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About the Author: Scott Reynolds

Avatar Of Scott Reynolds
Scott Reynolds is in his 28th year of covering the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as the vice president, publisher and senior Bucs beat writer for PewterReport.com. Author of the popular SR's Fab 5 column on Fridays, Reynolds oversees web development and forges marketing partnerships for PewterReport.com in addition to his editorial duties. A graduate of Kansas State University in 1995, Reynolds spent six years giving back to the community as the defensive coordinator/defensive line coach for his sons' Pop Warner team, the South Pasco Predators. Reynolds can be reached at: [email protected]

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FAB 4. Bucs vs. Packers – 4 Match-ups To Watch

Each week you can find 4 Match-ups to Watch in the Fab 4 section of my SR’s Fab 5 columns. Here is an advanced look at the Bucs’ game vs. the 4-0 Green Bay where Tampa Bay (3-2) tries to bounce back from a tough loss last Thursday night. Both the Bucs and the Packers had last Sunday off, as Green Bay had a bye week.

Bucs DT Ndamukong Suh vs. Packers RG Lucas Patrick

Green Bay has a very formidable offensive line and has only allowed three sacks in four games, but if there is a weak link it’s Patrick, the team’s 6-foot-3, 313-pound right guard. While he hasn’t surrendered a sack this year, Patrick is coming off his worst game of the season in the Packers’ win over Atlanta where he allowed three hurries and one penalty against defensive tackle Grady Jarrett. Patrick earned a 44 grade from Pro Football Focus against the Falcons, including a pass protection grade of 49.8 in that game. He’s got a 62.2 overall grade this year, and a 73.5 pass pro grade from PFF. If the Bucs are going to have any success against Aaron Rodgers, it will be from pressuring him, and Suh beating Patrick might be the most favorable match-up Tampa Bay has up front.

Suhchargers

Ndamukong Suh – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

At age 33, Suh has proven he can still get to the quarterback and recorded two sacks in Tampa Bay’s Week 2 win over Carolina. Suh has a 68 overall grade from PFF and a 63.6 grade as a pass rusher, as he’s had four QB hits and three hurries in addition to those two sacks. With nose tackle Vita Vea done for the season with a fractured ankle, Suh will need to step up and continue to play well against the run and provide some interior pass rush the rest of the way. That means winning any one-on-ones he gets against Patrick on Sunday, but it won’t be easy. Patrick may be the weak link, but he’s formidable.
Advantage: Push

Bucs ILB Devin White vs. Packers RB Aaron Jones

This is another one of those games where White will be matched up against a multi-purpose running back that can catch the ball out of the backfield when he goes up against Jones. White is averaging 5.8 yards per carry this season and has 374 yards and four touchdowns on the ground, in addition to 15 catches for 135 yards and two touchdowns. Jones has a 70.5 overall grade from PFF, but an impressive 84 receiving grade. Jones isn’t just effective on swing passes and screens, the Packers will often split him out wide and use him on vertical routes.

Packers Rb Aaron Jones

Packers RB Aaron Jones – Photo by: Getty Images

White has a woeful 45.4 overall grade from PFF this year, due in part to an awful 40 grade in coverage. The best part about White’s game this year has been as a blitzer despite the fact that he doesn’t have a sack. He has set up sacks for others with pressure up the A gap. But White has a tendency to overshoot his gaps in run defense, and Jones is an excellent cutback runner. White will need to be on top of his game in coverage whether it’s out wide on the perimeter against Jones, or following Jones out of the backfield on screens.
Advantage: Jones

Bucs WR Scotty Miller vs. Packers CB Jaire Alexander

With big cornerback Kevin King likely matched up against Mike Evans outside, Alexander, who is the Packers’ best cover corner, will likely draw Miller in defense on the other side of the field. Alexander has a 90.9 overall PFF grade, and a 90.8 coverage grade. At 5-foot-10, 196 pounds with 4.38 speed, Alexander is gifted in coverage, allowing only one touchdown with 12 catches for 95 yards with an impressive average of 7.9 yards per reception. Miller is the Bucs’ deep threat and Alexander has the jets to match up with him.

Bucs Wr Scotty Miller

Bucs WR Scotty Miller – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Miller, who has a 65.6 overall grade this year, has battled a groin injury and has been up and down this season, with great games against New Orleans, Denver and Los Angeles, but a pedestrian game against Carolina and a game in which he wasn’t targeted at all against Chicago. Miller doesn’t usually go up against cornerbacks who are faster and quicker than he is, but that’s the case this week. Miller doesn’t have to have a 100-yard game – and likely won’t – but he needs to come through with a couple of catches for key first downs and maybe a big play or two. Anything more than a four-catch, 50-yard game would be a win for Miller this Sunday.
Advantage: Alexander

Bucs QB Tom Brady vs. Packers safeties

While Green Bay has a good front seven that can get after the quarterback and limit the run, the weak link on the defense is the safety position, where Adrian Amos, Will Redmond, Darnell Savage and Raven Greene all have less than a 63 overall grade from PFF, and none has a coverage grade better than 61. The middle of the field is where the Packers are most vulnerable, and that’s exactly where the Bucs like to attack with their vertical passing game, especially with the expected return of slot receiver Chris Godwin this week. Savage and Amos are the starters, but of the four Packers safeties that typically play none are great tacklers, which opens up the possibility for run-after-the-catch yards from Tampa Bay’s receivers and tight ends.

Bucs Qb Tom Brady

Bucs QB Tom Brady – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Brady is very good at using his eyes to look off safeties and manipulate coverages. With Green Bay playing a decent amount of two deep coverage, it’s surprising that none of the team’s safeties have any interceptions this year. In fact, the Packers only have two picks this season and both are from cornerbacks. Brady has just four interceptions on the year, and only one of those was from a safety, which came in Week 1 in New Orleans on a miscommunication between he and Evans on a skinny post. If the Bucs can protect Brady and give him time to throw, there’s a good chance that he can exploit the Packers secondary, especially the safeties with intermediate passes between the 20s and on short passes in the middle of the end zone in the red zone.
Advantage: Brady

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