Good evening, everyone. On Sunday afternoon, the Green Bay Packers will be taking on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC Championship game at Lambeau Field. This game will mark Green Bay’s 9th NFC Title game appearance in franchise history. Sunday will be the first NFC Championship game at home since the overtime loss to the New York Giants in the 2007 season (which was Brett Favre’s last game in a Packers uniform). For Matt LaFleur, this is his second straight NFC Title game as the head coach of the Packers. For QB Aaron Rodgers, this is the first time in 5 tries that he will play this game at Lambeau Field. I am confident that the Packers have what it takes to win this game and move on to Super Bowl LV. As always, I am here to give you my thoughts on what Green Bay needs to do to accomplish their goal on Sunday in the cold (and possibly snow).
On the offensive side of the ball, the key for the Packers is to have a balanced run and pass attack while not turning the ball over. When it comes to the running game, the key is to run between the tackles and avoid any wide runs or tosses. Back in Week 6, the wide runs were quickly stopped by the Bucs’ fast linebacker duo of LaVonte David and Devin White. Since that game, the Packers have done very well when running up the gut, especially with Jamaal Williams and AJ Dillon bullying defenders. It will be up to those 2, plus Aaron Jones, to run the ball efficiently for plenty of positive yards. What will make this possible is the offensive line (which includes Corey Linsley, Elgton Jenkins, Billy Turner, and Rick Wagner) blocking the Bucs’ defensive front and creating the running lanes in the process. I have no doubt that the O-Line will be up to the task against the Bucs defense. Running the ball well can tire out the pass rush and set up big play-action plays in the passing game. Last week against the Rams, a running game that produced nearly 200 yards on the ground helped set up the game sealing touchdown pass from Aaron Rodgers to Allen Lazard, which came off of play-action. For any big play in the passing game to be possible, the offensive line needs to do their job in protecting QB Aaron Rodgers for the whole game. In blitz situations, the running backs need to be ready to pick those blitzes up and give Rodgers time to throw to his receivers (who include Davante Adams, Allen Lazard, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and Robert Tonyan). It will be up to every receiver to run their routes and catch each pass that is thrown by Rodgers (unless he throws it out of bounds). Whether it is a quick check down or a deep ball, the receivers (also including the RBs) need to avoid dropping any pass on Sunday. In my opinion, the most important thing for the Packers to do against the Bucs is to avoid turnovers, which can quickly change a game’s momentum. In the Week 6 matchup in Tampa, Aaron Rodgers’ interceptions on back-to-back possessions (including a pick-six) completely gave the Bucs the momentum for the rest of the game. I am confident that the Packers will not make those mistakes at home in front of their fans. Winning the time of possession battle and finishing each drive with a touchdown (especially in the “Gold Zone”) will also be key for Green Bay against Tampa Bay. I am sure that head coach Matt LaFleur and offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett will have a great game plan in place against Todd Bowles’ defensive unit. It will come down to execution from every player on offense. I think that those players will be ready for Sunday afternoon.
On the defensive side of the football, the key for the Packers is to stop the Bucs running game, which is led by Ronald Jones and Leonard Fournette. The defensive front, which includes Kenny Clark and Damon “Snacks” Harrison (who hopefully plays more than 3 snaps), needs to shed the blockers and tackle the ball carrier for minimum gain. The linebackers, who include Krys Barnes, Rashan Gary, and Za’Darius Smith, also need to do their part in stopping the run. When it comes to tackling, there cannot be any missed or whiffed tackles by anybody on defense. Any missed tackles can result in big plays for the Bucs offense. If the defense can keep the run game in check, then they should be able to get pressure on QB Tom Brady. The problem with pressuring Brady is that he is able to get the ball out of his hands quickly for a short completion. That means that the defensive backs, including Jaire Alexander, Adrian Amos, Darnell Savage, and Tramon Williams (who was just signed back to Green Bay after being released by Baltimore), need to cover the receivers well and not allow easy catches. It will be tough against a Bucs receiving corps that includes Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and Rob Gronkowski (Antonio Brown is out with a knee injury). I believe that the Packers secondary will be ready, especially Jaire Alexander and the safety duo of Amos and Savage. If they can do their part, then it should be easier for the pass rush to get after Brady and force bad throws that could be picked off. It would be awesome for any player on defense to get an interception of Tom Brady on Sunday (hopefully a pick-six). Any turnover can help the Packers by giving the offense more chances to score points. I think that the defense, as a whole, will play with plenty of energy in front of their home crowd. I have no doubt that Mike Pettine will get his group ready for anything that the Bucs do on offense.
On Special Teams, it is extremely important for the Packers to not make any mistakes that could change the momentum in a heartbeat. An example of such mistakes is for the returner to fumble during a punt or kick return. If this happens, then the Bucs would have a very short field to work with. Therefore, the returner needs to hold onto the football during any return, even if that return is only for a couple of yards (or if the returner calls for a fair catch). Another example is a botched snap and hold by Hunter Bradley and JK Scott, respectively. This mistake happened last week against the Rams, but it was not in crunch time. Stuff like that cannot happen at all regardless of the situation. It is up to Bradley to snap the ball accurately each time and for Scott to execute the hold. Allowing a huge kick or punt return is another mistake that cannot happen. Any big return by Tampa can give them points or a short field to work with. If the game has to go down to the wire, there is no kicker that I trust more than Mason Crosby, who is used to making clutch field goals in the cold. JK Scott needs to punt each ball deep in Tampa territory if he is called upon at any point in the game. One thing that also cannot happen is for field goals or punts to get blocked by the Bucs. It is up to the line to make sure that no Tampa player gets close to the ball. On the other end, I still have hope for a blocked kick by Green Bay. As long as big mistakes are avoided by the Special Teams unit, I think that the Packers will be fine on Sunday.
Overall, I am confident that the Packers will take care of business at Lambeau Field against the Bucs. If they can do that, then they are Super Bowl bound. I think that the Packers will play with a lot of heart and a lot of energy. There is no better way to honor their former GM Ted Thompson, who sadly passed away, than by winning on Sunday and advancing to Super Bowl LV. I have no doubt that everyone involved with the team, including players and coaches, will not let this opportunity slip away from them, especially against a team that is not used to playing in the cold in Tampa Bay. Regardless of Sunday’s outcome, I hope that the game is played clean with no injuries or COVID-19 cases (*knocks on wood*). I will be here for my post-game thoughts on either Sunday night or Monday. Have a good night, everyone. Go Pack Go!
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