The Green Bay Packers head to Tampa, Florida this weekend for a date with their old NFC Central opponents, the Buccaneers.
Setting aside our memories of the 2020 NFC Championship, there were plenty of great matchups between the Packers and Buccaneers over the years, and they produced quite a few high-end statistical performances. Here are some of the best, with links throughout to some highlights that are just about guaranteed to give you a jolt of nostalgia.
Most passing yards – 418 (Lynn Dickey,
1980)
Packers fans should have plenty of good memories of great passing days against the Buccaneers — five different Packers quarterbacks have broken the 300-yard mark against Tampa! But the greatest of them all isn’t Aaron Rodgers or Brett Favre or even Don Majkowski.
It’s Lynn Dickey, who rolled up 418 yards in a game the Packers thoroughly dominated, but didn’t win. Despite outgaining the Buccaneers by more than 300 yards (569 to 262), two turnovers and three missed field goals prevented the Packers from coming out on top. Instead, the game ended in a 14-14 tie, which remains the only tie between these two teams in their relatively long history together.
Most rushing yards – 169 (Ahman Green, 2001)
Ahman Green’s 169 yard day would be more impressive if he could have hung onto the ball. Really, turnovers were the entire theme of the Packers’ 2001 home matchup against their NFC Central opponents — the last time they’d play their division rivals at home before the Buccaneers headed off for the NFC South.
Green’s fumble was one of three turnovers by the Packers that day and came smack in the middle of a seven-drive series of remarkable futility. After scoring a touchdown on their first drive of the game, the Packers’ next seven drives went like so: punt, interception, punt, fumble, missed field goal, interception, punt.
Yet thanks in part to Green, who scored on a 63-yard scamper in the third quarter, the Packers’ still hung around long enough for one big play to turn the tide later. More on that in a bit.
Most receiving yards – 169 (Sterling Sharpe, 1989)
In a funny historical coincidence, the Packers’ single-game receiving yardage high against the Buccaneers is the same as their single game rushing yardage high, and somewhat predictably, it belongs to Sterling Sharpe.
Sharpe had 130 or more receiving yards against the Buccaneers four different times, but never put up a bigger yardage number than he did in an eight catch, 169 yard, two touchdown performance against the Buccaneers in 1989.
Sharpe’s performance was the first of three times a Packers player would have 150 or more receiving yards against the Buccaneers, and the other two guys to do it pulled it off in the same game. In 1999, both Bill Schroeder and Antonio Freeman surpassed 150 receiving yards; Schroeder had seven catches for 158 yards, while Freeman had seven catches for just 152, but added two touchdowns, the second a 21-yard strike that gave the Packers the win.
Christian Watson and Matthew Golden: your targets are set for Sunday.
Most points – 24 (Sterling Sharpe, 1993)
Remember earlier when I mentioned Sterling Sharpe had four different games where he put up more than 130 receiving yards against the Buccaneers? Yeah, that 169-yard game was arguably not his best.
In 1993, Sharpe caught 10 passes for 147 yards and scored four touchdowns — three of which came in the first half. The Packers cruised to a 37-14 win behind Sharpe’s massive day.
Most sacks – 4.5 (Bryce Paup, 1991)
Big days aren’t limited to the offense, of course. En route to a 15-13 Packers’ win, Bryce Paup and the rest of the defense put Vinny Testaverde in hell, sacking him seven times, with Paup accounting for 4.5. One of Paup’s sacks came in the end zone, giving him the first (but not only) points of his NFL career.
Most solo tackles – 10 (two players tied)
Here’s a chance to think about two guys who probably haven’t crossed your mind in a while. The Packers’ high water mark for solo tackles against the Buccaneers is 10 and it’s happened twice. Jude Waddy did it first, taking down 10 players by himself in 1999. Tyrone Williams did it two years later, racking up 10 solo tackles in the same game where Ahman Green ran for 169 yards.
Most interceptions – 2 (eight players tied)
Eight different players have had two interceptions in a game against the Buccaneers, so we’ve got a bunch of different performances from which to choose if we’re looking for a highlight. How’s this one for you?
LeRoy Butler intercepted two passes in the Packers’ 1996 season-opening win over the Buccaneers, setting the tone for their Super Bowl journey.
Oh, and since I have a contractual obligation to mention tight ends whenever possible, Keith Jackson scored three touchdowns that day. Let’s see it again, Tucker Kraft!
Honorable mention: Allen Rossum scores on a punt return to beat the Buccaneers
I mentioned earlier there were some heroics that delivered the win for the Packers in the game where Ahman Green ran for 169 yards, and here they are. After the Packers’ defense forced a punt late in the fourth quarter, Allen Rossum ripped off a 55-yard punt return for a touchdown to give the Packers a 21-20 win over the Buccaneers in 2001. Was it a pretty game? Certainly not. But Rossum’s effort gave the Packers an exciting win over Tampa in their last meetings as divisional rivals, and that’s always going to be worth remembering.
