TAMPA - The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will start an undrafted rookie at quarterback for the first time in 821 regular-season and postseason games in franchise history when they host the 1-2 Green Bay Packers in Week Four, after Baker Mayfield suffered a dislocated right thumb that is expected to sideline him for a minimum of three weeks.
Jalon Daniels, a former Kansas standout who went undrafted and won the backup job behind Mayfield during training camp, will make the start Sunday as Tampa Bay attempts to avoid its worst start since 2014. The Buccaneers fell to 0-3 last week after a 23-16 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, a game in which their defense held Minnesota to just 230 yards of total offense, nine first downs and two third-down conversions on 15 attempts.
Mayfield had started 57 consecutive games since taking over as the Buccaneers’ starter in 2023 before the injury ended that streak.
Despite the losing record, Tampa Bay’s defense presents a favorable matchup against a Green Bay offense that ranks last in the NFL with 48.7 rushing yards per game and 3.04 yards per carry. The Buccaneers rank second in the league against the run, allowing just 76.0 rushing yards per game and 3.12 yards per carry - the second-best mark in the NFL. Green Bay also converts just 27.8% of its third-down attempts, while Tampa Bay’s defense is tied for eighth in third-down success rate allowed at 35.7%.
The Buccaneers’ defense has produced only two takeaways through three games - interceptions by linebacker Josiah Trotter and defensive lineman A’Shawn Robinson - and has yet to force a fumble. Tampa Bay ranks sixth in total defense and 12th against the pass.
Cornerback Zyon McCollum has been a bright spot in the secondary, posting a 69.3 passer rating allowed when targeted as the nearest defender in 2026, ninth best among all NFL cornerbacks with at least 100 coverage snaps according to Pro Football Focus. In Week Three against Minnesota, McCollum recorded two passes defensed and did not allow a single reception across 35 coverage snaps.
Running back Bucky Irving gives the offense a weapon in the open field, having forced a missed tackle on 29.2% of tackle attempts since the start of the 2024 season - third in the NFL behind Kansas City’s Kenneth Walker (36.1%) and Atlanta’s Bijan Robinson (30.6%). Irving is averaging 4.5 yards per carry in 2026, eighth among all NFL running backs.
The Packers arrive in Tampa having lost their own Week Three game, a 35-14 home defeat to the Atlanta Falcons in which Green Bay surrendered 498 yards of total offense, including 242 on the ground. The last time these two teams met, late in the 2023 season, Chris Godwin caught 10 passes for 155 yards in a 34-20 Tampa Bay victory at Lambeau Field. Kickoff Sunday at Raymond James Stadium will mark the Buccaneers’ final game of a three-game homestand.