Here's what didn't work for the Packers against the Bucs earlier this season, and what can change

GREEN BAY, Wis. – As the Green Bay Packers prepare to meet the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the second time this season, they must figure out whether their offense played so poorly Oct. 18 because of what the Buccaneers' defense did to them or what they did to themselves.

On the surface, there is no explanation other than defensive coordinator Todd Bowles’ crew buried them under an avalanche of speed, pressure and desire in a 38-10 butt-whipping at Raymond James Stadium.

“Anytime you get beat 38-10, it’s hard to say it’s not as bad as it looked,” coach Matt LaFleur said. “They did a good job; you have to give them credit. They were more prepared to play than our group was.

“But I think you always have to take everything you can out of every situation; you’re always learning. I think our team has come a long way from that day, but everything is just words at this point.”

Dive deeper and it’s not quite as one-sided it as it appeared, leaving LaFleur and his offensive coaches with a decision to make for the NFC championship game Sunday: Do they scrap the game plan that resulted in a 10-point, 201-yard day or do they accept that quarterback Aaron Rodgers played his worst game of the season and stick with what might have worked had he been on his game?

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Here’s a look at what didn’t work and how it might have been different:

The run game

The Packers ran it 21 times for 94 yards, which isn’t bad considering the Buccaneers ranked No. 1 against the run then and finished the year No. 1.

LaFleur used Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams together for a dozen plays in the first half, making the Buccaneers choose whether to play them in nickel or base defense. It led to a 25-yard Williams run, but for the most part the Packers passed out of it.

It wasn’t effective: The first 10 times they passed out of that personnel they were 3 of 9 for 30 yards and a sack.

There just wasn’t any commitment to running the ball.

And it wasn’t all LaFleur’s fault. Rodgers thought he could outsmart the Buccaneers with run-pass options and there were times he should have just stuck with the run.

Two plays on the opening drive stood out.

On the second play, there was a receiver screen to Williams that had Rodgers gone through with the handoff would have led to a nice gain for Jones. It was almost intercepted because the Buccaneers were waiting for it.

On a first and 10 at the Tampa Bay 23, Rodgers chose to throw the ball wide to receiver Equanimeous St. Brown rather than hand off. St. Brown wasn’t looking for it and it fell incomplete. Had he handed it off to Williams, there appeared to be a big hole forming that might have kept that drive going instead of ending in a field goal.

Of the first 23 plays, the Packers ran it just eight times, all but nullifying their play-action game.

“I think we kind of got away from the run a little bit there,” LaFleur said. “We had a couple big hits in the run game, but it's more or less going to be about getting efficient plays and staying ahead of the sticks.”

Something they will have to change is figuring out how to get a body on inside linebackers Devin White and Lavonte David, especially if massive nose tackle Vita Vea is able to come off injured reserve (he didn’t play in the first meeting).

The blitz

Truth be told, Rodgers had decent protection in the first half. It didn’t mean the pocket was always clean as it was Saturday against the Los Angeles Rams, but he wasn’t sacked until late in the first half, and the Packers jumped out to a 10-0 lead.

The problem was the Packers seemed to almost over-compensate to deal with the different ways in which Bowles was going to attack them. There were times they kept in seven blockers to handle five rushers, which meant there were only three to get open against six defenders playing mostly zone coverage.

The absence of injured Allen Lazard left Malik Taylor and Darrius Shepherd as the ones trying to get open and they had very little impact.

Bowles really dialed it up during and after the series in which Rodgers threw his first interception. There was a string of plays in which Bowles brought five rushers on 10 of 14 pass plays, mixing it up by blitzing corners and linebackers.

The Buccaneers finished with five sacks and seven quarterback knockdowns.

Hitting a big play or running the ball effectively would have caused Bowles to back off. Once left tackle David Bakhtiari left in the third quarter with a broken rib, there was no hope.

“That is a damn good defense,” LaFleur said.

The Rodgers factor

The Packers quarterback is favored to win his third MVP award, but he made bad decisions and missed throws against the Buccaneers.

First came the pick-6 early in the second quarter when he threw behind Davante Adams on an out route on third and 10 at the Packers 32. He had Adams in man coverage but threw off his back foot and floated the ball so that cornerback Jamel Dean could pick it off and return it for a touchdown.

Then came the slant on the next series in which he forced it to a covered Adams and the ball was deflected into the air and picked off. The Packers were still ahead, 10-7, at the time and throwing it away or trying to scramble for a first down wouldn’t have been so bad.

Instead, the Packers were soon down, 14-10.

It wasn’t just the interceptions though. There were two misses that could have gotten the Packers back in the game if Rodgers had hit them.

On the series after the second interception, the Buccaneers blew a coverage and left tight end Marcedes Lewis wide open down the slot. Rodgers had some pressure in his face, but he was able to get the ball off and sailed it over Lewis’ head.

Had he caught it, Lewis would have probably gotten down to at least the Buccaneers’ 40-yard line and maybe as far as the 30. A potential touchdown drive turned into a punt.

And after Tampa Bay scored to make it 21-10, Rodgers had all day to throw a deep ball to receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who was double-covered but was starting to split the defenders. Rodgers threw it to a spot where Valdes-Scantling could run to it, but it was too far out to the left and fell incomplete.

A big play in either of those situations would have helped stem the momentum the Buccaneers had built.

“That’s every game, it comes down to a few plays,” LaFleur said. “’Well, if this would have gone different …’ I think the big takeaway from that game is No. 1, making sure that we take care of the football.”