Green Bay Packers: 5 Key Questions Prior to NFC Championship Game

Who will win the turnover battle?

This very well could be what decides the game on Sunday. During Week 6, it was back-to-back interceptions by Tampa that turned the tide of the game, and just last week, they forced four turnovers against New Orleans, which proved to be the difference in that game.

This season, the Bucs finished sixth in turnover differential at +8 while the Packers were right behind them at +7. Tampa Bay had 25 takeaways and 17 giveaways, with Green Bay finishing with 18 and 11 in those respective categories.

One key to this game is going to be forcing Brady and the Tampa offense to string together long drives in the cold and not giving them easy scoring opportunities as Green Bay did the first time around. The good news is that Rodgers is perhaps the best that there ever was at protecting the football, so I will be shocked if we see another multiple — or even a one — turnover game from him.

Meanwhile, the Green Bay defense has been very opportunistic as of late, coming away with three interceptions and two fumble recoveries in their last four games. Over Tampa’s last four games, they have six takeaways, with four coming against New Orleans, as I mentioned.

Can the Green Bay Packers pressure Brady?

This is something that Green Bay was unable to do during the first matchup between these teams. According to Pro Football Focus, on 27 dropbacks, Brady was pressured only five times, and he wasn’t sacked once.

While Rodgers has been one of the better quarterbacks in the NFL under pressure, Brady has not. Out of 42 eligible quarterbacks, Brady ranks 33rd with a completion rate of only 43.8 percent, and he ranks 28th in passer rating when under duress.

Admittedly, it’s not easy getting after Brady because he does such a good job of getting the ball out of his hands. With that said, when you have  Za’Darius Smith, who makes a few big plays a game, Rashan Gary, who has been playing at a very high-level, Preston Smith, who is playing with more consistency, and Kenny Clark, who has been nearly unstoppable the last month, that’s a lot of resources spent on the defensive front.

With Brady at the helm and a Bucs’ offensive line that gave up the fourth-fewest sacks this season, it won’t be easy by any means. But ultimately, the game of football comes down to whether or not the players are going to make plays. And the Green Bay Packers need their defensive front — who has plenty of playmakers — to make some plays this weekend. If they can, it will go a long way in helping them secure the win.