The Green Bay Packers defense came out swinging last Sunday, totally bouncing back from a rough Week 3 performance by absolutely shutting down a struggling Buccaneers offense. They forced two huge interceptions on backup quarterback Jalon Daniels, who was making his very first NFL start because Baker Mayfield was out injured. These guys held the Bucs to just 86 non-scrambling rushing yards, too. While their offense sputtered again, they still managed to put up 10 points in the first half directly off those two picks. But man, there was a steep price to pay: Edgerrin Cooper went down with what’s looking like a season-ending Achilles tear in the third quarter. Coach Matt LaFleur straight up said the outlook was “not good” and he suspects it’s season-ending, though testing still has to confirm it.
The Green Bay Defensive Masterclass That Overwhelmed Daniels
Seriously, this defense was everywhere. They sacked rookie quarterback Jalon Daniels three times, hit him seven times, and picked him off twice. They defended five passes, forced three three-and-outs, and even made a critical fourth-down stop. It was relentless, 17 pressures having a brutal impact on Daniels’ performance. The kid looked totally confused and overwhelmed by the different looks Jonathan Gannon was throwing at him right from the first series. Cooper, before he got hurt, was the one who set that tone early. Gannon called his first pressure to throw off the young quarterback, and Cooper sacked Daniels for no gain on a third-and-2 on Tampa Bay’s opening possession.
How They Dialed Up The Pressure and Took Control
That opening sack on Daniels was a thing of beauty. The defense lined up in an all-out blitz front with eight guys on the line of scrimmage. That kind of pressure forces the offensive line to commit to a slide in one direction and hope the quarterback can somehow bail them out with a quick hot throw. But the Packers snapped the ball and popped out into a 2-deep zone palms pressure. Those two zone droppers off the line of scrimmage dropped into shallow zones underneath, ready to gobble up anything from the #2 receivers inside. The outside flat defenders took #2 to the flat or covered #1 vertically. Evan Williams was the flat dropper to the defense’s right, while Brandon Cisse took the deep half. The deep safety cut the crosser and those underneath zones slammed shut on any throwing windows. Lukas Van Ness came screaming off the edge, forcing Daniels back inside right where Cooper was waiting at the line of scrimmage. On the Bucs’ second possession, Daniels scrambled to the Green Bay 49, and on the very next play, Evan Williams swooped in, undercut Emeka Egbuka on an out route, and grabbed a sideline interception. That huge play set up Matthew Golden’s leaping 2-yard touchdown catch on fourth-and-goal. What a sequence.
Edgerrin Cooper’s loss is a gut punch, especially after he had already put up 30 tackles, three sacks, and an interception this season. McDuffie stepped in and finished with four tackles, but replacing a player of Cooper’s caliber is a huge task for the Packers moving forward. This defense absolutely dominated against the Bucs, finishing with only 275 total yards and 19 first downs allowed. They need to keep that fire going, but man, losing Cooper stings.
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.
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