When Tom Brady’s Buccaneers travel to play Aaron Rodgers’ Packers (-3.5, 51 o / u) It will no longer be a marquee in Sunday’s NFC championship game (3:05 p.m. ET, Fox).
Brady is in his 14th conference title game after making 13 such AFC appearances with the Patriots. He’s looking for a shot for his seventh Super Bowl ring in Super Bowl 55. Meanwhile, Rodgers makes his first appearance at Lambeau Field at home with a Super Bowl on the line, 10 years after leading the Packers to a successful Super Bowl 45 runs as an NFC wildcard team.
The Bucs are also trying to gain fame as the Joker. The Packers were the best team-record wire-to-wire team in the NFC with the league’s top crime to restore Rodgers to NFL MVP status.
Who will win this fight of the # 12, # 1 versus # 5? A few key numbers will help you delve into the Tampa Bay-Green Bay matchup, a rematch of a week six game that the Buccaneers won 38-10 at home.
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Packers vs. Buccaneers picks, predictions
- Buccaneers Run game against Packers Run Defense
The Buccaneers can get too downfield lucky among Arians as Brady also likes to shoot against one-on-one coverage. You can fall in love with Brady’s myriad guns, which can be found on the wide and narrow end, where you can walk away from power football even when it’s exactly where you need it.
Tampa Bay ended the regular season with offense 28th. The Packers ended up in the top half, 13th against the barrel despite some hiccups – combined with many teams that often had to try to overtake Rodgers in the second half.
The Rams hit the Packers well with rookie Cam Akers before the script forced them to get off the run in the second half. The Buccaneers dropped 30 trages in a breakup between Leonard Fournette and Ronald Jones to amass 127 yards for a good defense of the Saints. They stuck with it until they got key pieces in the second half and Fournette was a force in short passing too.
In the first encounter, the Bucs showed Jones (23 porters, 113 of his team’s 158 rushing yards, 2 TDs) as they lost 38-10 after seeing the Packers 10 points ahead in the first quarter. Should the Bucs get back on track as they should be working on the clock and trying to limit the options for Rodgers to respond to Brady, they will have another solid base game with their offensive line playing strong. Advantage: privateer
- Packers run game against buccaneers run defense
The Packers hit the Rams well with their No. 8 attack, reaching nearly 200 meters, with mostly outstanding free agents Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams prevailing. The Buccaneers ‘top run defense had some issues with the Saints’ Alvin Kamara but overall featured a very strong power running game.
The Bucs just don’t jump forward many leaks and are much more solid all around than the Rams at this capacity. They would prefer not to hire an additional defense attorney to provide assistance so that defense coordinator Todd Bowles would not be handcuffed with his seven lightning bolts. Aside from a couple of long runs by Williams and rookie AJ Dillon, there wasn’t much room for them or Aaron Jones. The Bucs should be confident that they can keep the packers at least one-dimensional to give Bowles a better idea of how to put pressure on Rodgers. Advantage: privateer
- Buccaneer’s passing game against Packer’s pass defense
The Buccaneers were number 2 in the NFL in passing, between the AFC finalists Chiefs and Bills. You’ve trusted Brady a lot with high volume and often thrown into the field because it’s Bruce Arians, after all. The Packers were number 7 against the pass, with a combination of “The Smith Brothers” (Preston and Za’Darius) putting some pressure on the edge and Jaire Alexander and Adrian Amos leading a good secondary school.
Brady leaned well on the barrel in week 6, did not hold the ball for long, and was designed to spread the ball mostly over short to medium distances. He should have. A couple of shots develop from the game action. The Packers do a good job of covering tight ends, and Alexander could slow Mike Evans down again. But the Bucs may plan on opening the Chris Godwin slot and their other broad receivers away from Alexander. Advantage: privateer
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- Packers passing game against Buccaneer’s pass defense
The Packers had the number 9 passing attack during the regular season. Rodgers could have thrown a lot more to replenish his already MVP-worthy stats, but the Packers had control of many matchups in the second half, setting the games up for effective running and Pass defense around. The Buccaneers have good young defenders led by corner Carlton Davis and rookie safety Antoine Winfield Jr. They also have two savvy 3-4 edge rushers for Bowles in Jason Pierre-Paul and Shaquill Barrett.
But sometimes there is an interruption and the buccaneers were more prone to some chunk games, either after being caught on the second level or as a result of a breakdown in the field. The Packers have worked to open up Davante Adams in key places outside the Jalen Ramsey of the Rams, and will do the same against Davis, Sean Murphy-Bunting and Jamel Dean. The Bucs need linebackers Devin White and Lavonte David to have another good coverage game after dominating the Saints.
Even so, Rodgers will find the holes, take advantage of the mistakes, and settle in a few matchups that he likes. Rodgers will be motivated to make up for his shaky Week 6 in Tampa Bay and will stay up to date in a high-level QB duel with Brady. Advantage: packer
The Packers and Bucs have a few secondary players in the passing game who might surprise when Brady and Rodgers are strengthened with big games. The Packers saw broad receivers Allen Lazard and Equanimeous St. Brown having big moments against the Rams. The Bucs wouldn’t have beaten the Saints without the clutches of Tyler Johnson, Scotty Miller and Cameron Brate. The running backs can also be vital during checkdowns as the defense takes care of all the other parts. Advantage: packer
The field goal games are pretty good even with the Packers ‘Mason Crosby and the Buccaneers’ Ryan Succop, though they are known for accuracy rather than range. The Packers have had a notoriously bad return leg this season while the Bucs aren’t much better. The Packers ‘JK Scott and the Buccaneers’ Bradley Pinion do this tight in the jump off. The Bucs fought the Saints for cover, and it almost cost them. Also give the Lambeau team the emotional and intimate advantage. Advantage: packer
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Arians has won many games with different teams at the age of 68. Matt LaFleur, 27 years younger than 41, has built his own reputation as one of the game’s sharpest offensive minds and in two years as a leading Green Bay player has done good situational work on all of the egregious mistakes. The Arian teams can get undisciplined at times, and between him, Byron Leftwich and Bowles, they can get too aggressive at the wrong times. Advantage: packer
Brady wants to prove that he can reach a Super Bowl without Bill Belichick and the Patriots. After the team designed Jordan Love, Rodgers used this latest chip on his shoulder to have one of his biggest seasons too. The Bucs also know they can be the first team to play the Super Bowl in their home stadium. There will be no lack of intensity on either side. Brady has done this many times, but his Bucs are new to this stage. But the Packers also have limited experience with Rodgers. Advantage: privateer
Prediction of the NFC championship game
This game will be an instant classic, with Brady and Rodgers having an epic duel. This game depends on which team got the ball last. If there were 10 meetings, Green Bay and Tampa Bay would each win five. With Brady involved in games like this and playing that well, the six-ring goat is tough to face even with a three-time MVP on the other side. This time the coin toss lands in Tampa over Green Bay.
Buccaneer 30, Packer 27
