Initial reaction: Buccaneers waste chances in 17-14 loss to Packers

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had more than enough opportunities to beat the Green Bay Packers on Sunday. They just couldn’t finish the job.

Tampa Bay fell 17-14 to Green Bay and dropped to 0-4 despite having the ball with a chance to tie or win the game with 4:18 remaining. The Buccaneers finished with more first downs than Green Bay, 19-15, rushed for 141 yards, and converted five of their 12 third downs. Green Bay finished with a slight edge in total offense, 283-275, while possession was nearly even.

The biggest difference was Tampa Bay’s inability to get out of its own way. The Buccaneers turned the ball over twice, both on first-half interceptions from rookie quarterback Jalen Daniels, while Green Bay committed just one turnover. The Packers also committed 10 penalties for 68 yards, repeatedly giving Tampa Bay opportunities to stay in a game that could have slipped away.

Daniels’ first career start was never going to be perfect, and it wasn’t. The undrafted rookie finished 19-of-27 for 148 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions, while adding 55 yards on eight carries. His 21-yard scramble was Tampa Bay’s longest run of the afternoon, and his ability to escape pressure became one of the few things consistently giving the offense a chance when protection broke down.

Both interceptions were rookie mistakes that Daniels will have to learn from. Evan Williams got him on the first, while linebacker Edgerrin Cooper jumped an underneath throw late in the second quarter for Daniels’ second interception. Green Bay turned that second takeaway into Trey Smack’s 58-yard field goal as time expired, sending Tampa Bay into halftime trailing 10-7.

The interceptions shouldn’t erase everything Daniels did well. He settled into the game after a shaky beginning, made several quality throws under pressure, and continued to play aggressively without completely unraveling after his mistakes. Daniels also showed more comfort taking snaps from under center than he did during the preseason, allowing Tampa Bay to mix shotgun, pistol and traditional under-center looks throughout the afternoon.

His best work came on Tampa Bay’s second touchdown drive. The Bucs went 84 yards in 12 plays and took 6:28 off the clock, with Daniels helping move the offense through both the air and on the ground. On third down from the Green Bay 10, he escaped to his left, bought time, and found Kenneth Gainwell for his first touchdown pass of the season, cutting the Packers’ lead to 17-14 early in the fourth quarter.

Daniels gave Tampa Bay about as much as it could reasonably ask from a rookie making his first NFL start. What he didn’t get was enough help from the offensive line.

The Packers officially sacked Daniels three times for 14 yards, but even that doesn’t fully capture how disruptive the pressure became. Tampa Bay allowed defenders to come through untouched on multiple occasions, including during the final drive. Daniels escaped one free rusher and managed to throw the ball away, only to take a sack on the following snap when Green Bay again got immediate pressure.

That performance is difficult to reconcile with the expectations surrounding Tampa Bay’s offensive line entering the season. The unit was supposed to be one of the roster’s strengths, but it has increasingly become part of the problem. Green Bay had its own issues going into the matchup, yet Jordan Love was not sacked once. The Packers found ways to keep their quarterback clean enough to operate. Tampa Bay couldn’t consistently do the same for Daniels.

The play calling also deserves scrutiny. Tampa Bay understandably leaned on screens and quick throws to protect Daniels, and those concepts worked at times. Emeka Egbuka converted a third-down receiver screen, Gainwell gained 12 yards on another quick pass, and the short game helped Daniels settle in. But Green Bay eventually started anticipating it.

The most questionable call came on Tampa Bay’s final drive. After an untouched rusher helped create a 3rd-and-16, the Buccaneers called another screen to Egbuka. It gained only five yards, leaving Daniels facing 4th-and-11 with the game hanging in the balance. The fourth-down pass fell incomplete, ending Tampa Bay’s last realistic opportunity to tie the game.

The defense was inconsistent, but it did enough to give the offense chances. Green Bay converted all three of its fourth-down attempts, including three conversions during a 16-play, 68-yard touchdown drive that lasted 9:16 in the first half. The Bucs also struggled at times in soft zone coverage, particularly against tight ends. Tucker Kraft caught six of seven targets for 42 yards and a touchdown, while Jonnu Smith added a 19-yard reception.

The run defense had its problems as well. Caleb Johnson finished with 42 yards on eight carries, including a 31-yard run during Green Bay’s opening drive of the second half. Still, Tampa Bay limited the Packers to 86 rushing yards overall and repeatedly found ways to get off the field. Green Bay finished just 2-of-10 on third down.

When Tampa Bay desperately needed turnovers late, the defense produced them. Tykee Smith forced a fumble by Caleb Johnson near the goal line with 9:06 remaining, and Zyon McCollum recovered it at the Tampa Bay 4. Later, Jacob Parrish undercut a Jordan Love pass for an interception at the Bucs’ 7-yard line and returned it for eight yards, handing Daniels the ball with 4:18 left and Tampa Bay still down by only three.

Parrish’s interception gave the Buccaneers exactly what they needed: one more possession with a chance to win. Daniels helped move Tampa Bay from its own 15 to the Green Bay 47, but the drive unraveled after protection broke down and the offense was pushed into 3rd-and-long.

That is what makes this loss so frustrating. Green Bay wasn’t dominant. The Packers committed 10 penalties, went 2-of-10 on third down and turned the ball over in the fourth quarter. Tampa Bay’s defense repeatedly gave the offense another chance.

Daniels made mistakes, but he also showed enough to give Tampa Bay a chance in the final minutes of his first career start. The rookie quarterback wasn’t the reason the Buccaneers couldn’t finish this one. The protection, penalties, play calling, and missed opportunities around him ensured that.

This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: Initial reaction: Buccaneers waste chances in 17-14 loss to Packers