Packers | Green Bay falls in NFC title game

Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers completed 33-of-48 passes for 346 yards, three touchdowns and one interception in the NFC Championship Game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. RB Aaron Jones, who left the game early due to injury, left the team with 27 yards on six rushes. RB Jamaal Williams ran seven times for 23 yards and added four receptions for 22 yards. WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling led the way with a game-high 115 yards on four receptions and a score, while WR Davante Adams had nine grabs for 67 yards and a score on 15 targets. WR Allen Lazard checked in with three receptions for 62 yards, while TE Marcedes Lewis had three grabs for 28 yards. TE Robert Tonyan also checked in with four grabs, 22 yards and a score. CB Jaire Alexander led the way with two interceptions, while totaling three total tackles and three passes defensed.

Footballguys View: Rodgers had a lot of chances to take control of this game in the second half after his team fell behind 18 points, but the Packers offense wasn’t good enough in the red zone and Matt LaFleur chose to kick a field goal instead of going for it on fourth and goal at the 8, down 8 with about two minutes left. Jones has probably played his last down as a Packer, and Williams is also a free agent. Valdes-Scantling had a big game after playing only one snap the NFC title game last year. Adams impact on the game was not as big as expected and if anything Rodgers overreliance on him in the red zone hurt the team. The Packers will go back to the drawing board after getting one game from the Super Bowl two years in a row.

Buccaneers | Tampa Bay headed for Super Bowl LV

Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Tom Brady completed 20-of-36 passes for 280 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions in the NFC Championship Game against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, Jan. 24. It will be his 10th Super Bowl appearance, and the Bucs are the first team to play the game in their home stadium. RB Leonard Fournette ran 12 times for 55 yards and a touchdown while adding five receptions for 19 yards, RB Ronald Jones rushed 10 times for 16 yards, WR Chris Godwin racked up five receptions for a team-best 110 yards on nine targets and WR Mike Evans added three receptions for 51 yards and a score on eight targets. WR Scott Miller also cashed in his three targets for two catches, 36 yards and a touchdown, while TE Rob Gronkowski was limited to one catch for 29 yards on his lone target. TE Cameron Brate picked up three grabs for 19 yards and a score, while WR Tyler Johnson rounded things out with one catch for 16 yards. LB Devin White led the way defensively with a staggering game-high 15 total tackles, including nine of the solo variety.

Footballguys View: Brady wasn’t the reason the Bucs won, but he did have two good long passes to offset his three interceptions, which his defense did a great job of minimizing in the story of the outcome of the game. Leonard Fournette goes to the Super Bowl with Tom Brady after his 2017 Jaguars team was ousted by Brady. Godwin had great hands deep on his key play early, while Evans hands were more suspect, although the interception off of his hands in the red zone was more on Brady than him. Tampa Bay will be the first team to play the Super Bowl in their home stadium.