Bucs HC Todd Bowles – Photo by: USA Today The Bucs have won back-to-back games for just the second time this season and appear to have some momentum heading into Green Bay, where they’ll luck out with the weather. Kickoff temperature is only supposed to be 40 degrees on Sunday with just a 12% chance of precipitation, which would be rain and not snow. In the middle of December, it could be much colder than it will be this week, and at least it won’t be snowing when Tampa Bay heads north. The Bucs have yet to win three games in a row this year, but if they do, they’ll be back at .500 with a 7-7 record. That would only increase the team’s confidence heading into a Christmas Eve game at home against the 8-5 Jaguars. What’s At Stake For The Packers After a 2-5 start, the Packers caught fire in the middle of the season, winning four out of their next five games to improve to 6-6 on the year. A terrible game at New York on Monday night in a 24-22 loss to the Giants snapped a three-game winning streak. Green Bay was without its top running back in Aaron Jones, its top receiver in Christian Watson, its top cornerback in Jaire Alexander and its top linebacker in Quay Walker for the Giants game, which undoubtedly had an impact. 
Packers QB Jordan Love and HC Matt LaFleur – Photo by: USA Today Alexander and Jones are expected back for the Bucs game this week, and there is a chance that Walker and maybe Watson return as well. Green Bay has an impressive 16-0 home winning streak in December under head coach Matt LaFleur. The Packers are 4-2 at Lambeau Field this year, including three straight impressive home wins versus the Rams, 20-3, Chargers, 23-20, and Chiefs, 27-19. Will Sunday be a fourth straight home win? Despite being in third place in the NFC North right now, the Packers are in seventh place in the NFC playoff picture and currently have the final Wild Card playoff spot. They’ll need a win over Tampa Bay to move to 7-7 and stay in the NFC playoff race. The Bucs Win If… Tampa Bay has really improved its running game over the last three weeks, rushing for 125 yards at Indianapolis, 128 yards versus Carolina and a season-high 148 yards at Atlanta. The Bucs have seen running back Rachaad White rush for 100 yards, 84 yards and 102 yards over that span, and he’s really emerged as a big-time weapon on offense with five total touchdowns in the last six games. The Bucs will need to keep the ground assault going against a porous Packers run defense that ranks 31st in the league and allows an average of 141.8 yards per game. Green Bay surrendered 202 yards on the ground to New York on Monday night. 
Bucs RB Rachaad White – Photo by: USA Today While Mike Evans was held to just one catch for eight yards last week and the Bucs still won in spite of that, Evans will need to rebound and have another big day in the passing game for Tampa Bay. Baker Mayfield will also need to bounce back from an ugly passing day in Atlanta, where he completed less than 50% of his throws. The good news for Mayfield is that the Packers stink when it comes to forcing takeaways through the air. Green Bay has just six interceptions this season. The Packers offense isn’t incredible in any area. The running game is above average when Aaron Jones is healthy, and the passing game is also above average due to Jordan Love’s recent improvement. If Jones and wide receiver Christian Watson return to the lineup, it presents some problems because of the diversity of weapons the Packers have. Jones and A.J. Dillon are a formidable 1-2 punch on the ground, while Green Bay has a stable of young, productive receivers in Watson, Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks. Pressuring Love and forcing turnovers will be huge for Tampa Bay. The Packers Win If… Quarterback Jordan Love didn’t play great on Monday night in New York, throwing just one touchdown and an interception. The Packers will need him to return to form and play the way he did during Green Bay’s three-game winning streak against the Chargers, Lions and Chiefs where he completed over 68% of his passes with eight touchdowns and no interceptions. Getting Aaron Jones and possibly Christian Watson back for the Tampa Bay game would also help. 
Packers QB Jordan Love – Photo by: USA Today While the Packers offense didn’t play great against the Giants, it was the Green Bay defense that cost the team a chance to win. The Packers didn’t record a single sack on Giants backup quarterback Tommy DeVito and allowed him to scramble for 71 yards. Green Bay also didn’t pick him off and has done a terrible job intercepting passes this year. Green Bay’s defense has to do a better job of stuffing the run and taking the ball away versus Tampa Bay. Finally, Matt LaFleur is one of the better coaches in the NFL, and needs to out-coach Todd Bowles on Sunday. The last time the two teams met, the Packers prevailed in Tampa Bay in 2022, 14-12, but lost in the NFC Championship Game in 2020 at Lambeau Field. LaFleur’s decision to kick a late field goal in the red zone rather than go for a touchdown on fourth down proved to be costly. Bucs’ Key Matchup On Offense Bucs RT Luke Goedeke vs. Packers OLB Rashan Gary 
Bucs RT Luke Goedeke – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR Wisconsin native Luke Goedeke returns to his home state for the first time to play and he’ll have his hands full against Packers edge rusher Rashan Gary. Green Bay’s leading sacker has nine QB captures this season and will need to rebound from a sub-par game at New York. The Packers didn’t record a sack against the Giants and their run defense continued to falter, allowing 202 yards on the ground. Gary will need to step up in both facets and have a big game against Tampa Bay. Five of Gary’s nine sacks have come at home at Lambeau Field. Goedeke has been one of the Bucs’ most improved players this year and is equally adept at pass protection as well as run blocking. Nicknamed “Luke the Lifter,” Goedeke has the strength and size to handle the 6-foot-5, 277-pound Gary, who plays with a high motor. Goedeke will need to play near-perfect football to shut Gary down on Sunday. Bucs’ Key Matchup On Defense Bucs Secondary vs. Packers Wide Receivers 
Bucs CB Carlton Davis III – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR Legendary Packers receiver Davante Adams is long gone, and so are the days of Green Bay having a true No. 1, go-to receiver. Instead, the Packers have a collection of young, talented receivers for Jordan Love to throw to, and any one of them can star on any given Sunday. Tampa Bay’s secondary will need to play better than it did last week in Atlanta, where it surrendered 347 yards to Desmond Ridder. Packers rookie Jayden Reed currently leads the team with 48 catches for 540 yards (11.3 avg.) and five touchdowns, but Romeo Doubs has near-identical numbers with 49 receptions for 537 yards (11 avg.) and seven TDs. Christian Watson, who has missed four games due to injury, has 28 grabs for 422 yards (15.1 avg.) and five scores, while Dontayvion Wicks has 25 grabs for 394 (15.8 avg.) and one TD. With so many different weapons for Love to throw to, every Bucs defensive back will need to be alert and assignment-sound on Sunday. Great sticky coverage and an interception or two from the secondary will go a long way towards beating the Packers in Green Bay. The post SR’s Pick-6 Preview: Bucs at Packers appeared first on Pewter Report. Source: https://www.pewterreport.com/bucs-at-pa ... 6-preview/
