The Old Foes Prevail in the NFC Divisional Round

After the first round of the playoffs were completed, a large narrative was the age of the quarterbacks. In the AFC, the oldest quarterback was 25 and, in the NFC, the youngest was 26 with the other three over 35. Let us analyze if the young buck of the group got the job done or if the seasoned veterans stayed on top.

Rodgers and Green Bay Too Much to Handle for Goff and Los Angeles

After earning a first-round bye with the one-seed, the Green Bay Packers got off to a strong start to their playoff run, defeating the Los Angeles Rams 32-18. Offensively, Green Bay did a good job balancing the run with the pass to total for 484 yards of offense. QB Aaron Rodgers was efficient in the victory, going 23/36 with 296 yards, three touchdowns (two passing), and no turnovers. WR Allen Lazard led all receivers with 96 yards, including a long 58-yard touchdown. WR DaVante Adams also corralled nine catches for 66 yards and a touchdown in the victory. On the ground, the duo of Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams combined for 26 carries, 164 yards, and a touchdown by Jones. 

Whenever the Rams looked like they were getting back into the game, the Packers defense came up with a big stop. Green Bay sacked Goff four times and held the Rams to 2/8 on third down. LB Krys Barnes was the leading tackler with 10 total tackles while Rashan Gary, Kenny Clark, and Z’Darius Smith were responsible for the four sacks. With their efforts, the Packers held the Rams to just 244 yards of offense in the victory.

In the defeat, the Rams could not get anything going on offense and could not sustain drives. As stated before, Los Angeles went 2/8 on third down and were dominated in the time of possession game. QB Jared Goff threw for just 174 yards while RB Cam Akers rushed for 90. On the defensive side, which featured an injured Aaron Donald in and out of the game, the Rams could not get the Packers off the field. Green Bay held the ball for seconds over 36 minutes and were 8/12 on third down. Rodgers was also not sacked, sitting comfortably in the pocket the entire game.

Brady Gives Brees a Sour Goodbye

With what many people believe to be Drew Brees’ final playoff run on the line, the New Orleans Saints fell short to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, losing 30-20. For Tampa, it was a game that was one by a full team effort. All assets of the game played well, particularly the defense. Led by LB Devin White, who had 11 tackles, Tampa Bay forced four turnovers in the victory (three interceptions, one fumble). Of their 30 points scored, 21 came off turnovers. Along with White, CB Sean Murphy-Bunting and S Mike Edwards had interceptions, while S Antoine Winfield forced a fumble in the win.

On the offensive side, Tampa Bay took advantage of the turnovers on their way to victory. QB Tom Brady had only 199 yards but three total touchdowns on the day. Brady did a good job of distributing, targeting nine receivers on the day, leading to 18 completions. On the ground, RB’s Leonard Fournette and Ronald Jones II combined for 30 carries and 125 yards on the day. They were not pretty yards, but they were enough to keep the chains moving and give the Bucs a chance to sustain drives during the game.

In what is most likely his last game ever, QB Drew Brees had a game left to be desired. The future Hall of Famer threw three interceptions in the loss on just 134 yards through the air. The longest play they had on offense came when Brees was not on the field when QB Jameis Winston hit WR Tre’Quan Smith for a 56-yard touchdown early in the game. Smith led all receivers with 85 yards in the loss. RB Alvin Kamara chipped in 105 total yards but was not enough to earn the win. S Malcolm Jenkins was the leading tackler for the Saints defense, who were put in bad spots all game due to bad field position from turnovers. Overall, it was not a fun day to be a New Orleans Saints fan.

Now, in the NFC Championship, we have a classic on our hands. On Sunday at 3:00 ET, Tom Brady will take on Aaron Rodgers, two legends, with a chance to go to the Super Bowl. The game will be hosted by the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field in what should be a gritty game that is won at the line of scrimmage. Now, it is just a matter of who is going to win the battle.

Info and stats from profootballreference.com

Writer

-By: Richie Dordas