The Green Bay Packers’ 17-14 escape in Tampa Bay already looked messy enough on its own. After Thursday night, it looks a lot better.
What felt like a narrow, unconvincing win against a winless Buccaneers team now carries a little more weight after the Dallas Cowboys went into the same building and fell 24-16. Tampa Bay made Dallas’ passing game with CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens look shockingly ordinary, and the Bucs’ first victory of the season came with Jalon Daniels still making the start in place of the injured Baker Mayfield.
That matters for how Green Bay’s result is being viewed in Week 5. The Packers only scored 17 points, and Tampa had multiple chances to swing the game. But the defense held up exceptionally well, and Jordan Love did enough to keep the offense moving and the Packers in control.
For a Green Bay team sitting at 2-2, that’s the kind of win they can use. The Packers’ first victory came in overtime against a New York Jets team that has looked worse by the week, so this one has a better case for being a real building block. All wins count the same in the standings, but some age better than others, and this one is starting to look sturdier than it did on Sunday.
That’s especially important with a huge divisional game against the Chicago Bears coming next. In a crowded NFC North race, Green Bay can’t afford many more stumbles if it wants to stay close to the surprisingly competitive Minnesota Vikings.
Thursday night also reinforced the idea that Tampa Bay may be better than its record suggests. The Bucs played hard, scored 24 points against Dallas, and finally got into the win column. If that team keeps trending upward, the Packers’ slim road win may end up looking even more significant.
Week 5 will help sort out whether Green Bay’s trip to Tampa was just a scrappy win or something more useful than it first seemed.
In Other News...
Packers Mourn The Loss Of A Champion Who Never Left Green Bay
Nelson Toburen was one of those Packers whose impact lasted far beyond his playing days. The former Green Bay linebacker was part of two NFL championship teams, and when his football career ended early, he built another life in Wisconsin as an attorney and later as a state district judge. Even after leaving the field, he stayed tied to the franchise and remained a familiar part of the Packers extended family.
Toburens story carried a toughness that fit the era and the organization, from championship runs in Green Bay to the abrupt end of his career in 1962. He went on to earn respect in the courtroom, but his connection to the Packers never really faded, which is why his passing on October 4 lands as more than just a footnote for the team. It feels like the loss of one of the last links to a championship generation that helped define Green Bay. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Suddenly Need Pierre Strong Jr. More Than Anyone Expected
Green Bay turned to Pierre Strong Jr. this week, activating the running back from the practice squad ahead of Sundays matchup with the Bears. The move comes with the Packers searching for any spark they can find on the ground, a concern that has only grown as the offense has struggled to get its rushing game moving.
The timing underscores how urgent the problem has become. Through four games, Green Bay sat last in the NFL in rushing yards with 232, a startling figure for a team that expected more balance early in the season. Whether Strong can change that picture right away remains unclear, but the Packers are clearly willing to give him a look in a spot where they need answers fast. [Read more 🡒]
Jordan Love Faces A Pressure Game The Packers Can't Afford
Jordan Love heads into a divisional matchup with Chicago carrying the kind of early-season numbers that can be read two ways. He has thrown for 1,041 yards with eight touchdowns and three interceptions, but the more telling number is his 56.5% completion rate, which reflects the uneven rhythm Green Bay has had on offense and the stretches where the quarterback has not looked fully settled.
The next test comes with the Packers needing him to be steadier in the pocket against a Bears defense that figures to bring pressure, all while working behind a patched-together offensive line. Green Bay also knows it has to help him out with the right structure, and the expectation is that the coaching staff will need to lean into a quicker passing plan to keep the game on schedule and give Love a cleaner path to answering the pressure game ahead. [Read more 🡒]