Green Bay Packers: 3 Key X-Factors in NFC Championship Game

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Oct 18, 2020; Tampa, Florida, USA; Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) throws a pass against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the first quarter of a NFL game at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

Green Bay Packers Offensive Line

I typically try to pick just one player, but after how this matchup went last time, I decided to pick the entire unit. As good as this Green Bay Packers’ offensive line has been this season — and they’ve been really good — this was by far their worst performance of the season.

Defensive Coordinator Todd Bowles sent numerous blitzes that Green Bay struggled to pick up, and they simply weren’t winning their one-on-one battles either. This through the passing game and the entire offense out of whack, and the Packers were never able to recover. In total, Rodgers was sacked five times and pressured 21 times when it was all said and done.

As I mentioned at the beginning, the Packers have proved that this game in Tampa was an anomaly, and the same goes for the offensive line. They were ESPN’s top pass-blocking and run-blocking unit this season and allowed the second-fewest sacks during the regular season along with the fewest pressures, according to Pro Football Focus. Last week, they dominated the league’s top defense allowing only nine pressures and no sacks.

It hasn’t happened much this season, but during the game against Tampa Bay, along with the second half against Carolina, we saw this Green Bay Packers’ offense struggle. And it’s not a coincidence that the offensive line had two of their worst performances of the season in those games. If the Packers are going to win on Sunday, they’ll need this unit to continue playing at a high-level.

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