Despite Familiarity, Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Green Bay Packers Is ‘Completely Different’

Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles pointed out on Friday the vast differences between his team and the Green Bay Packers compared to the last time they played.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-7) are sitting atop the NFC South Division but are still in need of a Week 15 win over the Green Bay Packers (6-7) to inch ever closer to securing a postseason ticket. 

Meanwhile, the Packers are on the Wild Card hunt and need to do something they haven’t done much of lately -- beat the Buccaneers.

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Since Tampa Bay coach Todd Bowles joined the franchise in 2020 his team is 2-1 in three contests against Green Bay. That includes an NFC Championship Game win in the 2020 NFL Playoffs along the road to the franchise’s second Super Bowl win.

But Bowles says that history is irrelevant now, and has carries no weight this weekend. 

“Other than plays – them taking some from us and us taking some from them – the people are completely different,” Bowles said of the two teams. “The game has changed and they’re coaching it differently and we’re coaching it differently. It’s a completely different game.”

Sep 25, 2022; Tampa, Florida, USA; Green Bay Packers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers line up on the line of scrimmage during the second quarter at Raymond James Stadium / Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Each of the three matchups between the Packers and Bucs featured quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady.

While Rodgers got the last laugh between the two future Hall of Famers last September it was Brady who won the first contest and that conference title fight inside Lambeau Field.

Now, the Buccaneers will come back to Lambeau with Baker Mayfield leading the squad as Green Bay has turned to Jordan Love who was on the sideline for those three games, but didn’t get to play.

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It is a sharp fact that both franchise’s are in the opening lines of brand new eras, ones that each hopes will spark even more success than the previous had.

While Mayfield vs. Love doesn’t have the same ring to it as Brady vs. Rodgers, the stakes have rarely been higher which makes the critical nature of the game familiar, even though the two teams are meeting each other for the first time all over again.

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