The Green Bay Packers hoped for a final defensive stand to leave Tampa with a 17-14 win Sunday, and safety Evan Williams walked away from it with an even stronger appreciation for defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon.
Williams made two of the biggest plays on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ final possession, first coming free on a safety blitz to sack rookie quarterback Jalon Daniels for a 6-yard loss.
Gannon went back to Williams later in the series, and the third-year safety pressured Daniels again on fourth-and-11, helping force the incompletion that sealed Green Bay’s second win of the season.
Williams credited Gannon for trusting his players when the game was hanging in the balance.
“Shoutout to [Gannon] just because he always preaches players, not plays, in the biggest situations,” Williams said, according to Packers.com’s postgame account. “For him to call my number in that type of situation, it means a lot to me.”
That trust paid off at exactly the right time for a Packers defense that had lost a top playmakers earlier in the afternoon.
Williams Rewarded Jonathan Gannon’s Aggressive Approach
Green Bay’s official game recap noted that Gannon dialed up pressure on three consecutive snaps during Tampa Bay’s final possession. Head coach Matt LaFleur praised the approach afterward, calling Gannon “aggressive” and saying the pressure was “big-time” because it kept the Buccaneers from moving into field-goal range.
Williams was at the center of the plan.
After linebacker Isaiah McDuffie pressured Daniels on first down, Williams came unblocked from the edge on second down and recorded the first sack of his NFL career. Tampa Bay picked up five yards on a screen on third-and-16, leaving the game on one final snap.
Gannon sent Williams again.
The safety got home quickly enough to grab Daniels around the legs as the quarterback tried to keep the play alive. Daniels managed to get the pass away, but it fell incomplete, allowing the Packers to take over and kneel out the clock.
The sequence presented a look into how Gannon wants his defense to operate in pressure moments. Rather than sit back with a three-point lead, he attacked a rookie quarterback and put the responsibility on one of Green Bay’s most active defenders.
Williams answered the call twice.
Packers Needed Williams After Edgerrin Cooper Injury
The late-game heroics completed a strong afternoon for Williams, who was already one of Green Bay’s defensive standouts before the final drive.
Earlier, Williams intercepted Daniels in the first quarter by undercutting a throw intended for Emeka Egbuka. Packers.com noted that the takeaway helped set up Green Bay’s first touchdown and that Williams also broke up a pass later in the game.
His impact became even more important after linebacker Edgerrin Cooper suffered a non-contact Achilles injury in the third quarter. LaFleur said afterward that the injury “doesn’t look good,” with the Packers fearing Cooper could miss the remainder of the season.
That left Green Bay searching for somebody else to make a decisive play.
Williams did it repeatedly.
The Buccaneers’ official recap credited Daniels with 148 passing yards, one touchdown and two interceptions in his first NFL start, while also noting that Williams’ free rush on fourth down forced the final incompletion.
Green Bay still has to clean up areas due to committing two fourth-quarter turnovers and giving Tampa Bay occasions to steal the game. But the defense survived those mistakes, and Williams emerged as the player Gannon trusted most with the outcome on the line.
Since this Packers team is trying to settle in under a new defensive coordinator, that final series may have provided something valuable beyond the win.
Packers’ Rising Defender Reacts to Jonathan Gannon Calling His Number