TAMPA, Florida (Ticker) -- Thanks to Ahman Green and Najeh Davenport, Chad Clifton and Mike Sherman exacted a measure of revenge against the Super Bowl champions.
Green and Davenport combined for 179 rushing yards as the Green Bay Packers leveled another blow to the playoff hopes of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with a 20-13 victory.
Last season, the Bucs intercepted Brett Favre four times en route to a 21-7 home win over the Packers. But the dominant defensive performance hardly was the story.
The game was overshadowed by an obscenity-laced exchange between Warren Sapp, the Buccaneers' five-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle, and Sherman, the Packers' coach, as the two walked off the field after the game. At one point, Sapp screamed at Sherman, "If you think you're so tough, why don't you put on a jersey?"
Sherman was upset with a legal but blindside block by Sapp that left Clifton, an offensive tackle, with a career-threatening pelvic injury.
"We obviously said something about it before the game," Packers guard Mike Wahle said. "Gilbert (Brown) made a very moving speech about how personal the game is. Chad has to feel more satisfaction about this game than anybody because he played his butt off."
Clifton returned after extensive rehabilitation and led a dominant effort by the Packers' offensive line in this one. He helped the Packers amass 190 yards on the ground while holding the Bucs without a sack for the first time in 70 games. Sapp also was a non-factor as he finished with two tackles.
"I was able to come back and this is the 10th game I've played in," Clifton said. "I haven't missed any playing time, so I look forward to putting this behind me."
Sapp and Bucs coach Jon Gruden gave credit to the Packers.
"Green Bay won it. You have to take your hat off to a ballclub whenever they come to your house, a place where they've never won, and get a hard-fought victory out of it," Sapp said. "They executed."
"I credit not only their scheme, but I credit the size, the strength and the will of their football team," Gruden added.
Green led the rushing attack, carrying 21 times for 109 yards. His one-yard run with 8:54 left in the contest capped a 17-play, 98-yard drive and snapped a 13-13 tie. The drive lasted nearly 10 minutes.
"It was 98 1/2 (yards), actually," Sherman said. "It was about as long as they get. Heck of a drive. The offensive line took control of the game. Key third-down conversions and we ran the ball effectively."
Davenport added 70 yards for Green Bay (5-5), which snapped a five-game road losing streak against Tampa Bay.
The big days by Green and Davenport also helped makeup for a stagnant Brett Favre, who completed just 13-of-28 passes for 92 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Favre also appeared to aggravate an injury to his broken right thumb, but he was able to win for the first time in six tries at Raymond James Stadium.
"Losing to Tampa Bay here the last five or six years is tough to take, but they're a great defense," Favre said. "We're losing to a great team. Not that it makes it any easier, but when you beat a team like this at their place, it kind of feels good."
Brad Johnson passed for a touchdown and Thomas Jones rushed for 134 yards for the Bucs (4-6), who fell to a woeful 1-4 at home. Tampa Bay is four games behind first-place Carolina in the NFC South with six games to play.
"The only way to stop the bleeding is come back and fight," Bucs linebacker Derrick Brooks said. "It's been a long time since we've been in this situation."
A 27-yard punt return by Antonio Chatman in Tampa Bay territory helped set up Favre's five-yard touchdown pass to running back Tony Fisher midway through the first quarter.
Ryan Longwell and Martin Gramatica each booted two field goals in the second quarter, leaving the Packers with a 13-6 halftime lead. Tampa Bay committed two turnovers and had five penalties in the opening half.
On the first play from scrimmage in the third quarter, Jones ripped off a 51-yard run that led to Johnson's three-yard TD toss to Keenan McCardell, tying it at 13-13. Johnson went 17-of-28 for 149 yards, was intercepted twice and sacked three times.
