The Green Bay Packers might have the least reliable offensive line in the NFL through three weeks, but the beleaguered front has a chance to bounce back against the struggling pass-rushing group of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 4.
Coming out of Sunday, the Buccaneers might not have quarterback Baker Mayfield available due to a right thumb injury. But the quarterback matchup only matters if the Packers, who are desperate for a win, can figure out how to block after a nightmare start along the offensive line to 2026.
The Bucs may provide a reprieve. According to Pro Football Focus, the Buccaneers are 32nd (or last) in pass-rushing grade through three weeks. Per Next Gen Stats, Tampa Bay's pressure rate is 30.8 percent, ranking 27th. Incredibly,
the Bucs are blitzing on 43.9 percent of opponent dropbacks, ranking second behind only Brian Flores and the Minnesota Vikings, but the disruptive production just hasn't been there. Combining a high blitz rate and low pressure rate is a bad place to be.
Will the matchup matter for the Packers? The offensive line could not block the Vikings in Week 1 or the Atlanta Falcons in Week 3. Both the Vikings and Falcons rank in the top five in the NFL for pressure rate, although that could be the result of facing the Packers offense during the first three games.
On Sunday, the Bucs had Vikings quarterback Kyler Murray under pressure on only 11 of 34 dropbacks, or 32.4 percent. The week prior, DeShaun Watson was under pressure on only 11 of 35 dropbacks. In Week 1, the Bucs pressured Joe Burrow only eight times across 37 dropbacks, or only 21 percent. There is no outlier game. The Bucs have simply struggled to disrupt the quarterback.
Interior defender Calijah Kancey leads the Bucs with eight pressures over 77 pass-rushing snaps, but his pressure rate is below 15 percent. No other player has more than six pressures. Tampa Bay hasn't been shy about blitzing linebackers Alex Anzalone (18 blitzes) and Josiah Trotter (13), and defensive back Antoine Winfield Jr. has two pressures over eight blitzes. Rookie first-round pick Rueben Bain Jr. created only two pressures (two hurries) over 39 pass-rushing snaps during the first two weeks before missing Week 3 with a groin injury.
The matchup looks good for the Packers. But the performance of the offensive line still has to improve by leaps and bounds for the matchup to matter.
And one thing to consider: the Bucs are doing a terrific job stopping the run, so it's certainly possible the Packers will be a one-dimensional offense once again on Sunday.
The big question: Will the Packers rebound in Tampa Bay, or will facing a bad Buccaneers pass-rush further expose the glaring weakness that is the Packers offensive line?
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Can Packers OL bounce back against struggling Bucs pass rush?
