The Green Bay Packers barely scraped by with a 17-14 win against the still winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 4, but let’s be real, it felt a whole lot messier than that final score suggests. This wasn’t a clean game of football by any stretch, and a three-point victory over a still-searching-for-a-win team with an undrafted rookie quarterback won’t calm any nerves about this squad.
The Penalty Parade and Red Zone Regrets
If you watched that game, you know what I’m talking about: the penalties. The Packers came into Week 4 ranked as the number one team in the entire NFL in a *bad* way, leading in both penalties called and penalty yardage. And guess what? They just added another 10 penalties to that count on Sunday. While the officials were calling things pretty soft across the board, which cut both ways in this matchup, the fact remains: Green Bay is likely heading into Week 5 as the most penalized team in the league. It’s not just the quantity, either; those drive-starting fouls, forcing a 1st and 20 hole as soon as they touched the field, absolutely crushed any momentum. There’s no sugarcoating it, this is a sloppy team right now and they absolutely have to clean it up. It wasn’t just penalties either; they fumbled the ball at the one-yard line and threw an interception inside the 10-yard line. You just can’t make those kinds of mistakes and expect to win consistently.
Evan Williams Delivers, But Injury Woes Mount
Amidst the chaos, safety Evan Williams stepped up big time. Undrafted rookie quarterback Jalon Daniels from the Bucs had been surprisingly mobile, running for 55 yards against the Packers’ defense, and they’d struggled to bring him down. But Williams got real personal with him on the final drive, wrapping Daniels for a crucial sack. Then, on fourth down, with the game on the line, Williams was clamped to Daniels’ legs, forcing a bad throw that ended the game. That was clutch, no doubt. On the bright side, the run game finally showed some life; the Packers didn’t completely abandon it, running the ball 25 times for 86 yards, which was their best rushing effort this season. However, the good news was overshadowed by some serious injury concerns. Linebacker Edgerrin Cooper went down with an Achilles injury, and rookie second-round pick cornerback Brandon Cisse left the game with a neck injury and a concussion. Cooper, who was starting at Will linebacker, will be replaced by Isaiah McDuffie. Cisse, a starter at right cornerback, will see Carrington Valentine step in. While running back Chris Brooks, who got the start, and defensive lineman Devonte Wyatt were given in-game statuses, Wyatt did manage to return to the field.
Pressure Cooker Coming Up
Next week brings the long-awaited matchup between the Packers and the Chicago Bears at Lambeau Field. This is a game both fanbases, and probably the coaching staffs, have had circled since the schedule dropped. After this unconvincing three-point win over a UDFA rookie quarterback and a winless team, don’t expect any doubts about this team regressing to calm down. Week 5 in Lambeau is going to be an absolute pressure cooker. How this team responds, especially with those new injuries and persistent penalty issues, will tell us a lot about what kind of season this is going to be.
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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