The Green Bay Packers are staring at a Week 4 test they can’t afford to fumble. At 1-2, with a revamped offensive line and a road trip to Raymond James Stadium on deck, they need a win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to steady the season and get back to .500.
The biggest issue remains the same one that has haunted them through three games: pass protection. Quarterback Jordan Love has already been hit 20 times and is on pace to be hit 113 times this season, a pace that’s hard to survive. Before the line overhaul, Green Bay had allowed 51 total pressures and 21 knockdowns, numbers that forced general manager Brian Gutekunst to bring in veterans Kevin Zeitler, Laken Tomlinson and Mekhi Becton to stabilize the unit.
That overhaul needs to show up fast. Matt LaFleur can help by leaning on the quick game and simplifying the workload for whoever is lined up up front. Love said the new linemen are still getting up to speed, but he made the team’s priorities clear.
“It’s just a matter getting to work, seeing how fast those guys can pick up the offense,” Love said of the new offensive linemen, per the Associated Press. “I think at the end of the day, putting the best five out there and there’s always going to be some competition in those positions, so do whatever the team feels best at that position.”
Green Bay also needs more from Tucker Kraft. The tight end is back after tearing his ACL in November of last season and has played three games, but the production still hasn’t caught up to the opportunity.
He has nine catches for 106 yards, averages 11.8 yards per catch and hasn’t scored yet. His 17 targets trail Matthew Golden’s 30 and Christian Watson’s 29, and the Packers would be smart to make him a bigger part of the plan early.
Kraft can help both as a receiving threat and as another option in the quick passing game, which makes him a natural fit for what Green Bay needs from Love.
On the other side of the ball, the Packers have to attack a Tampa Bay offense that is already shorthanded. The Buccaneers are 0-3 and will be without Baker Mayfield for the next few weeks because of a dislocated thumb, which means undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels gets the start.
Daniels spent six years at Kansas and now gets his first NFL start against Jonathan Gannon’s defense. That’s the kind of spot where Green Bay needs pressure early and often, with Gannon able to mix in exotic looks and blitzes to keep the rookie uncomfortable. The Packers were gashed on the ground in Week 3, giving up 242 rushing yards to the Falcons, including 194 yards and two touchdowns to Bijan Robinson, so this is also a chance for the defense to clean up what went wrong there.
The Packers have looked like two different teams so far this season. Week 4 offers a chance to show which version is real.
In Other News...
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Packers Suddenly Face Week 4 Pressure From An Unexpected Bucs QB
An undrafted rookie is suddenly set to get his first meaningful NFL shot in Week 4, and it comes with the kind of spotlight Green Bay did not have circled back in August. Jalon Daniels is expected to be in line for significant work for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers against the Packers, a matchup that carries a little extra intrigue because of the urgency surrounding a 0-3 start and the need for somebody to jolt the offense.
Former Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden added to the buzz by publicly encouraging Daniels, framing the moment as both an opportunity and a test of mindset. For Green Bay, the bigger picture is simple: a young quarterback stepping into a pressure-filled setting can bring unpredictability, and the Packers will be dealing with a Tampa Bay team hoping this change at the position can finally spark a turnaround. [Read more 🡒]