Sep 23, 2008 - 4:54 PM
0 shoutsGreen Bay (2-1) at Tampa Bay (2-1), 1:00 pm EDT
TAMPA, Florida (Ticker) -- Brian Griese appears to have the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the right track.
Griese, who replaced Jeff Garcia after the season opener, will try to the lead the Bucs to their third consecutive victory when they host the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.
A career journeyman, Griese stunned his former team with a career performance last week, rallying Tampa Bay to a 27-24 overtime victory over the Chicago Bears.
"(Griese's) a guy who's cool and calm as anyone I've met," Bucs coach Jon Gruden said. "He's got that kind of confidence in himself and that's what I love about him. He doesn't get rattled."
Matt Bryant kicked a 21-yard field goal with 4:21 left in overtime after Griese and Antonio Bryant hooked up for a 38-yard completion two plays earlier.
Griese, who already had helped Tampa Bay (2-1) overcome a 10-point deficit with 3 1/2 minutes left, orchestrated a 90-yard drive on their second overtime possession, which was sustained when Bears cornerback Charles Tillman was guilty of an unnecessary roughness penalty on a third-down incomplete pass deep in Tampa Bay territory.
The Packers are coming off their first loss of the Aaron Rodgers era, falling to the Dallas Cowboys, 27-16, last Sunday night.
Rodgers completed 22-of-39 passes for 290 yards - with nearly half of those coming after the Cowboys built a comfortable lead. He also had a 1-yard scoring run with 2:11 left to play.
Green Bay's defense was not impressive in that one, surrendering 218 rushing yards to the Cowboys' two-back system of Marion Barber and rookie Felix Jones.
"Well, statistically, they put up big numbers," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. "Anytime someone runs for 200 yards, that's significant. They were able to run the ball for four quarters and kind of wear our defense down."
Tampa Bay, which uses Ernest Graham and Warrick Dunn at running back, will hope for similar results.
From the Bleachers
-
GREEN BAY: 21
TAMPA BAY: 30
Final
Sep 28 4:15 PM -
NFL
TD TAM
EARNEST GRAHAM 1 YD RUN
(MATT BRYANT KICK)
GREEN BAY 21
TAMPA BAY 30 1:56 LEFT, 4TH QTR
Sep 28 4:07 PM -
NFL
FG TAM
MATT BRYANT 24 YD
GREEN BAY 21
TAMPA BAY 23 2:26 LEFT, 4TH QTR
Sep 28 3:57 PM -
NFL
TD GNB
CHARLES WOODSON 62 YD INTERCEPTION RETURN
(MASON CROSBY KICK)
GREEN BAY 21
TAMPA BAY 20 13:43 LEFT, 4TH QTR
Sep 28 3:31 PM -
GREEN BAY: 14
TAMPA BAY: 20
End of 3rd
Sep 28 3:26 PM -
NFL
TD GNB
GREG JENNINGS 48 YD PASS FROM AARON RODGERS
(MASON CROSBY KICK)
GREEN BAY 14
TAMPA BAY 20 1:46 LEFT, 3RD QTR
Sep 28 3:21 PM -
NFL
TD TAM
JERMAINE PHILLIPS 38 YD FUMBLE RETURN
(MATT BRYANT KICK)
GREEN BAY 7
TAMPA BAY 20 6:00 LEFT, 3RD QTR
Sep 28 3:12 PM -
GREEN BAY: 7
TAMPA BAY: 13
Halftime
Sep 28 2:33 PM -
NFL
FG TAM
MATT BRYANT 37 YD
GREEN BAY 7
TAMPA BAY 13 1:07 LEFT, 2ND QTR
Sep 28 2:23 PM -
NFL
FG TAM
MATT BRYANT 23 YD
GREEN BAY 7
TAMPA BAY 10 6:43 LEFT, 2ND QTR
Sep 28 2:07 PM -
NFL
TD TAM
ALEX SMITH 9 YD PASS FROM BRIAN GRIESE
(MATT BRYANT KICK)
GREEN BAY 7
TAMPA BAY 7 12:09 LEFT, 2ND QTR
Sep 28 1:54 PM -
GREEN BAY: 7
TAMPA BAY: 0
End of 1st
Sep 28 1:41 PM -
NFL
TD GNB
GREG JENNINGS 25 YD PASS FROM AARON RODGERS
(MASON CROSBY KICK)
GREEN BAY 7
TAMPA BAY 0 10:24 LEFT, 1ST QTR
Sep 28 1:14 PM
