Tom Brady and the Bucs have been hard to get a read on.
The Week 1 loss to the New Orleans Saints was understandable. They looked great during the three straight wins that followed. Then Brady had his senior moment in a Thursday night loss to the Chicago Bears with Mike Evans at about 50 percent and Chris Godwin out of action.
Rob Gronkowski has needed time to get back into football shape. He's not going to be a dominant force, but he can be better than the decoy he was during the first four weeks.
So, Sunday's game against the Green Bay Packers was supposed to be a measuring stick. The Packers were 4-0 and looked like the class of the conference. Aaron Rodgers had been dicing up defenses with all the fury of a Hall of Famer wanting to prove he wasn't done yet.
The potential NFC title game preview opened with Rodgers pelvic thrusting his way to a 10-0 lead. It was all Bucs after that.
The Bucs' swarming defense pressured Rodgers 12 times. He went 2-for-7 for 10 yards and four sacks when pressured. They picked him off twice -- one was returned for a touchdown -- and held him to a 35.4 passer rating.
Todd Bowles' defense held Aaron Jones to 15 yards on 10 carries.
The Bucs' defense now is No. 1 in yards allowed, yards per play and run defense. It's No. 2 in sack percentage, No. 5 in pass defense and No. 7 in scoring. They are legit.
On the other side, Brady had all of his weapons. Evans was healthier, Godwin was back in the lineup and Gronkowski reemerged from his slumber, catching five passes for 78 yards and a touchdown.
With all the pieces in the fold, the Bucs romped. Brady was efficient and relatively crisp. Ronald Jones ran for 113 yards and two scores.
Brady gets the headlines, but it's a ferocious defense and a healthy supporting cast that has the Bucs looking like NFC favorites.