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White picks up the first down on fourth-and-two, and the Buccaneers are three minutes away from being 7-7 and staying in first place in the NFC South.
Buccaneers vs. Packers score, takeaways: Baker Mayfield's perfect passer rating leads Tampa Bay past Green Bay
Mayfield threw four touchdowns for NFC South-leading Tampa Bay
By
Bryan DeArdo
•
1 min read
Baker Mayfield must have woken up feeling dangerous. The former first-round pick had his best game as a Buccaneer on Sunday while leading Tampa to a 34-20 win over the Packers. In the process, Mayfield became the first visiting quarterback to post a perfect passer rating at Lambeau Field.
Mayfield threw for 381 yards and four touchdowns on 22 of 28 passing (generating a perfect 158.3 passer rating) while leading the Buccaneers to a third straight win. Like Mayfield, Chris Godwin also had a monstrous day with 155 yards on 10 catches. Rachaad White complemented Mayfield and the passing game with 89 yards on 21 carries. White was also one of four Buccaneers players to catch a touchdown pass.
Jordan Love and the Packers offense tried to keep pace and were down by only three points late in the third quarter. But a promising drive that stalled in the red zone and a turnover on consecutive fourth quarter drives sealed the Packers' fate. Love finished the game with 284 yards and two touchdowns on 29 of 39 passing, but got little support from a running game that picked up just 60 yards on 17 carries.
Here's a closer look at what transpired in Green Bay.
Why the Buccaneers won
Tampa Bay dictated the tempo of the game for its entirely. On offense, the Buccaneers enjoyed near perfect balance with 28 passes and 27 runs. Defensively, Todd Bowles' unit made several big stands in the red zone that included a turnover on downs on the Packers' first possession.
Really, though, this game came down to the Buccaneers' star players playing like stars, especially Godwin, who made the most of his opportunities. Godwin's playmaking helped open things up for Mike Evans, who had a quiet start before giving Tampa Bay the lead for good on a 19-yard touchdown catch early in the second quarter.
Why the Packers lost
While they sacked him five times (that included a strip-sack that led to the Packers' forced fumble), Green Bay's defense could not stop Mayfield and wasn't much better against White, who has rushed for at least 84 yards in each of Tampa's last four games.
Offensively, the Packers' running game was nonexistent after some early success from Aaron Jones. Love was good, but he and his teammates were just 2 of 5 in the red zone, which was a key factor in the loss. Love's late fumble ended any hopes of a Green Bay comeback.
On a positive note, the Packers received big games from rookie wideout Dontayvion Wicks and tight end Tucker Kraft. Kraft caught four passes that included the Packers' first touchdown. Wicks hauled in six passes for 97 yards.
Turning point
It was a 10-10 game before the Buccaneers ended the first half and started the second half with scores. After a Chase McLaughlin field goal gave Tampa Bay a 13-10 halftime lead, the Buccaneers defense forced a quick turnover on downs to start the second half. Mayfield then engineered an 8-play, 66-yard drive that was punctuated by his 26-yard touchdown pass to White.
Play of the game
The Buccaneers' stars played a big role in the win, but the play's biggest play was turned in by David Moore, whose 52-yard catch-and-run for a score proved to be the knockout punch. On the play, Moore caught the ball with two defenders in the area before turning upfield and leaving the rest of Green Bay's defense in his wake.
Making the play even tougher to stomach for Green Bay was the fact that its defensive backs did not take the bait on Evans running a deep route on the near side of the field. The Packers had the play properly covered but were still unable to stop Moore, who scored his first touchdown since the 2020 season.
What's next
Tampa Bay will play host to the Jaguars, who are in a tight race with the Colts for the AFC South division title. The Buccaneers will finish up the regular season with a home game against the Saints and a road game against the Panthers.
Green Bay will play its first of back-to-back road games against the Panthers, who own the NFL's worst record. The Packers will then face the Vikings in Minnesota before closing out the regular season at home against the Bears.
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Love fumbles, and the Buccaneers are going to try to salt away the game.
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Jayden Reed questionable to return with a toe injury. Packers need two quick scores in the game's final six minutes.
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Officials give Moore the score, his first since 2020.
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Incredible TD from David Moore, who turned a short catch into an apparent 52-yard TD.
Officials are reviewing Moore's score, though, as he lost the ball while prematurely celebrating just as he was crossing the goal line. It looked like a TD but refs making sure.
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Love had a streak of 12 consecutive completions during the second half. But he hasn't gotten much support from his running game, which at times has led to hurried throws as TB has continued to rush him.
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Good blitz from the Buccaneers on third down forces the Packers to have to settle for a FG.
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Buccaneers up 27-17 entering the fourth quarter.
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Buccaneers respond on a short TD pass from Mayfield to Ko Kieft
Mayfield is has been on fire all game. He's now 20 of 26 for 318 yards with three touchdowns. And he's been doing it without much help from a running game that's gained 51 yards on 16 attempts.
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Packers aren't going away. Love fires a bullet to Jayden Reed on a third-and-14 play to make it a three-point game. Monster drive for Love, who was 9 of 10 for 85 yards.
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Wicks having a big drive for the Packers, including a 29-yard strike from Love that gives GB a first down just outside the red zone.
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Mayfield is 16 of 20 for 251 yards and 2 TD's in what has been his best game as a Buc. Godwin with eight grabs for 123 yards.
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Rachaad White, who has also had a big game, makes it a 20-10 game with a TD catch from Mayfield.
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Godwin continues to chew up the Packers' secondary. For years, Evans and Godwin have been arguably the league's best WR duo and it's showing tonight.
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Love had someone wide open but missed him and threw incomplete on third down, forcing a punt. Nice stand by the Buccaneers' defense to open the half. GB getting nothing on the ground after early success.
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Packers get the ball to start the second half, and first-round pick Calijah Kancey pressures Love for an incomplete pass on the first play.
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Love's been very accurate, but only has 106 yards through the air. Someone sans Kraft has to get something going in the second half.
This game might come down to which team doesn't commit the big mistake. TB already had one but was able to overcome it.
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Godwin continues to make big plays for the Bucs. Just a 26-yard gab as the Buccaneers are deep in GB territory.
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White back in for TB, who is trying to put together a go-ahead drive just before halftime.
Really, the entire Bucs' offense so far has been White, Godwin and Edmunds.
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Wow, game's first big penalty assessed against TB, a 32-yard DPI penalty on Izien. He grabbed Jayden Reed's arm early but Reed still had a chance to make the catch.
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Mayfield throws his first incomplete pass as the Buccaneers are forced to punt. A false start penalty short-circuited the drive.
Chase Edmonds has been in the game in place of White.
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Packers tie the score on a 36-yard FG by Chase McGoughlin.
So far, Mayfield and Love are a combined 15 of 16 passing so far.
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Huge first half for Kraft, who just pulled down a 36-yard grab after making a first down catch on third down on the previous play.
Packers nearing the red zone again.
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Here's a look at Evans' TD grab.
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Godwin heavily involved early in this game. Already has four grabs for 51 yards. Mike Evans takes the lead on his 92nd career TD catch. Excellent throw by Mayfield on third-and-6.
Mayfield is 7-of-7 so far.
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Packers lead 7-3 after one quarter by virtue of this TD pass from Love to Kraft.
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Here's a look at the strip-sack that set up the game's first TD:
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Packers take the lead on Love's TD pass to Tucker Kraft on a slip screen. GB up 7-3 on a TD set up by the Packers' defense.
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Kingsley Enagbare with a strip-sack of Mayfield, giving the Packers a first and goal at the Buccaneers' four-yard-line. That's Mayfield's third lost fumble of the year and also giving Matt LaFleur a break after the missed fourth down.
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Huge red zone stand by the Buccaneers, who hold GB to no points on their opening drive after Love misfires on his fourth-down pass.
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