The Packers are fresh off a bye week and traveling to Florida to take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium, the site of Super Bowl 55. If all goes according to plan for the currently undefeated Packers, this won’t be the team’s only visit to Tampa this season. Here are six things to look for heading into Sunday’s matchup: 

1. The Other Jones and Williams 

We’re used to talking about the tandem of Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams, but what about Ronald Jones and Jamaal Williams? “RoJo” will be a familiar face for one Packer in particular on Sunday, as he’s Williams’ training partner in the offseason. He also currently leads the league in yards after contact with 221 through five games. 

This is the first time in his career that he’s posted back-to-back 100-yard rushing games, going for 111 yards against the Los Angeles Chargers and 106 yards against the Chicago Bears. While Green Bay tightened up its run defense Week 4 against the Falcons, allowing only 78 yards on the ground, Jones poses a new challenge. He averaged 6.24 yards per carry on the ground last Thursday against the Bears. 

Sharing a backfield with Jones is former first-round draft pick Leonard Fournette, with the pair averaging 5.0 yards per carry combined. It’ll be another test for the Packers run defense on Sunday.

2. Like Father Like Son?

Antoine Winfield Sr. played 14 seasons in the NFL, splitting his time with the Buffalo Bills between 1999-2003 and the Minnesota Vikings from 2004 until he retired in 2012. During his time with the Vikings (in 2009 to be specific), Winfield snagged an interception from Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. 

Winfield’s son, Antoine Winfield Jr. was drafted by the Buccaneers in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft, and he already has three passes defensed, one forced fumble, two sacks, three quarterback hits, and 30 tackles to his name in only five games. 

If Winfield Jr. is able to pick off Rodgers, it would make NFL history. But we’ll talk about why that might not be so easy in No. 3. Still, it’s not often a father and son duo get the opportunity to face off against the same player in their careers, and that isn’t lost on Rodgers, noting in his presser earlier this week this is the first time he’ll have played against a father and son. Read Doug Farrar’s excellent piece with Touchdown Wire for a deeper look into the historic outing. 

3. Aaron Rodgers Remains Interception-Free

Sometimes the cheese really does stand alone. Rodgers is now the only quarterback in the NFL that hasn’t thrown an interception yet this season. And yes, I’m knocking on wood as I type this. Rodgers is boasting some impressive numbers early in the season, and most would be career-highs if they were sustained all year. 

To start, he has a completion percentage of 70.5%, his highest since becoming a starter. He also has a current quarterback rating of 128.4, which again would be the best in his career, beating his 2011 MVP season rating of 122.5. The season is early, but Rodgers deservedly sits atop the MVP conversation. 

The goal was to not bring Tom Brady into this piece at all, but Brady and Rodgers have a mutual respect for one another as two of the league’s all-time greats. While they won’t take the field at the same time on Sunday, it’s still only the third time Brady and Rodgers have faced off. The future first-ballot Hall of Famer (Brady, because Rodgers is, too) had kind words for Rodgers during his press conference yesterday. 

“Everyone always is pretty much in awe of how he makes it look so easy,” Brady said. “The throwing motion, the velocity of the ball, the placement of the ball...he basically doesn’t throw interceptions.”

Hopefully Brady is correct on Sunday and the interception-free streak continues for Rodgers. 

4. First Rounder or Undrafted - Players Make Plays

If Packers fans weren’t part of the “draft a wide receiver” camp this past offseason, they were almost certainly on the “draft an inside linebacker” train. I say this as a passenger on that train, calling Patrick Queen my ideal selection for the Packers in the first round. 

Why am I bringing this up now? Because Queen won AFC Defensive Player of the week for his Week 5 performance against the Bengals. His arrow is pointing straight up. And while it’d be foolish to compare Queen to an undrafted player like Krys Barnes, Barnes does deserve ample credit for the role he’s played on this Packers defense through the first four games of the season. 

Barnes was released on roster cut down day only to be signed and elevated to the active roster for Week 1 starting opposite veteran Christian Kirksey. The undrafted linebacker from UCLA has yet to miss a tackle this season, per Pro Football Focus, and we know tackling is something this Packers defense has struggled with through four games. What’s more, he’s also currently second on the team in tackles with 23, despite playing only 35.1% of snaps so far on defense. 

Here at Maggie’s Pre-Game Six Pack, we give credit where credit is due, and Barnes is looking like an absolute player through the first quarter of the season. With Kirksey on injured reserve, expect to see Barnes and Ty Summers splitting time again this week wearing the communication helmet on defense. 

5. Vita Vea Big Loss for Bucs

Defensive tackle Vita Vea was having an excellent start to 2020 before suffering a season-ending leg fracture against the Bears. He had already registered two sacks and three quarterback hits through five games, with three sacks being his previous career high in a season. 

He also was a key contributor for the league’s top rated run defense, with the Buccaneers allowing only 58.4 yards per game and 2.7 yards per carry on the ground. On Thursday Night Football last week, the Bears were held to an abysmal 35 yards rushing, the fewest yards allowed by Tampa Bay so far this season. 

With Tyler Ervin unlikely to play on Sunday after missing practice this week with a wrist injury, we could finally see more of A.J. Dillon on the field. Whether or not that’s the case, expect LaFleur to line up Jones and Williams in a variety of looks to take advantage of this stout Buccaneers front seven. 

6. Bring Em Out

I miss being at Lambeau Field, hearing “Bring Em Out” pulse through the stadium as the Packers run out of the tunnel for warmups. By all reports, the Packers are ready to bring out two of their best players, with Davante Adams and Kenny Clark both expected to play on Sunday in Tampa. 

The Packers staying undefeated without two of their best players was no small task, but now Rodgers has nis number one weapon back on offense, and the defense will get a much-needed boost on the interior. 

This might impact Preston Smith more than anyone else, as Clark’s return will shift some of the attention off Smith and allow him more opportunities for free runs at the quarterback. A front five of Clark, Kingsley Keke, Smith, Za’Darius Smith, and Rashan Gary is enough to give me chills. Bring ‘em out and get after Brady, who remains largely immobile in the pocket.