The Green Bay Packers haven’t tried to forget the 38-10 beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers put on them earlier this season, nor are they running from the deserved criticism it earned them as they prepare for a rematch in Sunday’s NFC championship game.
The Bucs had plenty to say in the aftermath of their Week 6 blowout over the Packers, a game in which quarterback Aaron Rodgers was picked off twice — once for a pick-six — and Tampa Bay’s rushers romped for 158 yards and two touchdowns. The biggest shade thrown came from Bucs linebacker Devin White, who told reporters in the postgame the Packers “didn’t deserve to be on the field with them.”
“Hey, he was right,” Packers head coach Matt LaFleur told reporters Monday, nearly three months later. “They whipped us. There’s no sense in talking about it. The only thing you can do is prepare the best you can and then go prove it. He’s entitled to say what he wants to say, but we ultimately have got to be the ones who rally around, make sure we have a great week of preparation and go out there and put our best stuff out on the field.”
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No Additional Motivation Necessary for LaFleur
LaFleur won’t be surprised if some of his Packers players hold onto what White or other Bucs said after their last matchup, but the second-year coach doesn’t think much more motivation is necessary at this point in the year.
“I’m sure some of our guys will get super motivated by that,” LaFleur said. “I mean, we’re talking about the NFC championship game and with an opportunity to go to the Super Bowl. I think that’s enough motivation right there.”
The Packers are back in the NFC title game for a second consecutive year and once again matched up with a team that handed them an ugly loss in the regular season, but the similarities mostly end there. Unlike last year’s game against San Francisco, the Packers are hosting the conference championship at Lambeau Field for the first time since Rodgers took over as starting quarterback in 2008. They are also, by most counts, a better overall team than they were in LaFleur’s first season in 2019.
As of Monday night, the betting odds have the top-seeded Packers listed as 2.5-point favorites against the No. 5 seed Bucs.
LaFleur Remains Impressed With Bucs Linebackers
LaFleur spent a good amount of time Monday talking about the attention to detail and preparation that will be needed for the Packers to get the better of the Bucs this weekend, and White is certainly a big reason why.
The second-year linebacker delivered a career season in 2020 with 97 solo tackles, 15 tackles for a loss, nine sacks and 16 quarterback hits, four pass deflections, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. White also added a fumble recovery and key interception against the Saints in Sunday’s divisional-round win, picking off Drew Brees in the fourth quarter to set up the Bucs’ final touchdown in their 30-20 win.
Here’s what LaFleur had to say about White and fellow inside linebacker Lavonte David:
“No. 1, he can flat run. I think he’s super instinctive, very physical. I think (that’s) both of those two interior linebackers, Devin White (and) Lavonte David. I’ve gone up against Lavonte many times when we were in Atlanta, and I’ve got a lot of respect for both of those guys. I think you could argue that’s the best tandem in the National Football League. It’s tough to beat those two guys. Those two are as good as it gets, so it’s gonna be a great challenge.”
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