Week Three of the 2022-2023 NFL slate has arrived, and with it, a marquee matchup between two elite franchises. The Green Bay Packers will visit Raymond James Stadium on September 25 to take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Sunday will mark the Buccaneers’ first home game of the season and it begins in thrilling fashion as two NFC powerhouses go head-to-head. The clash starring headliners Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers will mark the first time the two teams have met since the 2020 playoffs – when the Bucs went on to win Super Bowl LV. The Bucs and Packers will vie for contention in the NFC to clinch the coveted crown jewel and Sunday serves as a stepping stone.
After back-to-back-to-back 13-win seasons, the Packers are now twelve years past their last Super Bowl Championship. Green Bay won the NFC North title for the third-straight season (2019-21) and earned the No. 1 seed in the NFC in 2021 for the fourth time since 1990, which granted home field advantage, but their aspirations ended abruptly following a 13-10 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. That game that featured game-shifting special teams gaffes. In the Divisional Round versus San Francisco, the Packers yielded a blocked punt and surrendered a blocked field goal. The unit finished last in opponent punt return average and converted field goals at the second-lowest rate in the league. Despite a defense that did not give up a single touchdown against the 49ers and the club’s premier man under center, the Packers – like many – fell short of the elusive goal and are left with a bitter recollection.
Despite injuries to Za’Darius Smith, Jaire Alexander, and David Bakhtiari among others, the Packers remained atop the league’s hierarchy in 2021. Rodgers threw for 4,115 yards, and tossed 37 touchdown passes to just four interceptions, garnering the NFL’s Most Valuable Player award. The 38-year-old quarterback led the team to finishing 10th in the league in points per game, with Davante Adams and Aaron Jones as the offensive catalysts down the stretch.
On the defensive side of the ball, Green Bay reached new heights under the tutelage of Joe Barry in his first year. The former Los Angeles Rams assistant guided the unit to top-15 grades in points, rushing yards and passing yards allowed per game; Rashan Gary (9.5 sacks), Preston Smith (nine tackles for loss) and Rasul Douglas (five interceptions) spearheaded the charge.
Now, a new era begins in the frozen tundra. The Packers still have Matt LaFleur, a young…
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