What the Packers should have done in the NFC championship

Back in January, the Green Bay Packers made the NFC championship and were set to play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It was the Packer’s 4th NFC championship appearance in 7 years, and it ended the same as the other 3. The Packers made so many mistakes when it came to play-calling even when the right choices were obvious.

To start it off, the Packers should’ve run a more blocking-centered offense. If they used tight ends and running backs to help out for the game, lots would change. Star tackle David Bakhtiari would be out and they had to play a top 5 defense in the league. They averaged 2.9 sacks per game, which was 6th in the NFL. Ken Grant, a writer for Prime Time Sports Talk, said “The Buccaneers finished the year as the top-rated run defense both by standard counting stats (73.8 rushing yards per game allowed) and analytics (-30.6% defense-adjusted value over average, or DVOA). DVOA measures a unit or player’s performance on a play-by-play basis and judges them against league averages. So, on a down-by-down basis, Tampa Bay was 30.6 percent better than the league average.”

Some may say that the Packers needed the extra power on offense from the backs and tight ends. However, if Rodgers doesn’t have time to throw then there’s no use in having the extra help.

Speaking about defense, the Packer’s defense in the entire first half struggled. They then ended the half by letting Scotty Miller go 1 on 1 with Kevin King and they scored. Jordan Greer, a writer for Sporting News, said “King was beaten by Tampa Bay receivers, used as a surfboard on a highlight-reel run and flagged for pass interference. His rough day started in the first quarter when King mistimed his jump on a Tom Brady pass and saw the ball land in Mike Evans’ hands for a Buccaneers touchdown.” Some may say that it wasn’t all his fault, but 14 out of the 31 points scored by the buccaneers were because of his mistakes.

Now on to the 4th down in the 4th quarter. The Packers were down 23-31, which is a touchdown and 2 point conversion away from tying the game. Instead of letting Aaron Rodgers try and tie it with a touchdown, the Packers kicked a field goal and Rodgers never got the ball again. The PFF came out with a list, “Most big-time throws in the 4Q/OT since 2010: 1. Aaron Rodgers.” Some people think of it as points are points and take the field goal but it accomplished nothing. We were down by a touchdown before we kicked the field goal and still needed one after we made it to win.

The packers made many mistakes that cost them the game. Whether it be the game plan on offense, defensive play-calling, or crunch time decisions. The Buccaneers played all those cards the right way and that’s what won them the game.

In conclusion, the 0/4 in 7 years would’ve turned to ¼. The Packers would end the streak, and then go on to win another Super Bowl.