If it’s any consolation, the Green Bay Packers had their season cut short by the eventual Super Bowl champions. Just two weeks after ending Green Bay’s season, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers dominated the Kansas Chiefs in Super Bowl LV. In actuality, the Packers put up a much tougher fight than the Chiefs, however, that hardly numbs the pain that is still lingering from the NFC Championship.
This felt like Green Bay’s year, and this isn’t to beat a tired drum. The 2020 Packers were a special team. Aaron Rodgers returned to an MVP level, Davante Adams had a historic year, and the defense was finally capable of holding up in the postseason. That was all before it came crashing down.
You could argue that the NFC Championship Game was the most disappointing performance of the season. You could also make the argument for their Week 6 performance, against the same team. From top to bottom, the Buccaneers have an impressive team. Of course, it starts with Tom Brady, a man addicted to winning who can seemingly win anywhere. Last year, Tampa Bay finished 7-9. Now, they have reached the promised land.
Brady will get a lot of credit; he just won his seventh ring. But the Buccaneers are much more than just Brady.
In this article, we’re going to look at what Tampa Bay has that Green Bay doesn’t. However, before we continue, let’s get one thing straight: this Packers team was good enough to win it all. 2020 could have been their year with better execution, but they ran into a super well-coached and ultra-talented Bucs team that wanted it more. If Green Bay wants to show how serious they are about winning another Super Bowl, they should take a look at the steps the Buccaneers took.
Here are some of the reasons why Tampa Bay is lifting this year’s Lombardi Trophy and not the Packers.
They have a ton of weapons
This isn’t playing to the draft a wide receiver crowd. A rookie wide receiver wouldn’t have kept David Bakhtiari healthy or blocked the Buccaneers’ edge rushers. With what they had to work with, Green Bay had the top-scoring offense this season, but it’s a very real possibility that the Packers’ offense could be much better. At a glimpse, it’s not hard to see the differences between the two offenses. Yes, Green Bay has Davante Adams, who is arguably the best wide receiver in the NFL, but everyone outside of Adams can’t stack up Tampa Bay’s offensive arsenal. Like Green Bay, they have a true number one in Mike Evans. Running beside Evans they have a versatile slot in Chris Godwin, two strong tight ends in Rob Gronkowski and Cameron Brate (three when you count OJ Howard), and then of course there’s Antonio Brown. It doesn’t take an expert to see that the pieces the Packers have in Allen Lazard, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and Robert Tonyan are quite different. We haven’t even mentioned wideouts Scotty Miller and Tyler Johnson, two young wide receivers who both made outcome-deciding plays in the NFC Championship.
Their inside linebackers are dominant
If you watched the Super Bowl, you saw a ton of Devin White and Lavonte David. Both starting linebackers were constantly around the ball and making impactful plays. They’re fast, they’re nasty, and they’re All-Pros. Both White and David were named to All-Pro teams this year despite playing the same position on the same team. Against Kansas City, they combined for 18 tackles, two tackles for loss, three pass deflections, and an interception. Green Bay probably won’t find a White or David this offseason, but Brian Gutekunst said he would take a good hard look at inside linebacker. They need more production out of the position, and clearly having inside linebacker figured out can propel your defense to a new level.
Todd Bowles is the defensive coordinator
If it were possible for a coach to receive Super Bowl MVP, it would have gone to Bowles. He drew up a masterful game plan that had Patrick Mahomes was running for his life like he never has before. Bowles coaches his guys to be aggressive and to play fast but sound at the same time. They rally to the football in the run game, and passing on them feels impossible when the pass rush gets home with just four rushers. The reason why? More times than not, they win their individual matchups. Edge rushers are beating tackles, and the corners are locking down their man in coverage. Bowles has also coached his guys to make the most of their opportunities, whether it be a sack, a fumble, or interception. Mahomes didn’t throw a single touchdown on Sunday, but he did throw two picks. Bowles didn’t have to call a bunch of blitzes to rattle Mahomes, either. He trusts his guys, and he plays to their strengths, which is why his defense is so successful.
They have an “all in” mentality
Basically, every year there are murmurs of Green Bay being involved with highly sought-after free agents or guys on the market right before the trade deadline. However, most times nothing ever comes to fruition, and the Packers roll with what they have. When Tampa Bay got Brady, they weren’t complacent. Gronkowski was immediately signed, and then halfway through the year, they brought in Brown. While Brown is a tough sell for any organization, he had success with the Bucs and he also went on to catch a touchdown in the biggest game of the year. You can also look at another key player who contributed to Sunday’s victory that wasn’t on the roster in training camp. Running back Leonard Fournette was the leading rusher against the Chiefs, accounting for 135 yards and a touchdown. The Buccaneers already had their starter in Ronald Jones and a viable backup in LeSean McCoy, but that didn’t stop them from signing Fournette the day before the season opener. It was a savvy move that didn’t have a big payout, but it was worth it in the long run. While the “all-in” method is hardly proven, the Packers always have to consider if they are doing all they can to win it all. As if anyone needed to be reminded, Rodgers doesn’t have a lot of time left and, in some cases, being conservative is the right approach. In others, taking a few risks can get you a Lombardi.