Packers vs. Buccaneers: Jordan Love's Two TDs and Evan Williams' Late Stop Drop Tampa Bay to 0-4 in Week 4

Twice in the span of three snaps, Evan Williams ran through a gap nobody bothered to block. The first time, he dropped Jalon Daniels for a sack. The second time, on fourth-and-11 from the Green Bay 47 with less than two minutes to go, he grabbed the rookie quarterback by the legs and Daniels' throw died incomplete.

That stop preserved a 17-14 Packers win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday at Raymond James Stadium, where Jordan Love threw two touchdown passes and Green Bay survived two fourth-quarter turnovers that gave the Bucs every chance at a comeback. The Packers are 2-2. Tampa Bay is 0-4 for the first time since 2013, according to the AP, and the vibes in the Bay are officially bleak.

Fourth Downs, Field Goals and Fumbles

Nobody scored in the first quarter, but Williams got things going midway through it, sliding to snag an interception along the sideline, and the Packers took over at their own 32. What followed was a 16-play, 68-yard, 9:16 grind that lived on fourth downs. Love hit Tucker Kraft for 10 yards on one fourth-and-1, Kraft took a direct snap and sneaked for another at the Tampa Bay 10, and Love finished it with a 2-yard touchdown to Matthew Golden on fourth down. Three fourth-down tries, three conversions, 7-0.

After an exchange of punts, Tampa Bay answered behind its undrafted rookie. Daniels went 2-for-2 for 27 yards on the possession and scrambled for 9 more before Sean Tucker ran it in from the 2 to tie it. Then Edgerrin Cooper made the play of the half, jumping a Daniels throw in the final minute, securing it on his way to the turf and popping up for an 18-yard return to the Tampa Bay 44. Trey Smack drilled a 58-yarder as the half expired for a 10-7 lead.

Green Bay opened the third quarter with an eight-play, 80-yard drive capped by Love's 2-yard touchdown to Kraft, 17-7. After two quick punts, the Bucs put together a grinding 12-play, 84-yard march that ate 6:28, and Daniels hit Kenny Gainwell for a 10-yard score early in the fourth. 17-14.

Then the Packers started handing out gifts. First, MarShawn Lloyd put the ball on the turf in the red zone and got lucky when it bounced out of bounds. Three snaps later, at the 3, Tykee Smith punched it loose from Kaleb Johnson and the Bucs pounced. Green Bay got the ball back at the Bucs 33, a false start made it first-and-15, and Jacob Parrish picked off Love, giving Tampa Bay the ball at its own 15 with 4:18 left. Daniels moved the Bucs to the Green Bay 47. Then Williams happened.

Love Stayed Clean, Williams Stayed Busy

Love's line was tidy: 22 of 30 for 197 yards, two touchdowns, one pick and a 98.9 passer rating. The bigger story was what didn't happen to him. Green Bay allowed zero sacks, and after Love absorbed 31 quarterback hits through the first three games, he took two on Sunday, per the AP. Laken Tomlinson started at left guard and Travis Glover at right guard, and the difference was obvious.

"The O-line did a great job," Love said. "Pass protection, run game, just keeping me clean and giving me time."

Kraft was the Swiss Army knife with six catches for 42 yards, a touchdown and that direct-snap sneak. On defense, Williams was everywhere: an interception, a sack, seven tackles, two passes defensed and two quarterback hits. Cooper added nine tackles, a sack and the pick that set up Smack's kick, but the day turned sour when he was carted off in the third quarter with an Achilles tendon injury.

Daniels, making his first career start with Baker Mayfield sidelined, was gutsy in defeat: 19 of 27 for 148 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions that led to 10 Green Bay points, plus 55 rushing yards on eight carries. Tampa Bay outrushed Green Bay 141 to 86.

Two Gifts, No Thank-You Notes

Tampa Bay got two fourth-quarter takeaways in a three-point game and turned them into a punt and a turnover on downs. That's the whole game. Facing that final fourth-and-11, coach Todd Bowles passed on a 65-yard field goal try by Chase McLaughlin, who made one from that distance last year. Bowles said a little wind factored into the call, according to the AP.

"I'm the head coach. I can do more. I can always do more. I'll always take the blame," Bowles said.

On the other sideline, Matt LaFleur was in no mood to celebrate the ball security, and he delivered the quote of the week.

"A great teacher is the bench. If guys don't start holding onto the ball, they're gonna be sitting on the bench," LaFleur said.

Love owned his interception, too. "I was late on the read," he said. "I can't make a mistake in that area."

The Math of a Messy Win

• 0: Sacks allowed by Green Bay, after a rough start to the season up front.
• 3-for-3: The Packers on fourth down.
• 10 for 68: Green Bay's penalties and penalty yards, compared with 4 for 17 for Tampa Bay.
• 1992: Per the AP, the 1992 Chargers are the only team to overcome an 0-4 start and make the playoffs. The Bucs are now chasing that ghost.

Packers Breathe, Bucs Spiral

Green Bay needed this after getting flattened 35-14 by Atlanta in Week 3. The Packers have now alternated wins and losses all season, and the new-look offensive line is a real reason for optimism. The giveaways and 10 penalties are not.

"There were some positive things but we're never going to be satisfied with scoring 17 points in a game," LaFleur said. "That's just not to our standard and we have to find ways when we're in the red area to convert."

Losing Cooper hurts, and Chicago comes to Lambeau next Sunday.

Tampa Bay, meanwhile, has lost four straight one-score games and now has to visit Dallas on Thursday night. Safety Antoine Winfield Jr. also hurt his abdomen and a rib late in the fourth quarter, per the AP.

"We're gonna fight, we're gonna stick together and we're gonna figure this thing out," Bowles said.

A Win Is a Win, Even When It's a Group Project

The Packers won this one the way college roommates finish a group project the night before it's due: messily, barely and with one guy doing the heavy lifting at the end. Williams was that guy. Love knows the grade could have been worse.

"We'll take the win for sure. It was sloppy on those last drives," Love said. "Two turnovers is unacceptable."

Stats from the official box score via ESPN. Postgame quotes as reported by the Associated Press and Packers.com.