Edgerrin Cooper, who was having arguably his finest game of the season with 9 tackles, a sack, and an interception, was carted off the field in the third quarter on Sunday, a likely season-ending injury that took all the air out of the Green Bay Packers’ 17-14 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“A Curse” No One Is Ready For
Sean Rhyan didn’t mince words after the game, saying, “We’ve been kind of hit with some type of curse.” And honestly, who could blame him? That gut punch of seeing Cooper go down with a non-contact injury felt like the football gods were just twisting the knife. Cooper was pushing for All-Pro consideration this season, racking up stats that scream impact player. He was in the middle of a phenomenal performance against the Bucs, snagging his second career interception, adding a sack, and flying around for 9 tackles. Then, boom. Gone. It’s an all too familiar story for Green Bay, too. Last year, they lost Tucker Kraft and Micah Parsons to torn ACLs, both playing at an All-Pro level. This season, Jayden Reed and Zach Bako-Bewele, key cogs in the offense, have already gone down. You saw the immediate effect too; the Bucs rolled right down the field on a 12-play, 89-yard touchdown drive right after Cooper’s exit, cutting the lead to three points. How do you recover from that?
A Win, But The Coach Is Fuming
Yeah, the Packers got the W, moving to 2-2 and keeping themselves right in the thick of the NFC North race. The offensive line even looked way better, benefiting from some changes at both guard spots and going up against a Bucs team with a “fairly dismal pass rush.” But even with the win, LaFleur wasn’t celebrating. Not even close. He was “fiery and frustrated” at the podium, calling out the team’s “continued mistakes , turnovers and penalties,” especially in the fourth quarter. He knows those errors “very easily could have led to yet another blown double-digit lead.” Despite those offensive blunders, the defense, somehow, did “just enough” late, forcing a punt and a turnover on downs to seal the narrow three-point victory. A huge shoutout has to go to Evan Williams, who really stepped up. After a first-quarter interception, he made his way into the backfield three times on the Bucs’ final series, showing he can be a closer for this squad. Isaiah McDuffie, Evan Williams, and Tucker Kraft all spoke about Cooper’s injury too; it’s clear this hits everyone hard.
So, while the win column looks better, the cost feels incredibly high. Losing Cooper, presumably for the rest of the season, means the Packers’ defense is without “one of its most dynamic young playmakers.” They scraped by against the Bucs, but the road ahead without him is going to be a brutal test for this team. Can they overcome what feels like a literal curse, and keep pushing in the NFC North? We’ll find out.
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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