Big Matchup: Packers vs. Buccaneers’ Antoine Winfield

Since 2000, only two players have 100 tackles and at least three sacks, forced fumbles and fumble recoveries in a season.

Only one player this season has nine turnover-producing plays (interceptions, forced fumbles, fumble recoveries).

Only one defensive back has at least 10 sacks since the start of the 2020 season.

Only four players since the start of the 2020 season have 300-plus tackles, five-plus sacks and 10-plus takeaways.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Antoine Winfield is that player, and he’ll be in the spotlight for Sunday’s game at Lambeau Field against the Green Bay Packers.

“He’s an unbelievable player,” coach Matt LaFleur said. “He made a hell of a play on that safety last week vs. Atlanta on the safety blitz. It doesn’t matter whether he’s playing nickel or he’s at safety, he’s a guy you’d better account for on every play. He’s a very smart football player, very instinctive, very physical.

“It’s not a shock to me he’s made the impact he’s made in this league, and he’s one of the better safeties in the league.”

Winfield is about to join Hall of Famer Brian Dawkins as the only players in the aforementioned club of players with 100 tackles, three forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries in a season. With four games to go, he has 97 tackles, four sacks, four forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, two interceptions and 11 passes defensed. He leads the Bucs in tackles, forced fumbles, fumble recoveries, interceptions and passes defensed.

When Jordan Love gets to the line of scrimmage to survey the defense, Job 1 will be to figure out where No. 31 is located. According to Pro Football Focus, he’s played 537 snaps at safety, 177 snaps in the box, 108 snaps in the slot.

From there, it’ll be time to ponder tendencies. If he’s lined up in the slot, is he really going to cover or is he going to blitz?

“He does a lot of good things with coverage recognition, understanding the routes and playing off the quarterback’s eyes,” Love said. “He’s a guy who’s a ballhawk. He wants to jump routes and go make plays on the ball. I think he does a really good job. He’s a guy you have to know where he’s at. Obviously, do some things where you’re able to look him off, but just knowing where he’s at and what he’s capable of, being aware of that is huge.”

Winfield, the son of the three-time Pro Bowl defensive back Antoine Winfield Sr., is superb in coverage and an excellent tackler in terms of efficiency (eight misses; two fewer than the Packers’ Darnell Savage while playing about 400 more snaps) and turnover production.

In two career games against Green Bay, he’s recorded 11 tackles. He was inactive for the 2020 NFC Championship Game.

This year, the Bucs are 2-0 when he has an interception, 3-1 when he forces a fumble, 4-0 when he has a sack and 5-0 when he has a tackle for loss.

“He’s really good in the run and pass,” offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich said. “He’s a very instinctual player, he covers well, and he’s really physical in the run game. So, I think he’s a complete safety — one of the better ones we’ve seen this year. So, you’ve just got to make sure you account for him, wherever he’s at. You have to have an awareness for him; they’ll pressure (with) him a lot. So, yeah, he’s a heck of a player.”