The Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Green Bay Packers by a score of 34-20 on Sunday at Lambeau Field. That marked the Buccaneers' largest margin of victory ever in a game played in Green Bay. The Tampa Bay offense put up a season-high 452 yards of offense and the defense got enough stops to allow the visitors to pull away in the second half. The first three words out of Head Coach Todd Bowles' mouth in his postgame press conference were, "Great team win." His next three words were, "Great team win."
Quarterback Baker Mayfield lauded his squad for playing complementary football, as well. Still, there were some individual standouts, starting with Mayfield himself. His exploits will surely be described in detail before. Wide receiver Chris Godwin went over 150 yards, four different Bucs caught a Mayfield touchdown pass and five had at least 40 receiving yards. Rachaad White went over 100 yards from scrimmage for the fourth game in a row.
On defense, Antoine Winfield Jr. continued to make impact plays, while Lavonte David and Shaq Barrett combined for the game-clinching sack/forced fumble. Kicker Chase McLaughlin was perfect once again and punter Jake Camarda wasn't in much demand but did blast his only punt for a 65-yard net.
Who was the star of the game for the Buccaneers? That's what Staff Writer/Reporter Brianna Dix and I will be debating today. After every Buccaneer victory this season, we are asked to nominate two players for the honor of receiving our (fictional) Game Ball. Those two are then included in a list of four candidates…and then the final decision is up to you. After you review the cases we make for two of those players, you will find a link at the bottom of the page to cast your ballot.
Since we can't duplicate votes and getting the first pick can be important in some weeks, we are alternating the order of our choices from win to win. Brianna gets to pick first this time around and I think that spells trouble for me. But we'll go through the formalities nonetheless. So, who should get this week's Game Ball? Here are our suggestions:
Brianna Dix: QB Baker Mayfield
On a historic field in Wisconsin, Baker Mayfield shattered records with a sensational performance against the Packers in Week 15. He earned a perfect 158.3 passer rating on Sunday, completing 22-of-28 passes for 381 yards and four touchdowns, with no interceptions. Mayfield became the first visiting player to record a perfect passer rating at Lambeau Field and it was the first performance with a perfect passer rating of his career.
Mayfield is just the third player in league history with 375-plus passing yards, four-plus touchdown passes and a 158.3 passer rating in a road game per the Elias Sports Bureau, joining Nick Foles and Ken O'Brien. In addition, he became the first visiting passer since Kirk Cousins on Sept. 16, 2018 with 375-plus passing yards and four-or-more touchdowns at Lambeau Field. Mayfield put on a clinic, spearheading the offensive attack with precision. He threw touchdown passes to all levels of the football field and carved up the Packers' zone coverage. The Bucs' run game has made significant strides in recent weeks but against Green Bay, the aerial assault became the exclamation mark in the club's victory in the Frozen Tundra as Mayfield threaded the needle.
The former Heisman Trophy winner lit up the gridiron with quick processing from road-to-read, touch throws with tactical delivery, improvisation talent and a fiery disposition. The Bucs have adopted a "playoff mentality" for the remaining games on the 2023 slate as the postseason looms, and no one embodied that mantra on Sunday better than the man under center. Mayfield deserves the game ball for one of the best performances at Lambeau Field in NFL history.
Scott Smith: WR Chris Godwin
Oh big deal. Perfect passer rating, schmerfect passer rating. Four touchdown passes – is that all you've got? Lasers into tight windows to hit pass-catchers in stride? Yawn.
Yeah, I'm in trouble here. But I'll do my best.
You know who caught a lot of those great Mayfield passes? Our guy Chris Godwin. The seventh-year receiver led the team with 10 catches for 155 yards, putting up the third-highest single-game yardage total of his great career. It was his 21st 100-yard game, playoffs included, and the sixth time he has hit double digits in receptions. Only Mike Evans has done that more often, with seven 10+ catch games, and Evans has played three more seasons than Godwin.
No, Godwin was not one of the four players who caught a Mayfield touchdown pass in Lambeau Field on Sunday, but he made it possible for the other four to be in position to score. The Bucs converted seven of their 11 third down tries – a big reason why they only punted once all day – and Godwin was the main reason. Four of those seven conversions came on catches by Godwin. Let's hear it from the distributor of the football himself, who said this about Godwin after the game on Sunday:
"The guy is just so consistent, man. I can't say enough about him. A true stud. A true professional. He has never complained. He has never done any of that. Just has done everything he needs to do. Today he was balling. Just some clutch catches, that's for sure. He didn't get in the endzone, but was definitely the guy to keep the chains moving consistently today and set up everybody else. So I couldn't be happier for Chris."
I could be a little happier for Godwin if the people decided to give him this week's Game Ball. I admit Mayfield is more than deserving, and those stats are gaudy, but please give my nomination a consideration.
Who deserves the Game Ball for the Bucs' win in Green Bay? Click here to cast your vote.
