Few expected Aaron Rodgers vs. Tom Brady to come down to two great defensive performances, but that was the case in Week 3 as the Green Bay Packers held on to beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 14-12.
Surprisingly, the Packers were cruising early on as Rodgers and the offense jumped out to an early 14-3 lead. Green Bay seemed to be clicking against a Tampa Bay defense that had only allowed 13 points coming into the game. However, the Buccaneers eventually tightened up after forcing a crucial Aaron Jones fumble on the goal line that could have put them in an even deeper hole.
The Packers’ offense never really got back on track after the turnover and struggled mightily on third down after converting their first five attempts. Tampa Bay’s defense was able to get off the field on eight straight third downs to keep Brady alive.
Penalties and too many missed opportunities by Green Bay eventually granted Brady one final drive to tie the game. The Buccaneers reached the Packers’ 1-yard line, where Brady found Russell Gage in the endzone to set up the two-point try. However, a delay of game penalty proved costly for Tampa Bay as it forced Brady to make a desperate throw to a blanketed Gage. Linebacker De’Vondre Campbell happened to be in the right place at the right time to knock the pass down and secure the win for his team.
It was a high-character win for the Packers, especially the defense. They remained stout for basically the entire game, with guys stepping up in key moments. Of course, the offense gave them the early lead, and special teams also held up their end of the bargain, so it was a complete team effort.
It took some great individual performances in all three phases for Green Bay to come out on top in Week 3, so let’s take a look at the standouts that helped them improve to 2-1.