After a 29-25 win over the Falcons that took them to the top of the NFC South via tiebreaker, the Bucs will head up to Lambeau Field for a Week 15 matchup against the 6-7 Packers. Tampa Bay will be looking to win three games in a row for the first time since the final three weeks of the 2021 season.

A win for the Bucs will get them back to .500 with three games to play, and it would be huge in solidifying their spot atop the division for another week. The Falcons have a meeting with the 1-win Panthers this week, while the Saints play the 5-8 Giants. A loss by Tampa Bay would be tough to swallow, as the team would likely fall right out of first place as quickly as it got there in Week 14.

The Packers are in the thick of the playoff race themselves. They own the last Wild Card spot right now, but they’re in “must-win” mode as much as the Bucs are. Green Bay has also been outstanding in December under head coach Matt LaFleur over the years, though the loss to the Giants on Monday night dropped them to 16-1. The Bucs will be tasked with making that 16-2, but it won’t be easy.

The Last Time…

Bucs DT Logan Hall and Packers QB Aaron Rodgers – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

These two teams last met in Week 3 of the 2022 season. The Packers visited Raymond James Stadium and emerged with a narrow 14-12 victory off the back of a two-touchdown day from Aaron Rodgers and a late two-point conversion miss by the Bucs. Tom Brady threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to Russell Gage with 14 seconds left, but the two-point try cost them a chance to win it in overtime.

The Bucs were without both Mike Evans (suspension) and Chris Godwin (injury) in that game, which badly hampered the offense. Fumbles by Gage and Breshad Perriman didn’t help, though Gage did lead the way for the receivers with 12 catches for 87 yards and the late touchdown.

The Packers lead the all-time series against the Bucs 33-22, though the last meeting at Lambeau Field came in the 2020 NFC Championship Game. That was a memorable day for Tampa Bay, which won 31-26 on its way to hosting — and winning — Super Bowl LV.

How The Bucs And Packers Are Trending

After sinking to 4-7 with back-to-back losses at the 49ers and Colts, the Bucs have won back-to-back games for the first time since Weeks 1 and 2. They beat the Panthers 21-18 at Raymond James Stadium two weeks ago, then came through late with a comeback 29-25 win over the Falcons in Atlanta last Sunday.

Bucs NT Vita Vea and Eagles C Jason Kelce – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

With its back-to-back wins, Tampa Bay has returned to first place in the NFC South via tiebreaker. The Bucs, Falcons and Saints are technically all tied at 6-7, but the Bucs and Falcons have better divisional records than the Saints. From there, Tampa Bay has the record against common opponents tiebreaker over Atlanta. With that, Todd Bowles’ team is currently the NFC’s No. 4 seed. If the season ended now, the No. 5 seed Eagles would be coming to Raymond James Stadium on Super Wild Card Weekend.

As Baker Mayfield said after the team’s win over Atlanta, that comeback victory won’t mean anything if they don’t take care of business against Green Bay. Games against the Jaguars (8-5), Saints (6-7) and Panthers (1-12) await the Bucs after this trip to the Frozen Tundra.

For the Packers, 2023 has been quite the year. They began it by trading longtime quarterback and four-time league MVP Aaron Rodgers. That meant the Jordan Love era was officially on in Green Bay, and it didn’t start well. The Packers were 3-6 through Week 10, but they’ve rebounded in a big way and now find themselves in position to make the playoffs.

After the 3-6 start, Matt LaFleur’s team won three straight, beating the Chargers, Lions and Chiefs. But they hit a snag this past Monday night, losing 24-22 to the Tommy DeVito-led Giants on a last-second field goal.

The 6-7 Packers currently hold the No. 7 seed in the NFC, though they have several teams on their tail. The Rams, Seahawks, Falcons and Saints (as well as the Bucs, should they not win the NFC South) are right there at 6-7 themselves.

Here’s how the Bucs and Packers stack up heading into Week 15:

Bucs Offense: 22nd in scoring offense (20.2 PPG), 23rd in total offense (304.4 yards per game), 20th in passing offense (214.4 yards per game), 29th in rushing offense (90.0 yards per game)

Packers Offense: 18th in scoring offense (21.5 PPG), 18th in total offense (329.3 yards per game), 18th in passing offense (223.0 yards per game), 19th in rushing offense (106.3 yards per game)

Bucs Defense: 13th in scoring defense (20.8 points allowed per game), 27th in total defense (362.8 yards allowed per game), 30th in passing defense (264.1 yards allowed per game), 10th in rushing defense (98.8 yards allowed per game)

Packers Defense: 11th in scoring defense (20.5 points allowed per game), 19th in total defense (342.1 yards allowed per game), 8th in passing defense (200.2 yards allowed per game), 31st in rushing defense (141.8 yards allowed per game)

As of Wednesday, the Packers were 3.5-point favorites, with an Over/Under set at 41.5 points (per MyBookie.ag).

What Might Decide This Bucs-Packers Matchup?

Bucs RB Rachaad White – Photo by: USA Today

The Bucs offense will look to take advantage of the Packers’ 31st-ranked run defense, while the Packers may look to expose the Bucs’ 30th-ranked pass defense. Whichever offense better executes its game plan — and whichever defense better gets the opposing offense off of that plan — will have the edge at Lambeau.

For Tampa Bay, playing against a weak run defense may not have meant much even a month ago. The league’s worst ground game a year ago found itself in the same position well into the season. But despite the fact that they’re only up to 29th in rushing offense, the Bucs are better suited now to run the ball and try to control Sunday’s game against the Packers in that way.

Rachaad White and Chase Edmonds both ran well down the stretch against the Falcons in Week 14, and the offensive line did some outstanding work in that aspect of the game. White has two 100-yard rushing games in the last three weeks, plus he’s topped 100 total yards five times in the last seven games. In one of the two games where he didn’t reach 100 total yards, he still posted 98.

If White can keep rolling against a Packers defense that has allowed 120-plus rushing yards nine times in 13 games and 200-plus yards in four games, the Bucs will be in good shape. It would then be up to Baker Mayfield, Mike Evans and Chris Godwin to do the rest.

Packers QB Jordan Love – Photo by: USA Today

Meanwhile, Jordan Love and the Green Bay offense will look to expose the Bucs’ struggling pass defense. Carlton Davis III and Zyon McCollum have played better as of late — and McCollum just had what might’ve been his best game as a pro. But overall, six quarterbacks have had 300-yard passing games against Tampa Bay this year and the Bucs are near the bottom of the league against the pass.

Love has really impressed as of late, having gone 99-of-147 (67%) for 1,075 yards and nine touchdowns to one interception over the last four games. Before Monday’s loss to the Giants, he had gone three straight games without an interception.

Green Bay has a trio of young receivers who have served Love well this year. None of them have gaudy numbers, but they all have remarkably consistent numbers. Jayden Reed (48 catches, 540 yards, five touchdowns), Romeo Doubs (49 catches, 537 yards, seven touchdowns) and Christian Watson (28 catches, 422 yards, five touchdowns) have all come up big at different times for the Packers this year.

The thing working against Love and the Packers this week, though, is that their receiving corps is banged up. Watson missed Week 14 with a hamstring injury, while Reed and fellow rookie Dontayvion Wicks (25 catches, 394 yards, one touchdown) were injured on Monday night against New York. Their respective statuses will be worth monitoring as gameday draws closer.

Key Players to Watch

Bucs WR Mike Evans – Photo by: USA Today

A week after almost single-handedly beating the Panthers, Mike Evans was a non-factor in the Bucs’ win over the Falcons in Week 14. Atlanta did its best to take him away, but even when he was open, Baker Mayfield didn’t get him the ball. He had just one catch for eight yards on six targets. Look for him to bounce back against a Packers team he hasn’t seen since the 2020 NFC Championship Game, when he caught three passes for 51 yards and a touchdown.

Antoine Winfield Jr. seems to make one or two game-changing plays every week, and the Buccaneer defense rightfully follows his lead. He’s been the unit’s best player this season, and he’ll look to continue his impressive run at the expense of Jordan Love, who has 11 interceptions and one lost fumble this season. Todd Bowles may look to deploy Winfield on some blitzes to generate pressure, as the Packers have allowed only 26 sacks this season, which is tied for the lowest total in the league.

Packers WR Romeo Doubs Photo by: USA Today

Romeo Doubs is the Packers’ leading touchdown scorer with seven, and he’ll especially be a focus of the Tampa Bay defense if any of Jayden Reed, Christian Watson or Dontayvion Wicks miss Sunday’s game. Even if any or all of those three play, Doubs is someone to keep an eye on. He had eight catches for 73 yards and a touchdown on eight targets in the Packers’ win over the Bucs last year.

Rashan Gary is a menace. On a Packers defense that is tied for the third-fewest sacks in the league right now, he’s the one to worry about. He has nine of Green Bay’s 29 sacks this year to go with six tackles for loss and two forced fumbles. The Michigan product is one sack away from setting a new career high and while Tampa Bay’s offensive line has been formidable in pass protection this year, it wouldn’t be a shock to see Gary become a factor in Sunday’s game.

Bucs at Packers Game Information

When: Sunday, December 17
Where: Lambeau Field (Green Bay, WI)
Kickoff: 1:00 p.m. ET
TV: CBS – Andrew Catalon (Play by Play), Tiki Barber & Matt Ryan (Analysts), AJ Ross (Reporter)
Bucs Radio: 98Rock – Gene Deckerhoff (Play by Play), Dave Moore (Color), T.J. Rives (Reporter)