The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will have a little extra time to get over their Week Five loss in Chicago and hopefully get some of their key contributors back to full health, but they'll face a stiff challenge when they get back to work.
The 3-2 Buccaneers will enjoy their "mini-bye" following a Thursday night game and then prepare to face the Green Bay Packers, who appear to be one of the NFC's top Super Bowl contenders. The Packers are enjoying a bye week after a 4-0 start and will come out of their break with an offense that currently leads the league with 38 points per game.
Green Bay is led by a resurgent Aaron Rodgers, who has thrown for 13 touchdowns and no interceptions through his four-game start, with an otherworldly passer rating of 128.4. Rodgers has piled up these numbers despite a receiving corps beset by injuries, including one that has kept Davante Adams out of the last two games. Rodgers has been helped by an MVP-type performance from running back Aaron Jones, who already had 509 yards from scrimmage and six touchdowns.
The Buccaneers will be looking to get back on track after a disappointing outcome in Chicago in which the offense struggled in red zone and the team was flagged 11 times for 109 yards. The Buccaneers have held three straight opponents below 50 rushing yards for the first time in team history, which sets up an intriguing matchup against Jones. Tampa Bay's offense is hoping to be closer to full strength after playing the last two games without Chris Godwin and Leonard Fournette, and with Mike Evans and Scotty Miller at less than 100 percent.
