BRADY’S BUCCANEERS get best of Rodgers’ Packers.
TAMPA, Fla. — So much for Tom Brady vs. Aaron Rodgers.
A stingy Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense turned a rare meeting between the Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks into a mismatch on Sunday.
Brady outplayed Rodgers, however a young Bucs secondary was equally impressive in setting the tone for a 38-10 rout of the previously unbeaten Packers, who unraveled after taking a 10-0 lead and limiting Tampa Bay to just five offensive plays in the first quarter.
Rodgers threw two interceptions — Green Bay’s first turnovers of the season — within a three-pass span of the second quarter to turn the 10-point lead into a 14-10 deficit.
Cornerback Jamel Dean returned the first interception 32 yards for a touchdown. Safety Mike Edwards ran the other back 38 yards to the Packers 2 to set up another TD.
“Jamel made a hell of a play.
It was a huge play. It sparked us,” Brady said.
“That pick-six changed the entire ballgame,” Coach Bruce Arians said.
It was the 43-year-old Brady’s first signature victory since signing with the Bucs (42) after a historic 20-year run with the New England Patriots, which included nine NFL title game appearances and six championships.
He got his favorite target from his days with the Patriots into the mix, throwing a 12yard touchdown pass to Rob Gronkowski for a 28-10 halftime lead. It was Gronkowski’s first TD since December 2018 and the 79th for the quarterback/tight end tandem — tied for fourth on the all-time list with Miami’s Dan Marino and Mark Clayton.
“I thought everybody stepped up and stepped in,” Arians said.
Brady also threw a 7-yard TD pass to rookie Tyler Johnson and Ronald Jones rushed for 113 yards and a pair of TDs for Tampa Bay, which didn’t turn the ball over, allow a sack or commit a single penalty af
ter being flagged 11 times in a one-point loss to Chicago in its previous game.
“We took care of what beat us last week,” linebacker Devin White said.
Both of Rodgers’ interceptions — his first with multiple picks since throwing three in
a loss to Carolina on Dec. 17, 2017 — came on throws intended for Davante Adams, who had a team-leading six catches for 61 yards in his return from a hamstring injury that sidelined him two games.
“I don’t feel like we ever got into a rhythm. Even with 10 points to start the game, we had off-schedule plays to kind of keep drives alive,” Rodgers said.
“I felt good about both throws. Missed the one slightly inside today, the other just looked like it was tight coverage,” Rodgers added. “Those were frustrating plays, especially up 10-0 there, giving them basically 14 points, obviously changed the momentum of the game. I don’t feel like we were very efficient before that. We obviously weren’t very efficient after that.”
Rodgers finished 16 of 35 for 160 yards and no touchdowns after completing 70.5% of his passes and throwing for 13 TDs and no interceptions in Green Bay’s first four games.
Brady, meanwhile, was 17 of 27 for 166 yards and 2 TDs without an interception. Gronkowski led the Bucs with five receptions for 78 yards — his best game since ending a oneyear retirement to join Brady in Tampa Bay.
“I thought Tom and Rob had great connections. We got the matchup we were looking for on the fade ball,” Arians said. “Gronk did a heck of a job adjusting on that ball and getting the touchdown. I just wish he could have spiked it with his right shoulder, but his right shoulder’s hurt.”