Five Takeaways From the Buccaneers NFC Championship Triumph
The NFC Championship was, in large part, a tale of two Tom Brady's from a statistical point of view.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were able to climb to an 18-point lead over the Green Bay Packers shortly into the third quarter. Three interceptions from Brady later, and the lead shrunk to five points as the quarter was wrapping up.
However, much like in the Divisional Round against the New Orleans Saints, the Bucs defense put together a strong showing when it was needed most. Tampa Bay was able to create 14 points off of turnovers as the first half closed and the second opening up. And despite two fourth-quarter INTs from Brady, the Packers were held to just three points over the final 15 minutes.
Our five takeaways from the Buccaneers' NFC Championship performance can be found below.
A tale of two Tom Brady's
Tom Brady and the Buccaneers offense came out firing against the Packers, and there was a level of comfort that Tampa could pull out a victory after his third passing touchdown on the Bucs' first offensive play of the third quarter.
In the first half, Brady was able to complete 13-of-21 passes for 202 yards and two touchdowns. The second touchdown was an aggressive play-call. Tampa Bay had converted on fourth-and-four to set the Bucs up at Green Bay's 39-yard line with six seconds on the clock, but instead of sending out the field goal unit for a 56-yard attempt, Brady targeted wide receiver Scotty Miller on a deep fade route and came up with six points.
Clutch, playoff Tom Brady was alive in that moment. He had also completed 6-of-8 passes on third down for 141 yards and his first score. But after the quick touchdown to start the second half, Brady took a step backwards and threw three interceptions on three consecutive drives.
Brady placed the ball too far inside while targeting Mike Evans down the sideline on his first pick, which Adrian Amos made a play on as a deep, middle of the field safety. The second interception slid off of Evan's fingertips as he leapt into the air to make a grab, but was overthrown a solid bit - blame can go both ways there. Brady faced a safety blitz on his third turnover, panicked, and floated a pass Evans' way down the sideline which was significantly underthrown.
In the end, Tampa Bay's defense was able to keep Aaron Rodgers in check to secure a win. Brady's first half showing set up the victory, but he didn't exactly seal it.
It wasn't perfect, but the Buccaneers defense came in clutch once again
No, the Buccaneers didn't repeat their Week 6 defensive performance against the Packers on Sunday, previously giving up 10 points and 3.3 yards per play. Instead, the Packers posted 26 points and 5.5 yards per play. Rodgers turned up the heat with two third-quarter touchdown passes to make it a one-possession battle entering the fourth.
However, the two previously mentioned turnovers around halftime led to 14 points, which were game-shaping plays in hindsight given the offense's crumbling in the second half.
When Green Bay was able to pull within a score, defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh was able to get his hand on a pass to Equanimeous St. Brown which resulted in a failed two-point conversion. From there, the Bucs would hold Green Bay to three points and 53 yards on 14 plays over three fourth-quarter drives.
Green Bay looked to Rodgers to put together a comeback, as he dropped back to pass 13 times during the fourth quarter. He completed just 4-of-11 passes for 54 in that stretch, and was sacked on back-to-back offensive plays by Shaquil Barrett including one on third down, which led to a punt.
It wasn't perfect, and the Packers did capitalize on one of Brady's mishaps. But the Buccaneers defense got the job done when it needed to, in crunch time.
Tampa Bay's edge rush picks up momentum, which will be vital in the Super Bowl
If the were any questions regarding Barrett's future in Tampa Bay entering Sunday, as he is an impending free agent, he answered them with his performance against Green Bay.
Along with the sack mentioned above, Barrett was a demon off of the edge during the entire NFC Championship game. He tallied three sacks in total, two of which ended drives on third down and two taking place in the fourth quarter. According to Pro Football Focus, Barrett compiled six quarterback pressures and an additional QB hit.
On the other side of the Bucs' defensive front, Jason Pierre-Paul had two sacks of his own. The fearsome edge rushing duo put together all five of Tampa Bay's sacks, rattling Aaron Rodgers just enough to keep a lead intact from start to finish.
Going up against Patrick Mahomes and a battered Kansas City Chiefs' offensive line will make Tampa Bay's edge rush all the more important in the Super Bowl.
Injuries at safety are a glaring concern
Being down Antoine Winfield Jr., inactive with an ankle injury, didn't appear to be the end of the world for the Bucs' defense against Green Bay's high-powered offense. Jordan Whitehead stepped up in Winfield's absence, putting together five tackles an two forced fumbles in just over a half of action.
Whitehead's second forced fumble, paired with a 21-year return by linebacker Devin White, would set Tampa Bay up at Green Bay's one yard-line. One play later, the Bucs extended their lead to 18 points via an eight-yard touchdown catch by tight end Cam Brate.
However, that was the last time we saw Whitehead. He, too, suffered an injury, eventually being ruled out after hurting his shoulder. Mike Edwards played well in place of Winfield, and Andrew Adams held his own after Whitehead went down, but neither provide the play-making abilities that Tampa's typical starters on the back end have flashed throughout the year.
Fortunately for the Bucs (or maybe not as they've won seven games in consecutive weeks?), the Super Bowl is two weeks removed from Championship Sunday. Winfield was a late demotion on last week's injury report and tested his ankle out pregame, so an additional week to nurse the injury could be enough to get him back into the lineup. As for Whitehead, Arians said on Monday that it was too early to update his status.
Playing at home could be beneficial for Bucs passing attack
During the regular season, Tampa Bay's pass-catchers dropped an average of 2.8 passes per game, according to PFF. In the postseason, the Bucs have dropped 12 passes, nine of which were in the frigid outside temperatures of Landover, Md., and Green Bay, Wis. The other three hit the turf of Mercedes-Benz Superdome, much closer to the average per-game mark Tampa sat around during the regular season.
Leonard Fournette dropped two short passes on the Buccaneers' opening drive on Sunday, while Evans and fellow wide receiver Chris Godwin had one apiece. The interception off of Evans' fingertips counts as a drop.
All in all, cold temperatures haven't had much of an affect on Tampa Bay's success or any lack thereof. But catching a football that's as hard as a rock in the cold isn't easy and could be the reason Tampa Bay is dealing with some butterfingers.
22,000 fans in Raymond James Stadium alone provides the Buccaneers with a home-field advantage unlike ever before seen in a Super Bowl. But it could be the warmer Florida weather that eliminates Tampa Bay's issues with holding onto the ball at the catch-point and ups the Bucs' outlook.
