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Green Bay Packers: 3 Keys to Victory in NFC Championship

By Matt LeVene

TAMPA, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 18: Aaron Rodgers #12 of the Green Bay Packers and the offense line up against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense during the first quarter at Raymond James Stadium on October 18, 2020 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
TAMPA, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 18: Aaron Rodgers #12 of the Green Bay Packers and the offense line up against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense during the first quarter at Raymond James Stadium on October 18, 2020 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /
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Oct 18, 2020; Tampa, Florida, USA; Green Bay Packers running back Aaron Jones (33) is tackled by Tampa Bay Buccaneers outside linebacker Jason Pierre-Paul (90) during the third quarter of a NFL game at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

Key 3: Establishing the Run

The Green Bay Packers’ offense has been the best in the NFL throughout the course of the season. Aaron Rodgers led the league in passing touchdowns and will, in all likelihood, walk away with his third MVP award. As dominant as Rodgers has played, the Green Bay run game has also played a vital role in the team’s success. Headed by Pro Bowler Aaron Jones, the Packers’ backfield is loaded with talent.

The two-headed monster of Jones and Jamaal Williams have been productive all season. On top of this, 2020 2nd round pick A.J. Dillon has also shown flashes of dominance out of the backfield as well. With this being said, the Bucs defense is very stout at stopping the run. Looking back to the two team’s prior matchup, the Packers as a whole rushed for a mere 94 yards, many of which came in garbage time near the end of the game. Jones finished the Week 6 game with an underwhelming 15 yards on 10 carries. Granted, the game got out of hand, and the Packers had to all but ditch the run game; they must have a stronger rushing attack in order to come out victorious in this contest.

The Tampa Bay defense, headlined by Devin White, Lavonte David, and the newly healthy Vita Vea, is one of the NFL’s best, allowing a league-low 82.2 rush yards per game. This unit is oozing with confidence given their play recently and will not be scared of the Packers’ league-leading offensive attack. In order to have a better result this time around, Green Bay will have to get Jones and the rest of the running backs going on the ground early.

With success in the run game, the Green Bay offense will be able to open up the playbook and really take deep shots in their play-action passing game. The Packers’ offense has been a model of efficiency all season, and except for a few hiccups, has been stellar in all facets. Given their struggles with Tampa Bay earlier, the offense will likely have new wrinkles to confuse the Bucs’ exceptional defense.

These are just a few keys to victory for the Packers this week as they face off with the Buccaneers for a chance to represent the NFC in Super Bowl 55. This game contains many intriguing headlines, including a matchup of two of the best quarterbacks of all time. However, as I hope I have made clear throughout this article, the keys to victory go a lot deeper than the two signal-callers.

Next. PFF Predicts Packers Sign Veteran LB in Free Agency. dark

The chess match between Matt LaFleur and Bucs coach Bruce Arians will certainly prove to be one of the best coaching matchups seen all year. Both coaches will have their teams prepared and ready for anything thrown at them. Sunday’s game will answer many questions that we may have about the Packers. And as I said at the beginning, it should be an instant classic.

Be sure to let me know your thoughts on the game and some other keys to victory for the Green Bay Packers in the comments!

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