The defensive line has played a huge role in this defense these past two weeks, being an exclamation point in this defense that’s been struggling to find its identity. The starting edge rushers, Rashan Gary and Preston Smith have played great. The tandem have combined for four sacks and just under 20 tackles in 2 games, wreaking havoc on the opposing team’s offensive lines.
The interior defensive line has been just as stellar. Veteran nose tackle Kenny Clark has played at an elite level, and the second rotation of defensive linemen have been able to come in and hold their own whenever the first group is subbed out.
The Packers defensive line group looks to capitalize on their momentum going into week 3 when they take a trip down south to Tampa Bay. In a matchup against future hall of famer, Tom Brady, expect this defensive line to take another step forward. Both of the Buccaneers starting tackles have shown up as questionable on their most recent injury report, and it doesn’t help that their starting center Ryan Jensen will be out indefinitely with a knee injury that he sustained in training camp earlier this month.
Another noticeable thing for this upcoming matchup is that Mike Evans will be out as he was suspended for inciting a fight with Saints cornerback Marshan Lattimore. In addition to the loss of Evans, both Chris Godwin and Julio Jones have been dealing with injuries that could keep them out against the Packers.
With Brady’s top three receiving options in danger of missing time, the Packers cornerbacks in pass coverage, giving the defensive line an opportunity to feast. The combination of an immense amount of injuries piling up on the Buccaneers offensive line room, and the Buccaneers wide receiver room struggling to stay healthy, the defensive line should have no problem stopping the Tampa Bay offense. Expect for Rashan Gary to dominate on this injury riddled offensive line, and assert himself as a top five edge rusher in the NFL.
