Todd Bowles knows exactly what waits for a defense when Aaron Rodgers is standing across the line.
The Buccaneers coach has already seen plenty of the quarterback over the years, and his record against Rodgers sits at 2-2 as both a coach and defensive coordinator. That familiarity still doesn’t make the matchup any easier. With the Steelers coming to Tampa Bay in Week 6, Bowles is staring at the kind of opponent that forces even a well-prepared staff to think twice about every call.
“It’s a nightmare game-planning against him,” Bowles said of going up against Rodgers, per Laine. “He’s difficult because he’s extremely intelligent... He’s extremely accurate with the football, and he can dissect things before the play even happens.”
That’s the challenge in a nutshell. Rodgers may be in his 40s now and no longer viewed by some as being in his peak years, but he still operates like a quarterback who can take over a game with his mind as much as his arm. The Steelers come in at 3-2, while Tampa Bay is 1-4, and both teams are looking for a needed lift on Sunday.
Bowles has had some success keeping Rodgers uncomfortable by mixing things up. ESPN’s Jenna Laine noted that the Buccaneers coach has been relatively effective with disguises against him.
Rodgers has a career raw QBR of 33.9 against Bowles when he uses disguised coverage, which ranks 40th among all quarterbacks against Bowles teams. By comparison, Rodgers has a 54.6 QBR against disguised coverages overall.
Tampa Bay will also be making the adjustment at quarterback, with undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels set to start again in place of Baker Mayfield. Even so, the Buccaneers will head into the game knowing the NFL can flip quickly, and that there’s still a path to a win if they handle the details against one of the league’s most difficult veterans to prepare for.
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