The NFC Championship game between the Green Bay Packers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be an instant classic at Lambeau Field.
Aaron Rodgers against Tom Brady, veteran coach Bruce Arians versus up-and-coming Matt LaFleur, arguably the best receiver in the game in Davante Adams and perhaps the best receiving corps for the Bucs.
The stakes are high, and the atmosphere will be electric come Sunday with a few thousand fans in the stadium for Green Bay.
While Tom Brady is always hard to beat, Rodgers is playing perhaps the best football of his career and has a great shot at winning the MVP award this season.
Everybody knows how good Adams and Aaron Jones are, and it's obvious how talented Antonio Brown, Chris Godwin, Mike Evans, and Rob Gronkowski are, but who could be the difference makers for the Packers on Sunday?
Here are a couple of x-factors for Green Bay to head to the Super Bowl.
1. The Success of the Passing Game
The Packers' aerial attack has been excellent this season- and much of that can be attributed to Adams NFL-leading 18 touchdown catches.
Green Bay is 5th in yards per game (401), 11th in passing yards per game (268), and first in the NFL in points per game (31.8). The offense has been fantastic for Matt LaFleur's crew this season, and the importance of Rodgers and the pass catchers will be detrimental come Sunday.
However, Todd Bowles has this Tampa Bay defense playing extremely well. They rank 7th in the league in interceptions and 4th in sacks, so their ability to get after the ball- and the quarterback- is going to be a tough task for Rodgers and LaFleur to combat.
Adams will be the centerpiece of this group obviously, but let's not forget about the other receivers. Marquez Valdes-Scantling might not be the biggest WR2 in the league, but he has six touchdowns this season. Allen Lazard is healthy and ready to roll, and he is fresh off an 8-catch, 96-yard performance including a touchdown catch.
There's also tight end Robert Tonyan. He had 52 catches this season and 11 touchdowns, and his presence and effectiveness will be needed against a stellar Tampa Bay defense.
With Rodgers playing at a high level, and the relentlessness of the Bucs defense, the passing game needs to be as good as it has been to advance to the Super Bowl.
Sure, Rodgers struggled against Tampa in Week 6, but that's a rarity. Adams had just come back from injury, and Lazard was out, so having those guys healthy is going to be a huge boost for Green Bay.
Spread the ball around, let Adams do what he does best, and the Packers could be packing their bags for the Super Bowl come February.
2. Packers Defensive Line
It is never an easy task when you have to face Tom Brady. Packers' defensive coordinator Mike Pettine will have his hands full against this talented Buccaneers offense.
Stopping all the playmakers the Bucs have is nearly impossible, and outsmarting the 6-time Super Bowl Champion is something that not many have been able to do.
Nonetheless, Pettine and Green Bay are seamlessly working on a plan to stop- or at the very least- limit Brady on Sunday.
The defensive line in Green Bay has been fantastic all year, and a big game by that bunch is going to be the difference-maker in a Super Bowl trip or an end to their season.
Kenny Clark has picked it up as of late, and Rashan Gary, Preston Smith, and Za'Darius Smith have been relentless in getting to the quarterback all season long.
Sure, the Packers finished 10th in sacks with 41, but the past few weeks they have really picked it up a notch. Pettine's defense had four sacks of Jared Goff last weekend, and LaFleur loved the effort from the defense.
This is what LaFleur had to say about his pash rush.
“They were relentless all game and I know we weren't always getting pressure on Jared. I thought L.A., give them credit, got a lot of respect, obviously, I know those guys very, very well. They did a good job of having plays that got the ball out of his hands quickly and then their receivers made some plays. Their back made a lot of plays.”
The relentlessness of this group is going to be needed again. Ronald Jones and Leonard Fournette are not easy to stop, and the Buccaneers' balance of running and throwing is tough to stop. Brady calls audibles and reads defenses better than any quarterback in the league, so the Packers' ability to get pressure on Brady will be important.
Clark had 1.5 sacks against the Rams as did Rashan Gary, and Za'Darius Smith had a sack as well. Clogging the running lanes will be key, and they were able to keep Cam Akers under 100 yards.
A key part in stopping Brady is to bring pressure and make him uncomfortable, so the Packers' front seven needs to get to Brady and frustrate him.
They will have their hands full, but let's give Mike Pettine and his crew the benefit of the doubt.
Down to the wire
This game will more than likely come down to the last possession as both Rodgers and Brady figure to have huge days.
Will it be Aaron Rodgers headed to the Super Bowl, or will Tom Brady be appearing in his first-ever Super Bowl in the NFC?
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