Todd Bowles knows exactly what the Buccaneers are walking into in Week 6.
Tampa Bay is set to see Aaron Rodgers one last time in his career, and Bowles did not sugarcoat the challenge. Rodgers, who is expected to wrap up a 22-season NFL run after this year, will face the Buccaneers on Sunday for what should be the final matchup between the sides unless an unexpected Super Bowl LXI meeting with the Pittsburgh Steelers comes along at season’s end.
Bowles has gone up against Rodgers plenty of times before, including the 2020 NFC Championship Game when he was Tampa Bay’s defensive coordinator and the Buccaneers knocked off Rodgers’ Green Bay Packers on the way to a Super Bowl title. Even with that background, Bowles still framed Rodgers as one of the toughest quarterbacks to prepare for.
"It's a nightmare game planning against him," said Bowles of Rodgers. "He's difficult because he's extremely intelligent.
His football IQ is unbelievable. He's extremely accurate with the football.
He can dissect things before the play even happens. He can see it when the huddle breaks."
Rodgers is still producing at a high level despite his age, even if the legs aren’t what they used to be. He’s strung together three straight games with three touchdown passes, which is the first time he’s done that since his 2021 MVP season. The four-time MVP is fifth in the NFL with 10 touchdown passes.
Bowles pointed to the little things Rodgers sees and the way he manipulates defenses with them.
"He can see a tip here or there that a lot of people can't see that lets him know what it is, and he knows where to go with the football," said Bowles of Rodgers. "He's very bright that way, and he can bait you into a lot of things.
He has a lot of tricks to the trade he's learned over the years. But overall, his intelligence, his arm, his knowledge of the game, it all ties in for being a great quarterback."
Bowles has gone 2-2 against Rodgers in his career. He’ll try to move ahead as the Buccaneers come in off their first-game win last week against the Dallas Cowboys.
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Bucs Inactive List Creates One Big Problem Against Pittsburgh
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Easton Stick is back as the backup quarterback for the third straight game, while the backfield got another shake-up with Sean Tucker inactive and Josh Williams elevated for the game. The Steelers brought their own list of absences into the afternoon as well, including receivers Ben Skowronek and Roman Wilson, while cornerback Jamel Dean was active and Sean Murphy-Bunting was not, leaving both sides to work around some familiar lineup uncertainty. [Read more 🡒]
Buccaneers Face A Brutal Test If Two Problems Don't Improve
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The matchup gets even trickier if Tampa Bay cannot tighten up two areas that have been lagging. The Bucs have had trouble getting after the quarterback, with only six sacks in five games, and they are still waiting for a first-career sack from Rueben Bain Jr., while also having to deal with Steelers back Jaylen Warren and the usual turnover battle that can swing a close game fast. [Read more 🡒]
Luke Goedeke Is Becoming A Bucs Strength Where Fans Once Worried
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The result has been a far more secure edge for the Bucs than many fans expected when Goedeke first arrived. His consistency has given Tampa Bay a valuable presence on the line and a reminder that development in the NFL is not always linear, especially for linemen who need the right position and the right role to show what they can do. [Read more 🡒]