Aaron Rodgers, who eventually had to play an NFC championship game at Lambeau Field, was a story that began Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The shiver of Green Bay plays more advantage than the other home team.
However, the Bucs are not shaking in their boots. Bruce Arians’ club has won seven straight games, including the last two playoffs, and has won eight of their ten games – losing in New Orleans in Week 1 and Chicago in Week 5.
“We were pretty good on the road outside of the first game and the Chicago game all year,” Bucs quarterback Tom Brady said Wednesday via the team’s official website. “For some reason we just did good work. Some years it was like that. I was part of other teams where it wasn’t quite like that.
“Let’s keep that series going. It’s going to be pretty sweet. Let’s get another one. We’ll be challenged to get it because we’re going to play against a good football team.”
Smaller or absent crowds due to the COVID-19 pandemic helped road crews. As we saw last week in Green Bay, even fewer fans on the stand can still rattle the cages.
Brady makes his 14th trip to the conference championship, his first in the NFC. Of his 13 AFC championship games, seven were at home in New England (6-1). In the six overturns in championship games, the Pats passed 3-3.
With a win, Brady (6-4 on the winning run in the playoffs in his career) would commit Joe Flacco (7) for the most wins in the playoffs by any QB in NFL history. Brady played just ten off-season games during his career (including the past two weeks) and recounts how dominant the Pats have been for 20 years.
TB12 knows what focus it will take to bring Rodgers & Co. at Lambeau Field.
“Playing on the road is about good football, execution, communication, all the basics, the blocking, tackling, throwing – all those things,” he said. “It’s a great environment. It’s one of the coolest stadiums in the league to play in. I know they’s excited, we’ll be excited, and it’s going to be a great football game.”