Evan Williams spent the final minutes of Sunday’s 17-14 Packers win making the kind of plays that turn a tight game into a finished one.
With Green Bay clinging to a three-point lead over Tampa Bay, the third-year safety came flying in from the secondary and dropped rookie quarterback Jalon Daniels for a 6-yard sack on the Buccaneers’ last drive. Then, on a critical fourth-and-11, defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon put Williams right back in the spotlight. Williams got pressure on Daniels again, forcing an incomplete pass that ended Tampa Bay’s final chance and locked up Green Bay’s second win of the season.
After the game, Williams made it clear he appreciated the way Gannon trusted him in those moments.
“Shoutout to [Gannon] just because he always preaches players, not plays, in the biggest situations,” Williams commented via Wes Hodkiewicz of Packers.com.
“For him to call my number in that type of situation, it means a lot to me.”
Green Bay’s official recap showed just how aggressive Gannon was on that final Tampa Bay possession. He dialed up pressure on each of the first three snaps.
Isaiah McDuffie opened the sequence by getting to Daniels on first down. Williams then broke through untouched on the next play and recorded the first sack of Daniels’ career.
Tampa Bay salvaged five yards on a screen pass on third-and-16, but the drive was already living on borrowed time.
On the decisive fourth down, Gannon went back to Williams again. The safety got to Daniels before he could escape the pocket, grabbing him by the legs as the quarterback tried to extend the play. Daniels still managed to get rid of the ball, but the pass fell incomplete.
That was it for Tampa Bay. Green Bay took over and ran out the clock.
For a Packers defense still getting used to Gannon’s system, the sequence was a clean example of what the coordinator wants: pressure, trust, and players making the decisive plays when the game is on the line.
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