Packers Wire staff predictions: NFC Championship Game vs. Buccaneers

The Green Bay Packers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers will battle Sunday at Lambeau Field for the opportunity to play in Super Bowl LV.

Here’s how the staff at Packers Wire believes the NFC Championship Game against the Buccaneers will go down:

Zach Kruse (12-5): Packers 31, Buccaneers 27

The Packers’ blueprint for beating the Bucs and getting to the Super Bowl isn’t a complicated one, but it will be difficult to execute Sunday. Winning the line of scrimmage, protecting the football and limiting Tom Brady is no easy task, but the Packers may have to do all three to win. Matt LaFleur’s bunch is capable, and they will be assisted by a red-hot offense that can adjust and win in multiple ways and an improving defense with disruptive pass-rushing options and talent coverage players in the secondary. Lambeau Field provides another built-in competitive advantage. The guess here is that Aaron Rodgers, sensing the opportunity for a legacy moment, plays the highly-efficient and clean game the Packers need, and the pass-rushers of Mike Pettine’s defense do just enough to keep Brady from taking over. Don’t be surprised if the Packers look good early, weather the storm mid-game and then take back control late. It’s been the winning formula all season.

Jack Wepfer (13-4): Packers 30, Buccaneers 27

To be honest, I don’t love this matchup for Green Bay. I think Tampa has the right athletes at the right positions on defense to cause headaches for the Packers. I think running the ball is going to be a bit tougher than it usually is for them. Even so, Green Bay is playing with a level of passion and focus I haven’t seen in a long time. Also, unlike the last matchup, this game is being played in below-freezing temperatures. The Packers need to set the physicality agenda, and if they do (which I think they’ll do), I see them slowly taking care of business. The defense has been quietly very good as of late, and the young players who have stepped up may be unknowns to national prognosticators, but they’re very much known quantities to the Packers. I expect Rashan Gary, Darnell Savage and Jaire Alexander to play major roles in this game. It’s not going to be easy sailing like it was in the South bay a few months ago. On offense, the Packers get back to protecting the football, which gives Brady – who’s been prone to some cold spells during games – fewer chances to catch fire. Altogether: Aaron Rodgers reinforces his claim that the last matchup was an anomaly. Packers win. Packers advance.

Marty Kauffman (14-3): Packers 31, Buccaneers 21

Sunday’s NFC Championship game has been called a legacy game for Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and rightfully so. In his career, the three road NFC Championship losses are seen as a blemish in a Hall of Fame career where Super Bowl rings define his position. He knows it too. Finally hosting the NFC Championship, as the favorites, Rodgers and the Packers keep their momentum going against Tom Brady and Tampa Bay with a home win by the same formula all season. Jump out to a fast start in the first half, fail to pull away in the third quarter and finally put the game away in the fourth quarter.

Anthony Nash (14-3): Packers 31, Buccaneers 27

The first time these two teams met in 2020, the Packers played fairly well until things went sideways fast, while the Buccaneers played a nearly flawless game. While that’s unlikely to happen again, this will still be a closer game than many likely expect. It’ll be up to both the Packers offense and defense to deliver timely plays, and really up to the Packers defense to force pressure against a Buccaneers offensive line that’s been playing well. If the Packers offense can sustain scoring drives throughout the entire game, and the defense can force some key stops, however, they should be able to come out on top. (edited)

Nolan Stracke (15-2): Buccaneers 30, Packers 28

As a foreword, I really hope the Packers can prove me wrong. Both of these teams have come into the playoffs hot, and that is what is scary about Tampa Bay. They didn’t wow against Washington, but they made Drew Brees and the Saints’ offense look silly. The Week 6 loss in Tampa showed us that the Bucs defense was able to disrupt and shut down the Packers’ offense after allowing 10 points. I think their defense matches up much better against the Packers than last week’s first-ranked Rams unit. And then there’s Tom Brady and his supporting cast on offense. Although I’m fully expecting Green Bay to be much better prepared this time around and the game will come down to the wire, there’s that feeling that Tom Brady will have the ball last, make one more magical play, and the Bucs punch their ticket to the Super Bowl on a game-winning field goal. Call me the pessimist of this staff.

Joe Kipp (15-2): Packers 28, Buccaneers 24

It’s easy to forget when these two teams faced off in Week 6 that Green Bay started off hot, getting off to a 10-0 lead after the first quarter. It was all downhill from there, mainly because Bucs DC Todd Bowles made some tremendous in-game adjustments. From the second quarter on, Bowles sent the kitchen sink at Aaron Rodgers on several plays. Tampa linebackers Devin White and Lavonte David were a schematic nightmare in pass-protection, combining for 2.5 sacks. Rodgers was sacked five times on the day and threw two interceptions. The Packers were forced to pivot from their original game plan and into comeback mode. It didn’t help that they were never able to establish the run, either. Look for more quick hitters in the passing game this time around, much like we saw in the first quarter of the last game, in order to neutralize Tampa’s pressure packages. Aaron Jones will be a big factor in whether the Packers have success on offense. His success on the ground will help keep the Bucs’ linebackers true on play action. In the end, Rodgers won’t let the team lose this game. Did we forget the Packers are the No. 1 seed?

Brandon Carwile (10-3): Packers 34, Buccaneers 28

Green Bay dominated the first quarter of their first meeting in week 6. So a fast start doesn’t always end the way you think it will. Tampa Bay would go on to score 38 unanswered points in a convincing win. We’ve seen the defense let this team down in their last two trips to the NFC Championship, but the 2020 Packers defense is different. And you could argue that Aaron Rodgers is playing some of the best football of his career. His matchup against Brady is the headline for this Sunday’s game, and it is two of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history going at it. These are also two really good defenses. Tampa Bay is extremely fast and Green Bay is extremely poised. That said, the Packers have the better quarterback and a defense that is used to playing in the cold weather. I think the defense makes a big stop late in the game to send this team to the Super Bowl.

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