The Green Bay Packers’ huge investment in pass-rushers has the opportunity to offer the best reward against Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The NFC Championship Game can boil down to whether or not the Packers can put consistent pressure on Brady, the 43-year-old quarterback with six Super Bowl titles.
GM Brian Gutekunst spent significant capital – both in terms of dollars and choices in the draft – preparing for a time much like this. Hiring Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith as free agents in 2019, summoning Rashan Gary as the 12th overall choice in 2019 and rehiring Kenny Clark before the 2020 season were all notable investments in the disruptive ability of the Packers defensive front.
Now, the four can pave the Packers’ path to the Super Bowl LV.
Defense coordinator Mike Pettine can try to attack Brady. The pressure to confront is fundamental; Brady’s cracks when operating from a clean, pressurized pocket are surprising.
The Packers put pressure on Brady only five times in the first meeting. He separated them.
Two noteworthy factors in week 6: Clark was playing in his first game after a groin injury and was still not entirely healthy, and Gary played just 17 snaps. Clark is now healthy and has returned to dominating the countryside, while Gary has emerged as a legitimate marker of differences as a top scorer to end his second season.
Both can be vital to the rematch. Being under pressure is the key against any quarterback, but it is especially important against Brady. Clark can collapse his pocket with power and use his speed to win in stunts and one on one battles against guards and centers. Za’Darius Smith can be at his best when he runs inside, and Gary’s consistent performance on the edge should give Pettine opportunities to slide Smith in for advantageous opportunities to race against the smaller blockers.
It’s hard to see a way for the Packers to beat Brady and the Bucs without a big afternoon with the passengers. Tampa Bay is full of weapons in the passing game, and Brady is among the best in the pocket football distribution business. Give him enough time and he’ll find Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Rob Gronkowski, Antonio Brown, Tyler Johnson and Scotty Miller for great moves.
But the Packers are expected to enter Sunday with a sense of optimism about how to get to Brady. Pettine’s defense went through a strong offensive line and put pressure on Jared Goff in almost 50 percent of the divisions in the divisional round. Clark is starting to control the games. Gary was one of the best edge rushers in football last month. Za’Darius Smith is good for great pressure 3-4 in all games. Even Preston Smith is finding ways to impact games, even when he’s not making it to the quarterback. And it is possible that Kinglsey Keke is back after losing games due to a concussion.
The Packers have done considerable work to rebuild their pass-rush in the past two years. On Sunday, Gutekunst’s group has a chance to stamp the Packers’ passage to Tampa Bay. Go to Brady, go to the Super Bowl LV.