Green Bay Packers v. Bucs: Behind Enemy Lines – NFC Championship
By Paul Bretl
Who is a player that Packer fans may not be as familiar with but could make a big impact on Sunday?
Rob: William Gholston may be the unsung hero of the Buccaneer defensive line. With Vita Vea and Ndamukong Suh as the big names, Gholston is often the forgotten man on that side of the ball, but his ability to stop the run and put pressure on the quarterback are exceptional.
Takeaway: Gholston was very good at pressuring the quarterback this season, logging 52 total pressures, according to Pro Football Focus ($). By ESPN’s pass-rush win rate metric, Gholston finished the year ranked fifth among all interior defensive linemen and 10th by ESPN’s run-stopping win rate metric.
Since the last time these two teams met, is this a similar Bucs team? Or how have they evolved over the last three months?
Rob: This Bucs team is fortunately very different than the last one that took the field. While the defense has loosened up a bit, the offense is firing on all cylinders. The last matchup was defined by a stellar performance from the Buccaneer defense, but this one will come down to the offense.
Takeaway: That is worth noting; after a fast start to the season, the Tampa Bay defense hasn’t been as dominant as of late. Now with that said, they’re still a very good unit with plenty of playmakers, and Todd Bowles will present challenges with his coverage schemes and blitzes.
The offense, on the other hand, has been putting up points and finished the regular season averaging the third-most points per game with 30.8 and third by DVOA as well.