Packers host Buccaneers for the right to go to the Super Bowl
The Green Bay Packers will host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday at 2:05 Central Time for the right to advance to Super Bowl LV in Tampa.
The Packers got to this point by going 13-3 in the regular season and earning the #1 seed. They defeated the Los Angeles Rams 32-18 to get here. Tampa Bay finished 11-5, earning the #5 seed. They would get road victories vs the Washington Football Team 31-23 and the New Orleans Saints 30-20. The Packers and Bucs met in the regular season at Tampa. The Bucs won 38-10.
Tom Brady will play in his 14th conference championship game, going 9-3 in his previous 13. He has some nice weapons around him. RB Leonard Fournette provided a nice spark in their running game so far this postseason, and they have receivers who can stretch the field, namely Mike Evans and Antonio Brown. TE Rob Gronkowski always needs to be accounted for as well. It won’t be easy to rattle Brady. The Packers need to keep the pressure on him and bring him to the ground whenever they get that chance. They need to force some turnovers.
Aaron Rodgers is having perhaps his best season at age 37. Tampa Bay is #1 in the league in run defense, but the Packers need to try to get their running game going. No matter who Davante Adams is matched up against, he seems to find a way to get open and make plays. We need contributions from everyone. We need touchdowns and not field goals. We also need to take care of the football. Keep Rodgers upright and get the ball into the endzone early and often. That is how we will have success.
The Packers and Bucs only met one other time in the postseason. It was in January of 1998 in the Divisional Round and the Packers won 21-7 at Lambeau Field, their third victory over Tampa Bay that season. They were in the same division at the time, the NFC Central. Tampa Bay didn’t make it easy on them, but the Packers found a way to get some breathing room early in the fourth quarter and hold on for the victory.
Like him or not, Tom Brady continues to amaze, even at 43 years old. He threw for 4,633 yards and 40 touchdowns. He probably would earn MVP honors most other years, but Aaron Rodgers is the obvious MVP this season with 48 touchdown passes and only 5 interceptions. Both of these quarterbacks have a tremendous amount of respect for each other. Both of them are playing great football right now and are huge competitors. It’s no guarantee of course, but I am sure glad that this matchup is at Lambeau Field.
The Packers jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the regular season down in Tampa, but two interceptions by Rodgers turned the game around and Tampa Bay rolled to a 38-10 win to hand the Packers their first loss of the season. How significant is that game? Remember the Bucs lost twice to the Saints, including 38-3 in Tampa. They defeated the Saints in their playoff matchup to advance to this round to play Green Bay. The Packers played their worst game of the season that day. They just need to learn from their mistakes and focus on dominating this game. Every game starts out 0-0. All that matters is what the Packers do on Sunday.
I mentioned in the opening paragraph that the Super Bowl will be in Tampa. The Bucs will have played in three straight road games, including this one. No team has ever played in the Super Bowl in their home stadium. Let’s keep it that way for at least another year.
The Bucs with Tom Brady have a lot of swagger. He definitely changed the culture down there. They will not be easy to beat, but as Pitcher Curt Schilling once said of the Yankees, “Mystique and Aura are dancers in a nightclub.” His team would go on to defeat the Yankees in the World Series that year. The Packers need to come out and be physical for the full 60 minutes. Tampa Bay is playing some great football right now but so are the Packers. They dominated a good team in the Tennessee Titans. They moved the ball well against the top defense in the league in the Rams. The Packers can play with anyone, and I mean anyone. They just need to go out and take care of business on Sunday. They finally have a home game after four road games in this round under Aaron Rodgers. If you were able to get tickets and will be at the game, make your voices heard and cheer this team to victory. We got this! Let’s get it done on Sunday! We have two more wins to go!
Go Pack Go!
@DieHardPackrFan #DHPF #GetLoudLambeau #GregGoshaw @gg901
