This Sunday will mark the third time that future Hall of Famers Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady will take the field against one another, this time to which team is more of a Super Bowl contender.
The Green Bay Packers come out of their bye week boasting an impressive 4-0 record with wins over the Minnesota Vikings, Detroit Lions, New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons. Rodgers is proving all the pundits who thought that he might be past his prime wrong so far this season, throwing for 1,214 yards with a completion percentage of 70.5% and tossing for 13 TD’s with 0 INT’s. Rodgers ranks number one coming into week 6 in the TD-Int ratio along with the number one total QBR with a 92.5.
Brady continues to amaze viewers as the 43-year-old is putting up stats that are near league leaders. The six-time Super Bowl Champion has thrown for 1,375 yards with a 12-4 TD-INT ratio and a completion percentage of 64.3%.
Where Brady has been struggling this season is his total QBR, which is 59.9 and ranks 21st among the starting quarterbacks in the NFL.
The Buccaneers come into the matchup with Green Bay with a 3-2 record, owning wins against the Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos and the Los Angeles Chargers. Their two losses came against the New Orleans Saints and the Chicago Bears, two playoff hopefuls.
Brady’s number one target of the season, Mike Evans, is listed as questionable for this weekend’s game, which could lead to Brady having to get others involved in the offense.
The Keys for a Tampa Bay victor are to establish a running game and limit turnovers. During the first five weeks, Brady has had some uncharacteristic turnovers that put their team in jeopardy of losing games. When the Bucs have established a running game, they are 3-0.
On the other side for Green Bay, it is simple. Let Aaron Rodgers be Aaron Rodgers. They also will need their defense to keep showing signs of improvement. If there is any weak part of the Packers’ team so far this season, it would be the defense. If Green Bay can force Brandy into uncomfortable situations and create a short field for the highest scoring in the offense, they have a good chance to walk off the field with their fifth straight victory.
Absolutely true! GO Pack GO!