make sure somebody accounts for Kraft in the middle.
Covering the TE has been a problem for the Buccaneers so far this season.
Benjamin Morrison is out, while Jacob Parrish is questionable on Friday’s report. Those injuries make clear communication even more important.
The pass rush needs to help, too. David Walker leads Tampa Bay with two sacks despite playing only 28 defensive snaps through three games.
I would like to see him get more chances to rush Love. Pressure and coverage have to work together. Sending extra rushers does little good if it leaves someone wide open.
Make Green Bay earn a touchdown over several plays. Do not hand the Packers a quick one.
5. Stop giving away possessions
The Bucs have very little room for careless football.
That means protecting the ball, avoiding needless penalties, and handling the small details that keep a drive alive.
Daniels needs to know that throwing the ball away can be a good play. A punt can be a good result when the other choice is forcing a pass into coverage.
His teammates need that same sense of responsibility. Cover the ball in traffic. Stay set before the snap. Avoid the late shove that gives an opponent a fresh set of downs.
Special teams must do their part, too. Secure the catch, cover the kick, and make Green Bay start as far from the end zone as possible.
There will be mistakes. Daniels is making his first start, and expecting perfection would be unfair.
What we should expect is a team that helps him through those mistakes.
The Bucs can give themselves a chance Sunday by blocking better, running with purpose, and finishing drives. Their defense can help by keeping Love’s big plays off the scoreboard.
