The Green Bay Packers have had more than a week to sit with their ugliest performance of the young season.
Their first chance to respond comes against a team searching for its first victory.
Green Bay visits the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday with both sides facing early pressure. The Packers are 1-2 after a 35-14 loss to Atlanta, while Tampa Bay enters 0-3 and will hand the offense to an undrafted rookie quarterback.
That combination has pushed Green Bay into the role of road favorite. The Packers have their own concerns, particularly along an offensive line missing multiple pieces, but the absence of Tampa Bay starting quarterback Baker Mayfield changes the complexion of the matchup.
Last week, Jordan Love also finished off a 312-yard, two-touchdown performance that looked better on the stat sheet than the final score. Christian Watson added seven catches for 96 yards and a touchdown, displaying at least one upward-looking development heading into Tampa.
The Packers managed only 17 rushing yards, however, in the lopsided defeat, via the Packers’ Week 3 recap.
Packers vs. Buccaneers: How to Watch, Start Time
The Packers and Buccaneers kick off at 1 p.m. ET, or noon CT, on Sunday, Oct. 4, at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.
FOX will broadcast the game, with Chris Myers handling play-by-play, Jonathan Vilma providing analysis and Jen Hale reporting from the sideline. NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube is available for out-of-market viewers, while NFL+ carries live local games on mobile devices, according to the Packers’ official viewing guide.
The Packers Radio Network will carry the game on its affiliates, including flagship 95.7 BIG FM in Milwaukee. Wayne Larrivee and Larry McCarren will call the action with John Kuhn working the sideline. SiriusXM will also carry the broadcast on Channels 132 and 269.
Green Bay received one significant injury boost Saturday when linebacker Edgerrin Cooper cleared concussion protocol and was removed from the injury report. Guards Aaron Banks and Jacob Monk have been ruled out, leaving the Packers to shuffle their protection again, per Green Bay’s announcement.
Tampa Bay will start Jalon Daniels in place of Mayfield, who is out with a dislocated right thumb. It will be Daniels’ first NFL start.
Packers vs. Buccaneers Odds & Prediction
FanDuel Sportsbook listed Green Bay as a 3.5-point favorite, with the Packers at -172 on the moneyline and Tampa Bay at +144. The over/under sat at 39.5 points heading into Sunday. FanDuel’s Week 4 odds are subject to change.
Prediction markets are telling almost exactly the same story. Kalshi traders priced Green Bay at roughly a 61% chance to win, compared with 39% for Tampa Bay, with more than $3.3 million in trading volume showing on the market (as of 12:02 a.m. ET on Oct. 4).
Polymarket had the Packers at 61% and the Buccaneers at 40%, with roughly $1.08 million traded across the matchup.
The quarterback change gives Green Bay its clearest advantage. Daniels showed enough during the summer to win Tampa Bay’s backup job, but his first NFL start is against a defense that can pressure and disguise coverages. The return of Cooper strengthens that challenge.
Tampa Bay has a way to victory through the ground game. Bucky Irving faces a Packers defense that just surrendered 242 rushing yards to Atlanta. Presuming the Buccaneers can keep Daniels out of obvious passing situations, this could stay trickier longer than Green Bay wants.
Nevertheless, Love is the Packers’ reliable answer in a game where offensive mistakes should hit hard. Green Bay’s passing game showed life even during the Atlanta collapse, and Tampa Bay’s margin for error shrinks without Mayfield.
Prediction: Packers 23, Buccaneers 16.
Pick: Packers -3.5; lean Under 39.5.
Packers vs. Buccaneers Today: How to Watch, Odds and Prediction