Who will win the last duel between GOAT and MVP?
The NFL’s top game is coming up late Sunday night – at least if the quarterbacks’ names are anything to go by. Because that’s when GOAT Tom Brady and current MVP Aaron Rodgers go head-to-head with their teams from Tampa and Green Bay.
In prime time on ProSieben, we will then see how Tom Brady and his Buccaneers can put away the numerous failures or whether Aaron Rodgers and his Packers will capitalise on them. We’re counting a little more on the second option.
The Bucs are not only missing the long-term injured Chris Godwin (WR) and Ryan Jensen (centre), but also wide receiver Mike Evans is out of action for this game and suspended for one game.
Our prediction for Buccaneers vs. Packers is an away win for Green Bay, which would also make them forget their poor start to the season. Rodgers will certainly not miss this big chance, as he also turned on the turbo last year after an opening defeat.
The start of the top duel of the NFC is on Sunday evening at 10:25 pm in Tampa Bay. The game can be watched live on ProSieben, ran.de and on DAZN.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Statistics & current form
2-0 are the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after two days of play. Especially offensively, however, it has not been a revelation that they have put on the field in the first two weeks. 19.5 own points per game is clearly below their own expectations.
However, it must also be said that they currently have more personnel worries than almost any other team. They are missing their regular centre Ryan Jensen and the two best pass receivers in the team, Chris Godwin and, for Sunday, Mike Evans.
Outages weigh on offensive production
All three are offensive players, so it’s no surprise that they are lacking at that position. Oldie Julio Jones was also missing the previous week, and he will be anything but certain to play next weekend as well.
If he is also missing against Green Bay, then we almost see black for a Tampa victory. Their defence can’t perform that well every week to compensate for all these absences. Opposite Aaron Rodgers is too experienced for that.
In the middle of the week it was also announced that defensive end Akiem Hicks will miss the Bucs until further notice, which means that their defence has now also been affected.
Buccaneers hope for a scrappy game
So all they can really hope for in Tampa on Sunday is another low-scoring, high-fault game on both sides. Because then, anything is always possible in the NFL. If it’s a high-scoring game with a lot of good plays, the Bucs will be at a loss.
All in all, we don’t trust their defence, which is No.1 in the NFL so far (6.5 counter points per game), to even come close to maintaining this value on Sunday. Moreover, if their offence falters, it will be on the field for so many minutes that fatigue will play a role in the end.
That’s when the Packers are likely to strike. Thus, for Bucs vs. Packers, a bet against Tom Brady and his colleagues for Week 3 is the much more promising option. Moreover, the value on Green Bay is surprisingly even higher.
Key Players:
QB: Tom Brady
RB: Leonard Fournette
WR: Russell Gage
TE: Cameron Brate
K: Ryan Succop
Green Bay Packers – stats & current form
The Packers are doing Packers things again. Just like last year, they blew the season opener, only to flex their muscles in Week 2. Then in 2021 they won by 18 over Detroit, and this year they won by 17 over Chicago.
In the preseason, they even won seven games in a row after the opening loss. In Week 3, they narrowly lost to the San Francisco 49ers, another very strong team. In that respect, the parallels to 2021 could continue on Sunday.
Rodgers also much improved
The entire team presented a marked change in Week 2 from the previous week, but it was particularly evident in two players: Aaron Rodgers and Aaron Jones. Both Aarons improved dramatically.
Rodgers increased his passer rating from a weak 67.7 to 131.1 – an excellent value. He also threw two touchdowns instead of one interception. Jones racked up 170 yards and two touchdowns against the Bears compared to a paltry 49 rushing and 27 receiving yards the week before.
Offense should be able to win the game
These two will also matter against Tampa on Sunday – especially since the Bucs defense has been the standard-bearer in the NFL so far. However, since we don’t expect their offense to score 20 points, the Packers only need three touchdowns to win. We think they can do that easily.
For Tampa Bay against Green Bay, the odds on the Packers are so good that we don’t even need a handicap to bet on them. Even with pure win bets we get odds of up to 2.12.
Key Players:
QB: Aaron Rodgers
RB: Aaron Jones
WR: Sammy Watkins
TE: Robert Tonyan
K: Mason Crosby
Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Green Bay Packers Head-to-head comparison / H2H record
The Buccaneers with Tom Brady have been somewhat of the Packers’ kryptonite of late. Both in the Regular Season 2020 and in the subsequent playoffs, the Bucs were able to win this duel.
The fact that the Packers had previously won three in a row is ultimately irrelevant, as the Buccaneers looked completely different back then. For Sunday, however, the signs are once again reversed, as the Bucs are struggling with extreme personnel problems.
In the end, these should swing the pendulum back in favour of the visitors. For Tampa Bay vs. Green Bay, a bet on the Packers is therefore our No. 1 betting recommendation, followed by sub-points, which are also probable due to the situation.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Green Bay Packers Tip
Does Tom Brady remain the kryptonite of Aaron Rodgers? In four duels between these two quarterbacks so far, Brady has won three. Rodgers has not triumphed since 2014. But the signs for Sunday are such that Rodgers will be able to improve his record at least a little.
We expect the Bucs’ injury woes to be too much to overcome this weekend. For Bucs vs Packers, a bet on Green Bay is thus our betting recommendation. Even a slight handicap would still be enough for good odds.
Alternatively, we recommend betting on a touchdown by running back Aaron Jones. Since he is heavily involved in both the running and passing game at Green Bay, the odds are excellent at still good value.
