Dilweg Starts Up Packers’ Offense, 20-10 : NFC: Green Bay hands Tampa Bay its sixth consecutive loss behind quarterback making first start in eight weeks.

It had been eight weeks since his last start, so Green Bay Packer quarterback Anthony Dilweg was not going to waste the opportunity.

Dilweg completed 13 of 22 passes for 199 yards and two touchdowns Sunday as the Packers defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 20-10, at County Stadium.

“I thought I played rather well considering I haven’t started in eight weeks,” said Dilweg, who relieved starter Don Majkowski last week, when Majkowski injured his shoulder, and led the Packers to a victory over Phoenix.

“Mentally, every week I prepare like I am going to be the starter and today it paid off.

“I’d like to think I’m pushing him (Majkowski) for No. 1. My number may be called later if we get in the playoffs and I just have to be ready.”

The Packers (6-5) won their third consecutive game, moving above the .500 mark for the first time since defeating the Rams in their season opener behind Dilweg.

The Buccaneers (4-8) lost for the sixth consecutive time. They were called for six penalties and lost two fumbles, one stopping their own drive and the other setting up a Packer touchdown.

Tampa Bay has not won since beating the Packers in mid-October, and not even the return of quarterback Vinny Testaverde could shake the Buccaneers out of their losing streak.

“We are a very poor team,” Buccaneer Coach Ray Perkins said. “We didn’t play enough defense to beat the No. 1-rated high school team in Florida or Wisconsin.”

Dilweg, who started the first two games as Majkowski got ready after a 45-day holdout, is now 2-1 as a starter.

Entering the game, Green Bay had allowed 42 sacks. But Dilweg was dropped only twice Sunday.

The Packers took some of the heat off Dilweg by rushing for a season-high 144 yards in 31 carries. Darrell Thompson had 59 yards in 10 carries, including a 37-yard run.

“We controlled the line pretty well,” offensive tackle Tony Mandarich said. “A lot of people are down on our offensive line because of all the sacks. But we’re 6-5 so we must be doing some things right.”

Dilweg connected with Michael Haddix on a two-yard touchdown pass play early in the third quarter, putting the Packers ahead, 14-3. The score came after Tampa Bay’s Reggie Cobb fumbled on the Buccaneers’ second play of the half and Scott Stephen recovered at the Tampa Bay 18.

Chris Jacke kicked a 25-yard field goal to increase the Packers’ lead to 17-3 with 4:12 left in the quarter.

Then Testaverde, benched the previous two weeks because of ineffective play, moved the Buccaneers 75 yards in seven plays with five pass completions, including an 11-yard touchdown pass to Bruce Hill with 53 seconds left in the third quarter. Testaverde completed 25 of 49 passes for 281 yards.

Green Bay got another 25-yard field goal from Jacke with 11:23 remaining and then ate up nearly seven minutes of the fourth quarter with a long drive that put the game out of reach.

A four-yard touchdown pass from Dilweg to Sterling Sharpe gave the Packers a 7-0 lead in the second quarter after both teams had fumbled away scoring chances inside the five.

The Buccaneers got a 33-yard field goal from Steve Christie with 11 seconds left in the second quarter to cut the lead to, 7-3, at halftime.

The Buccaneers missed an early chance for a touchdown when Gary Anderson fumbled after catching a pass at the Green Bay two and Tony Bennett recovered.

“You can’t spot anyone in this league 14 points and expect to win, and that’s what we did,” Perkins said. “We moved the ball to the one-yard line and one of our supposed best players fumbles the ball. You can’t turn the ball over, not in the field position we did, to anybody and hope to win. That’s been the old, old story.”