NFC Divisional Round Wrap Up: The Green Bay Packers will host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday for the NFC Championship. The Packers defeated the Rams, and the Buccaneers bested the Saints to advance to the next round of the NFC Playoffs.
The Packers took down the Rams by a score of 32-18. The Buccaneers prevailed by ten points over the Saints inside the Super Dome. Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers will square off next weekend for the NFC Championship, but before we get too excited, let’s take a look back at last weekend’s NFC Divisional action.
NFC Divisional Round Wrap Up | Rodgers Continues His Season of Dominance
Green Bay Packers 32 Los Angeles Rams 18
It took the entire Packers team to defeat the Rams last Saturday, but Aaron Rodgers was at the center of this success. Rodgers continued him dominance against Los Angeles. The 37-year-old was 23 of 36 for 296 yards with two touchdowns. Rodgers added another game to his 2020 resume where he didn’t throw an interception.
Rodgers hasn’t thrown an interception in Green Bay’s two playoff games thus far. The veteran quarterback only threw five all season long. Rodgers fantastic play has propelled Green Bay all season long.
The whole Green Bay offense played well on Sunday. The Packers were 8 of 12 on 3rd down. The united racked up 484 yards of total offense which included 188 yards on the ground. They didn’t turn the ball over once and possessed the football for just over 36 minutes on Saturday. Los Angeles couldn’t do anything to stop Green Bay in the Divisional Round.
The Green Bay defense bent, but the squad didn’t break all afternoon. Green Bay held Los Angeles to 244 yards of total offense. The Packers’ secondary didn’t bite on the Rams’ play action attempts and the front seven held up strong on the line of scrimmage. Green Bay’s front seven sacked Jared Goff four times on Saturday night. Rashan Gary and Kenny Clark led the way with 1.5 sacks apiece.
There was never a time on Sunday when I didn’t believe Green Bay was going to win. The Packers controlled the contest from the opening kickoff.
NFC Divisional Round Wrap Up | Brady Bests Brees with the Season on the Line
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30 New Orleans Saints 20
The main narrative of last Sunday’s primetime matchup focused on the Tom Brady vs Drew Brees matchup. Brees went into the game as the favorite to win, but Brady and the Buccaneers avenged their two regular-season losses to the Saints last Sunday night.
The news broke that this season would be the final one for Drew Brees prior to Sunday night’s kickoff between the Saints and the Buccaneers. Drew Brees had a phenomenal career, but he couldn’t of his ended his time in the NFL with a worse performance than he displayed on Sunday night. Brees was 19 of 34 for 134 yards. He threw one touchdown, but the 42-year-old threw three interceptions as well on the evening.
The Buccaneers offense was very consistent, but they weren’t spectacular. Brady was 18 of 33 for 199 yards with two touchdowns. The entire offense accounted for 316 total yards on 11 drives. The real MVP on Sunday night was the Tampa Bay defense.
Tampa Bay’s secondary tormented Drew Brees, but the front seven played a major role as well. The front seven, led by Devin White, held New Orleans to 104 yards on the ground. Alvin Kamara rushed for 88 yards all night and only caught three short passes out of the backfield.
Tampa Bay’s defensive game plan was remarkable. In total, the Buccaneers forced four turnovers. The Buccaneers offense didn’t turn the ball over once, so the team was +4 in the turnover margin. It’s tough to beat a team whose +4 in this category.
If the Saints would’ve protected the football, this game might’ve gone their way. I’m sure Drew Brees would like to have a few of the passes that he threw on Sunday night back, but that’s not how football works. Tom Brady is now one win away from the Super Bowl with his new team.
NFC Divisional Round Wrap Up | Looking Ahead
The NFC Championship will feature another first-ballot Hall of Famer showdown at the quarterback position when Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers meet on Sunday. This plot will dominate the media this week, but this entire game should be fun to watch.
The Buccaneers will travel to Lambeau Field for a 3:05 PM ET kickoff on Sunday afternoon against the Packers. This will be the second meeting of the season between Green Bay and Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers beat the Packers by four touchdowns earlier this year. The Packers are currently a 3.5-point favorite over the Buccaneers.
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