The Green Bay Packers already had plenty to fix coming out of their ugly Week 3 loss. Now Matt LaFleur and his staff have another wrinkle to account for before heading to Tampa Bay.
The Packers were preparing for Baker Mayfield, but the Buccaneers will have a different quarterback behind center on Oct. 4 after Mayfield suffered a dislocated right thumb late in Sunday’s 23-16 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
Tampa Bay coach Todd Bowles said Monday that Mayfield is expected to miss at least three weeks. That puts undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels in line for his first NFL start against Green Bay.
LaFleur acknowledged the timing of the injury forced the Packers to make a quick adjustment to their preparation.
Matt LaFleur Addresses Baker Mayfield Injury
The Leap’s Jason B. Hirschhorn shared LaFleur’s reaction Monday as the Packers began working through how Tampa Bay’s quarterback change affects their defensive plan.
“We’re kind of diving into that right now. Certainly, you never expect that, and it happened on one of the last offensive plays for them. So, there’s an adjustment there, and our guys will work through that,” LaFleur said.
Mayfield injured his throwing hand on Tampa Bay’s final offensive possession against Minnesota when his hand struck Vikings linebacker Blake Cashman during a fourth-down pass attempt. An MRI revealed no fracture or ligament damage, but the dislocation is still expected to keep him out for multiple games.
The timing leaves Green Bay preparing for a quarterback with almost no regular-season NFL film.
Mayfield had started every game for Tampa Bay since joining the franchise in 2023, making Daniels the first Buccaneers quarterback other than Mayfield to start since Tom Brady in 2022. Tampa Bay enters the matchup 0-3, its worst start since 2014.
Daniels replaced Mayfield late against the Vikings and finished 0-for-3 passing with an interception while adding 9 rushing yards. Before that, the former Kansas quarterback had not attempted a regular-season pass.
Daniels did give Tampa Bay reasons to keep him around during the preseason. He completed 27 of 44 passes for 239 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions across three games, while also showing the mobility that was a major part of his college career.
Packers Now Preparing for Jalon Daniels
Daniels went undrafted in April before signing with the Buccaneers in May. He then climbed from fourth on Tampa Bay’s quarterback depth chart to win the No. 2 job behind Mayfield.
His college résumé offers Green Bay more of an idea of what he’s capable of than his brief NFL career.
Daniels played six seasons at Kansas, throwing for 9,282 yards and 67 touchdowns while rushing for another 1,445 yards and 23 scores. He finished his Jayhawks career with more than 10,000 yards of total offense.
That mobility gives the Packers another element to prepare for, even if Daniels doesn’t bring Mayfield’s experience.
Green Bay could use any advantage after getting pushed around by Atlanta in a 35-14 loss on Thursday night. The Falcons piled up 498 total yards, including 242 on the ground, and scored 27 unanswered points after the Packers took an early 7-0 lead.
The loss dropped Green Bay to 1-2 and left LaFleur calling the performance “humbling.”
Now the Packers get extra rest before traveling to Tampa, but the opponent they spent part of that time preparing for has changed. Instead of Mayfield, Green Bay’s defense will be trying to make Daniels’ first NFL start feel like one.
Packers’ Matt LaFleur Gets Honest About Baker Mayfield ‘Adjustment’ vs. Bucs