The Packers return to action against the Buccaneers this Sunday after pummeling the Vikings 45-7 on Monday night. Had you listened to the MNF announcers, namely Jon Gruden, the score may have seemed like Aaron Rodgers: 45 and the unidentified opponent: 7. Although excessive at times, Rodgers earned the praise he received completing 23-30 passes for 250 yards and 4 touchdowns. For the season, Rodgers has thrown 28 touchdowns while just turning the ball over five times. For sake of comparison, Tom Brady of the Patriots, who ESPN analyst Skip Bayless insists is currently a better quarterback than Rodgers, has given the ball away twelve times while throwing 23 touchdowns. One of Bayless’ key arguments is that Brady was unanimous MVP last year while Aaron Rodgers failed to make the Pro Bowl. Indeed, Rodgers was not at the Pro Bowl…he was busy preparing for the Super Bowl; a tradeoff he and the Packers are eager to make again this season.
Last week, the Packers defense nearly shut out the Vikings, finally showcasing their ability to dominate an opponent. They managed to hold Adrian Peterson to only 51 yards rushing on 14 carries while holding the entire Vikings offense to only 266 yards and 7 points (largely setup by a Randall Cobb muffed punt). With momentum on their side, the defense will try to recapture some of their success this week against Tampa Bay’s slightly more formidable offense. The young Buccaneers team came into this season with playoff aspirations as they barely missed out on the Wildcard last year, falling victim to the Packers’ tiebreaker. Though both teams accumulated a 10-6 record last season, this season has been a tale of two opposites. The Packers are a perfect 9-0 while the Buccaneers have regressed significantly en route to three straight double-digit losses and a 4-5 record. What might explain Tampa Bay’s turn for the worse? Buccaneers Head Coach Raheem Morris offered his blatantly honest opinion: “[last year] we played a couple easier teams”. Blaming the schedule is not a path most coaches wish to travel, yet Morris has a point. Tampa Bay’s three consecutive defeats have come at the hands of the Texans, Saints, and Bears. However, their schedule doesn’t get any easier this week as they head to Lambeau to face the sole undefeated team in the NFL.
Josh Freeman:
When a football team struggles to meet expectations, the burden of blame generally lies on the back of the man running the offense. Not exempt from this generality is quarterback Josh Freeman, who has struggled mightily in his third year. Freeman appeared as though he was on the rise last season, completing over 60% of his passes for 25 touchdowns and just 6 interceptions in all 16 games. While his completion percentage remains steady this year, Freeman has thrown four more interceptions than touchdowns (13 to 9), more than doubling his interception total from all of last year. Like Philip Rivers, there isn’t a simple explanation for his troubles this season. One potential explanation for his struggles may be the ineffectiveness of his number one receiving threat, Mike Williams. As a rookie last season, Williams caught 65 passes for 964 yards (14.8 average) and 11 touchdowns. In his sophomore season, the receiver has only managed to amass 39 receptions for 406 yards (10.4 average) and 1 touchdown. Aside from Williams, Freeman lacks legitimate weapons in the passing game. Tight end Kellen Winslow, who seemingly lacks the explosiveness he once had, currently has only 344 yards receiving and two touchdowns. After those two players, receiving threats in their offense are almost non-existent. In fact, former Packer Kregg Lumpkin is their fifth leading receiver. Freeman’s struggles and Tampa Bay’s lack of offensive talent sets up a realistic scenario for Green Bay’s defense to expand on their impressive performance last week.
Tampa Bay Defense:
Josh Freeman and the Buccaneers offense are not fully to blame for their mediocre performances thus far. Tampa Bay’s defense, frequently acclaimed for their stingy “Tampa 2” style, has been underwhelming at best this season. Aside from cornerbacks Aquib Talib and ancient Ronde Barber, the Buccaneers lack consistent playmakers on defense. However, the Bucs’ have recently received a boost from rookie defensive lineman Adrian Clayborn, who has steadily improved his pass rushing (three sacks and a forced fumble). Unfortunately, the contributions of those three players hasn’t been nearly enough, as Tampa Bay’s defense ranks second to last in yards/game allowed with over 400, 28th in passing yards/game allowed, 29th in rushing yards/game allowed, and 27th in points/game allowed with 25.9. When considering Green Bay’s 4th ranked offense and back-to-back 45 point performances, the Packers shouldn’t face much resistance putting up points on Sunday.
Flashback to 2009:
By all indications, this game should not pose a daunting threat to the Packers and their aspirations for a perfect season. However, here’s a flashback to November 8th, 2009 when the 4-3 Packers travelled to Tampa to take on the hapless 0-7 Buccaneers. Aaron Rodgers was quickly solidifying himself into a solid NFL quarterback while the Buccaneers were shuffling between the likes of David Garrard and Josh Johnson searching for a win (they’d go on to with three that season). Tampa Bay decided to give rookie Josh Freeman the first start of his career, a role he would not relinquish. Heading into the fourth quarter the Packer held a 21-17 lead, an advantage which felt quite sustainable given Freeman’s unimpressive line so far. However, Freeman threw two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, giving him three for the game, and leading the charge of a fourth quarter comeback. The Buccaneers sealed the victory after After Rodgers threw his third interception of the day resulting in a pick-6. The final score was 38-28 and it was the low point of the season for the Packers, and quite possibly of Rodgers’ career.
If we fast-forward to 2011 it may seem even more unfathomable that Rodgers could be outdueled by Freeman and the Buccaneers. Obviously, the Packers are a more polished and talented team than they were two years ago. Nonetheless, that loss will undoubtedly resonate with the player who experienced it. It remains to be seen whether Aaron Rodgers and the Packers avenge the defeat from two years ago or whether history will repeat itself again. If I were a betting man, I’d place my chips in Rodgers’ corner.