Official Green Bay vs Tampa Bay NFC Championship Thread

We run a lot of motion to get our guys off the line, to move defenders into bad position, and to make them think. In the first game, the Bucs ignored all of our 'fancy' stuff and just charged. I'm hoping that our guys are ready for that, that they are mentally focused, and play fast on offense. I don't think we need the big hits that we always seem to go to. I think we had two horrible possession in the 3d last week when we went for the dagger instead of taking what we were given.

I don't think this game is close. I think one team is going to dominate. I think we blow them out or they blow us out. It could hinge on a turnover that forces us to get out of our game plan like the first game.

I have no idea how the Pack got this far. It's the least involved I've been since I can remember. I think we're going to do it to spite my indifference.
 
Keg Man said:
I think we had two horrible possession in the 3d last week when we went for the dagger instead of taking what we were given.
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If A-Rod doesn't badly overthrow MVS on that bomb, and if Lazard hadn't had stone hands on the other deep pass they would have likely added 2 TD's in that 3rd stanza.

The plays were there. All they had to do was execute.

Make that happen and there is no 3rd quarter letdown, and it's a total blowout.

I don't fault them for calling those plays. Just complete the bloody play.
 
Have faith guys TT will look down from above make a ball hang up a bit to be picked up for a big TO late in the game and Mr. MVP 2020 runs out the clock for the victory.
 
dannobanano said:
If A-Rod doesn't badly overthrow MVS on that bomb, and if Lazard hadn't had stone hands on the other deep pass they would have likely added 2 TD's in that 3rd stanza.

The plays were there. All they had to do was execute.

Make that happen and there is no 3rd quarter letdown, and it's a total blowout.

I don't fault them for calling those plays. Just complete the bloody play.
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I'm not faulting the play calling so much as not liking it. We were dominating and marching down the field. I don't think the Rams could have stopped us. I think we were breaking their will on defense. And, I think we would have put at least 10 on the board during those drives had we stuck with marching down the field.

Those 3 and outs almost turned it against us.

I think 2 quick 3 and outs on Sunday could turn the game into a Bucs romp. Hell, 1 quick 3 and out, especially if it's after a Buc's score could turn it. Regardless of how much better our defense is playing, I have no faith that they can get needed stops. They play well when in front - duh, which defense doesn't - but I don't want to give Brady and the Bucs a chance.

I doubt I'll feel comfortable unless we're up 30 with less than 5 to go.
 
Keg Man said:
I doubt I'll feel comfortable unless we're up 30 with less than 5 to go.
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you should never feel comfortable in a playoff game. these are the best two teams in the nfc facing off against each other. it shouldn't be a blowout. and if it is a blowout, then one team is having a bad day at the worst possible time.
 
the bucs are a pretty balanced team. both their defense and their offense are very good. our team seems to be a little lopsided. we have perhaps the best offense in the nfl, certainly in terms of scoring. but the defense is just adequate. and maybe - if we take into account the efficiency of our offense, the defense may not actually be good enough to be called average. the stats say they are better than average, but how much of that is due to the offense getting early leads and the other team becoming one dimensional?

i want us to win this game so much. i want to believe that ml will come up with an offensive game plan that will somehow neutralize that bucs defense. it is really our best hope for a win.

there are a few things that make me hopeful. #1, the last time we played the bucs, davante was playing his first game after missing three games due to injury. i think they rushed him back a little early and he wasn't at full strength yet. it wasn't his worst game of the season, but the bucs held him under 70 yards and no tds. #2, our offensive line play has really improved over the last half of the season. rodgers has only rarely had to scramble, and has only been sacked a few times over the past seven games (the game against carolina being the exception). in five of those seven games he was only sacked one time (2 games) or not at all (3 games). #3, our run game has improved as well. and that's not just because of the ol. our wide receivers and tight ends have helped that with effective blocking. in our last game against the bucs, jones averaged only 1.5 yards per carry. like adams, he was coming back after missing a couple games. it was his worst game of the season. #4, rodgers had a freakishly bad game. i think it may have been the worst game of his career (note: it turns out that he did have one worse game in 2014 against buffalo). i think he will be highly self-motivated to reverse that. the question will be whether the bucs defense can rattle him again or not, and whether he can get better help from his supporting cast. if the ol can keep him clean, and if his receivers can catch the ball, and if the aaron jones can have a good game, . . . that's a lot of ifs.

on the other side of the ball, our defense has gotten better over the second half of the season. maybe not as good as their numbers make them appear, but certainly better than they were early on. over the last six games, they have given up an average of 18.5 points per game, giving an average winning margin of 15 points per game. are they good enough to hold the goat in check? that seems unlikely to me. which means that the offense has to be at the top of their game. and this is where things get a little murky for me. allen lazard may not be able to play, and that would be huge. not from a receiving standpoint but for all the other things he does on offense. he would truly be missed. aj dillon, who has really only had a couple decent games is also unlikely to be a factor, which limits us to only jones and williams, and williams is still battling an ankle issue. this is a game where we will really need our rushing attack to help set up the pass. and this is where i see our biggest issue.
 
Some parallels to the last time GB played a Bruce Ariens coached team in the playoffs. In regular season in 2015 the Cardinals smacked down the Packers, winning by 30 pts. They sacked Rodgers some crazy amount of times and forced a bunch of turnovers. GB returned to AZ for the playoffs and played them much tighter and without Randall Cobb, forcing the game to OT before losing.

Similar to this year against Tampa. I expect GB to not melt down like that against a good opponent, and maybe the home field will carry them over the finish line. I don't know what difference the 9k fans make, but I believe that the team believes it makes a difference, and that's what matters.
 
realitybytes said:
the bucs are a pretty balanced team. both their defense and their offense are very good. our team seems to be a little lopsided. we have perhaps the best offense in the nfl, certainly in terms of scoring. but the defense is just adequate. and maybe - if we take into account the efficiency of our offense, the defense may not actually be good enough to be called average. the stats say they are better than average, but how much of that is due to the offense getting early leads and the other team becoming one dimensional?

i want us to win this game so much. i want to believe that ml will come up with an offensive game plan that will somehow neutralize that bucs defense. it is really our best hope for a win.

there are a few things that make me hopeful. #1, the last time we played the bucs, davante was playing his first game after missing three games due to injury. i think they rushed him back a little early and he wasn't at full strength yet. it wasn't his worst game of the season, but the bucs held him under 70 yards and no tds. #2, our offensive line play has really improved over the last half of the season. rodgers has only rarely had to scramble, and has only been sacked a few times over the past seven games (the game against carolina being the exception). in five of those seven games he was only sacked one time (2 games) or not at all (3 games). #3, our run game has improved as well. and that's not just because of the ol. our wide receivers and tight ends have helped that with effective blocking. in our last game against the bucs, jones averaged only 1.5 yards per carry. like adams, he was coming back after missing a couple games. it was his worst game of the season. #4, rodgers had a freakishly bad game. i think it may have been the worst game of his career (note: it turns out that he did have one worse game in 2014 against buffalo). i think he will be highly self-motivated to reverse that. the question will be whether the bucs defense can rattle him again or not, and whether he can get better help from his supporting cast. if the ol can keep him clean, and if his receivers can catch the ball, and if the aaron jones can have a good game, . . . that's a lot of ifs.

on the other side of the ball, our defense has gotten better over the second half of the season. maybe not as good as their numbers make them appear, but certainly better than they were early on. over the last six games, they have given up an average of 18.5 points per game, giving an average winning margin of 15 points per game. are they good enough to hold the goat in check? that seems unlikely to me. which means that the offense has to be at the top of their game. and this is where things get a little murky for me. allen lazard may not be able to play, and that would be huge. not from a receiving standpoint but for all the other things he does on offense. he would truly be missed. aj dillon, who has really only had a couple decent games is also unlikely to be a factor, which limits us to only jones and williams, and williams is still battling an ankle issue. this is a game where we will really need our rushing attack to help set up the pass. and this is where i see our biggest issue.
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Based on how both teams have evolved since week 6 I’m not taking much stock in how that game played out. I’m more concerned about what we have seen the last 3-5 weeks

- Bucs offense is more balanced and more consistent. Brady is playing more like Brady and he has weapons

- GB defense has also improved. The question is can they pressure Brady. They don’t necessarily need to stop Brady but they have to make him uncomfortable and don’t let them get in rhythm. Make them work for points

- Special teams cannot allow short fields for Tampa.
 
Packinatl said:
- Special teams cannot allow short fields for Tampa.
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Don't you have the sinking feeling that, after seeing consistent gaffes on ST almost every game over the past month or so, it's finally going to bite us?
 
Did I miss something regarding Lazard?
He was listed as LP on last weeks injury report and still turned in a solid game.
What’s changed this week?
 
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