Woah, hold up, Green Bay is heading to Tampa Bay this Sunday, and this game just got wild. Baker Mayfield is officially sidelined with a dislocated right thumb, which means undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels is getting his first NFL start. Seriously, a rookie starting against a 1-2 Packers team, while your own squad is sitting at 0-3? That’s a rough welcome to the league. The Packers are already favored by 4 points, and honestly, you can see why.
This Bucs Offense Is a Train Wreck , No Sugar Coating It
Look, the numbers don’t lie. Through three weeks, Tampa Bay has the absolute worst offense in the entire league by EPA/play, clocking in at a dreadful -0.23. Their EPA/dropback is 31st at -0.33, and their overall offensive success rate is a dismal 30th at 37.6%. This is not just bad, it’s historically bad to start the season. And now you’re throwing a rookie, Jalon Daniels, behind a line that has already given up *13 sacks*? That’s not just a challenge, it’s a full-blown crisis.
We saw this coming last year, didn’t we? The 2025 season started so promising, 6-2, and then it all went south. They finished 8-9, losing the NFC South on a tiebreaker, and the offense completely tanked after Week 9. They dropped games to New England, Buffalo, and the Rams by a combined 106-62 right after their bye. Former offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard got canned, along with the QB coach and a few other staff. They brought in Zac Robinson from the Falcons as the new OC, T.J. Yates for passing game coordinator, and Ken Zampese as an offensive assistant. They even signed running back Kenneth Gainwell for two years, $14 million. But so far, none of it is clicking, and now the entire season could hinge on an undrafted rookie. Yikes.
But Wait, That Defense Is Legit (Seriously!)
Okay, here’s the wild part, the one thing keeping Tampa Bay from being a complete disaster: their defense. It’s actually good! Per SumerSports, they’ve got a top-six defense by EPA/play allowed at -0.14. They’re ranked 4th in EPA/rush allowed at -0.22 and boast the 2nd-lowest rush success rate allowed in the NFL. Their overall defensive success rate allowed is 5th at 37.6%. Bowles still calls the defense, and he clearly knows what he’s doing on that side of the ball.
They made some solid moves to bolster that unit too, bringing in linebacker Alex Anzalone on a two-year, $17 million deal, plus defensive linemen A’Shawn Robinson and Rakeem Nuñez-Roches, and edge rushers Al-Quadin Muhammad and rookie Rueben Bain Jr. They did lose some big names like Lavonte David (retired) and Jamel Dean (Steelers), plus Haason Reddick and Logan Hall, but the core performance is still there.
So, here’s the deal for the Packers: they win this game by *not* handing Tampa short fields. The Bucs have shot themselves in the foot with turnovers and special teams blunders far more often than their defense has let them down. If Green Bay can play clean, protect the ball, and avoid gifting Tampa Bay easy scores, this should be their game. For Jalon Daniels, this is a sink-or-swim moment, right into the deep end against a desperate team with a solid defense. It’s going to be a real test of fire.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Acme Packing Company.
Leave a Reply