Green Bay Packers: The Defense Was Thunderous Versus the Buccaneers in Tampa

The game between the Green Bay Packers and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday at Raymond James Stadium was interesting—before, during and after the game.

One of the first things I noticed before the game was the large gathering of Packers fans where I parked, which was Lot 2. As I walked into the stadium with my son and a couple of friends, I saw that Packer Nation was represented well.

Once we got to our seats and I looked around the stadium, where 64,247 fans were in attendance, it appeared about 60 percent of the people there were wearing green and gold.

The game itself was a bit odd. The high-powered Packers offense struggled to get 20 points even though it had 23 first downs and 431 total yards and held the ball for more than 38 minutes.

One reason for that was quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who played after suffering from flu-like symptoms last week. He then strained a calf muscle early in the game, which limited his mobility.

It was also a bit odd to see the defense of the 11-4 Packers play in such a dominating fashion. The defense went into the game ranked 23rd in the NFL overall. Based on the thunderous way the defense performed Sunday against the Bucs, the defense is now ranked 12th in the league.

Through the first 24 minutes of the game, Tampa Bay gained a net total of zero yards. The 2-13 Bucs had five straight three-and-out possessions during that time.

The Bucs had just six first downs. They also had just 109 total yards—16 yards rushing and 93 yards passing—which was their worst offensive output of the season.

The Bucs offensive line couldn't open up holes for the run game. Plus, it couldn't protect quarterback Josh McCown as he was attempting to pass, as evidenced by the seven sacks the Packers had, including 2.5 by Clay Matthews and two more by Julius Peppers.

Cliff McBride/Getty Images

The pass rush also caused an interception late in the game, as McCown threw an errant toss that was picked off by defensive end Datone Jones, who also had half a sack in the game.

The game ended with backup quarterback Matt Flynn taking a knee three times in the victory formation.

After the game, the weather turned on the crowd, much like the Packers defense had turned on the Bucs offense.

The temperature at game time was 75 degrees, and for much of the game, it was mostly overcast, with the sun popping in and out at times.

But after the game, it started to rain. First, it was just a slight drizzle. Then, the rain started to get heavy as we were approaching my car in Lot 2. We weren't in the car for 30 seconds when we heard a humongous thunder crack that seemed to be right in our area.

It was actually a lightning strike, which happened right across the street from us, in Lot 14. It injured a number of people. Fortunately, no one was injured seriously, although at least seven people had to go to a local hospital.

The Packers haven't had much luck at Raymond James Stadium over the years, as I wrote about last week, but the survivors of that lightning strike have to feel fortunate.

I felt that way having been so close to the strike.

In terms of the play of the Packers defense, it didn't need any luck. It flat-out dominated with its performance.