2014 Green Bay Packers: Season prediction – Part II
By Kenn Korb
Jan 5, 2014; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers wide receiver
Jordy Nelson(87) loses the ball as San Francisco 49ers defensive back
Perrish Cox(20) tackles during the second quarter of the 2013 NFC wild card playoff football game at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports
Week 16: Green Bay Packers @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
This is the last road game of the regular season, and though it may not be a great one record-wise by this point we could still be watching a tough battle. While the Bucs may not look to be a team capable of doing so by this point, they have a lot working in their favor when it comes to matching up against the Packers.
For one thing, Tampa Bay has always been a tough matchup because of their defensive matchups, which should be strong again. Lavonte David is a beast at OLB and is said by his coach to be ‘his Derrick Brooks’. Gerald McCoy is a penetrating monster at DT, capable of destroying an O-line on his own.
And while it no longer has a player with that high of a standing, the secondary does have talent spread across it in CB Alterraun Verner and safeties Mark Barron and Dashon Goldson. And these talents to having a defensive guru in Lovie Smith heading the team and there is plenty of ability for the Bucs to make it a long day for the Packers offense.
Facing the Tampa Bay offense will be no picnic either. They bring some of the same matchup issues that the Bears do; mainly, they are tall. Very tall. The Vincent Jackson/Mike Evans/Austin Sefarian-Jenkins combination as receivers all hit around 6-4 to 6-6, so using that height advantage is definitely in the cards every week. They have decent runners headlined by Doug Martin, and with a player like Josh McCown at QB they should be planning on running the ball often.
By any stretch, losing this game would still come as an upset even despite the highlighted advantages in Tampa Bay’s favor. I expect those advantages to coalesce with a general off-day overall to culminate in a loss by Green Bay.
Tampa Bay 23
Green Bay 17