Green Bay vs Tampa Bay, Aaron Rodgers vs Tom Brady, enough said
It’s a “Battle of the Bays” as the Packers return from their bye week to take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium in the late afternoon game this coming Sunday.
The Packers are a perfect 4-0 and last played at home vs the Atlanta Falcons, a 30-16 Packer win. The Bucs are 3-2 after their last game, a 20-19 loss to the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on a Thursday night.
Tom Brady is 43 years old and is no longer playing for Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots, but he is still capable of getting it done. He has had his highs and lows so far this year, and their last game featured more of the latter. He is still a threat and has a weapon in WR Mike Evans. They have a lot of injured players but when they are out there, they are more than capable of having huge games. TE Rob Gronkowski came out of retirement to play for Brady and the Bucs. RB Leonard Fournette is not even starting, but he had big games with the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Packers might get Kenny Clark back, which is welcome news for sure. Rookie Kamal Martin has been activated as well. The Packers need a pass rush to disrupt Brady and get him off his game. Brady has thrown two interceptions that were returned for touchdowns already this season. With many players returning on defense for the Packers, they have a great opportunity to get turnovers and make big plays when they get them.
Aaron Rodgers continues to find ways to keep this offense going no matter who is out there. It looks like he will have some playmakers returning as Davante Adams had a full practice this week and Equanimeous St. Brown is active for the first time this season. Aaron Jones keeps finding ways to dominate and TE Robert Tonyan has a knack for finding the endzone. Hopefully, the Packer defense can make some huge plays of their own, but if it comes to a shootout, I like our chances with this Packer offense.
Brady is obviously going into the Hall of Fame on the first ballot, but it’s also obvious that he is showing some cracks in his game this year. He had 5 TD passes vs the Chargers but also made some critical mistakes this season, especially in his last game. Did he forget that it was fourth down against the Bears on Thursday night or was he just faking it? According to coach Bruce Arians, he knew exactly what down it was.
These two teams have had some memorable games, including a playoff game in which the Packers won 21-7 at Lambeau Field in January of 1998. Their last game was a 26-20 overtime win by the Packers, the winning touchdown scored by Aaron Jones. Aaron Rodgers was out with a collarbone injury during that game.
Much like Kobe Bryant and LeBron James in the NBA, it’s a shame we haven’t seen these two quarterbacks face off on the biggest stage, and it obviously won’t happen this year with both teams in the same conference. This game could very well determine where a potential playoff matchup would be though. Fans or not, we would rather see this game at Lambeau Field than in Tampa, Florida. By the way, the Packers had better get hydrated for this game on Sunday. It is expected to be a hot one.
With the exception of the Saints’ game, the Packers haven’t been tested a whole lot this season. This game might be different. The Packers finished their bye week but TB had some extended time off as well. Brady will also be looking to bounce back after that embarrassing final drive in his last game. The Packers need to be ready for this game.
I expect Brady and the Bucs to take their best shot, but if the Packers continue to play their game, I see a win by GB. Let’s get it going early and keep our foot on the gas pedal all day. Wherever you are, let’s get behind our team and cheer them to victory this Sunday!
Go Pack Go!
@DieHardPackrFan #DHPF #GregGoshaw @gg901
