3 Packers to blame for embarrassing loss to Bucs in Week 15

Two horrendous defensive performances have derailed the Green Bay Packers' playoff hopes.

Three straight wins over the Los Angeles Chargers, Detroit Lions, and Kansas City Chiefs gave Packers fans the belief that their team would secure an unlikely postseason berth in Jordan Love's first year as the starting quarterback.

But the defense rolled out the red carpet in consecutive defeats to the New York Giants and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, leaving the Packers in trouble.

Who deserves the blame for Sunday's embarrassing loss to Tampa Bay?

3. De'Vondre Campbell

The Packers didn't put De'Vondre Campbell in favorable positions, but the former All-Pro struggled throughout the game, particularly in coverage. The Bucs took advantage by putting Chris Godwin on him regularly, and the former Pro Bowl wide receiver made it look easy.

One of those moments came on second-and-18 with Tampa Bay leading by 10 points in the third quarter. After a first-down sack, Green Bay had the opportunity to quickly get off the field and give the offense a chance to close the gap. But Campbell had to cover Godwin, and it resulted in 21 yards and an easy first down.

Campbell was covering David Moore on his 55-yard touchdown catch. Campbell desperately dived in an attempt to get a hand to the ball, but Moore made the catch and forced two more missed tackles on his way to the end zone.

The Bucs targeted Campbell in coverage all day long, and it worked.

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2. Joe Barry

Here we go again. It was the same old story for Green Bay's defense.

Last week, the Packers made New York Giants backup quarterback Tommy DeVito look like a star as he led his team on a game-winning drive. On Sunday, they made Baker Mayfield look like prime Aaron Rodgers.

It was too easy. The Bucs picked apart Barry's soft zone coverages all game long. As noted, De'Vondre Campbell had to cover Chris Godwin throughout the game, and the Packers didn't adjust when the plan failed miserably.

The numbers are embarrassing. Tampa Bay had 452 total yards of offense and four touchdowns. Rachaad White could've scored a fifth late in the fourth quarter but decided to give himself up as the Bucs could drain the rest of the clock. Baker Mayfield earned a perfect passer rating of 158.3.

Tampa Bay converted seven of its 11 third-down attempts and its only fourth-down try. One was a third-and-12, which the Bucs converted on a screen pass to Chris Godwin. Too easy. Godwin also had a 24-yard gain on second-and-29, setting up a field goal.

When the Packers rarely played more aggressively and pressed receivers in man coverage, they showed some resistance to the Bucs' passing game. But those moments were few and far between.

Barry rolled out the red carpet and made life easy for the Buccaneers.

1. Matt LaFleur

Joe Barry doesn't take first spot because it goes well beyond that now. Matt LaFleur hired Barry and has inexcusably stuck with him into his third season. The same issues continue to arise, yet LaFleur doesn't demand changes.

This is LaFleur's team. He gets the final decision on how they play. If Barry isn't calling the defense LaFleur wants, he should change defensive coordinators. But the fact the same problems continue week after week suggests LaFleur does want this scheme.

Yes, Barry takes the heat for the Packers' defensive woes, but there should be as much frustration with LaFleur. He isn't the offensive coordinator. He's the head coach. It's ultimately up to him to figure this out.

Green Bay's embarrassing defensive performance takes the headlines, but LaFleur made other questionable decisions, including getting away from the run game.

Aaron Jones had eight carries for 44 yards on the opening drive, averaging 5.5 yards per attempt. He was running through the middle of Tampa Bay's defense with ease. It's hard to explain why Jones only had another five carries the rest of the way.

Game script was a factor. The Packers were behind for most of the contest. But a victory wasn't out of sight until late in the fourth quarter. They had plenty of time to establish the run with Jones and build play-action off of it.

But the game's number one takeaway was the horrendous defensive performance, and it's up to LaFleur to fix it.

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