Mass Hysteria
Dallas Cowboys
Admit it: given how the Packers’ seasons have ended the past few years you’ve started to figure how it is going to happen this year in the back of your head.
The first, and I believe worst, scenario is former coach Mike McCarthy coming to Lambeau Field with the Cowboys and getting to his second Super Bowl going through Rodgers to do it. This is absolutely nightmare fuel for any Packers fans.
It would take a tall feat for this matchup to happen as Dallas would more than likely have to beat the Buccaneers in Tampa Bay in the divisional round but it can’t be ruled out. Dallas’ offense finished first in both scoring and yardage under Kellen Moore and they would provide a stiff test to the Packers. The dual threat of Ezekiel Elliot and Tony Pollard combined with Amari Cooper and CeeDee Lamb give Green Bay’s defense plenty to think about.
Defensively Dallas has gotten much better under Dan Quinn but at least here Green Bay can have their way. Micah Parsons and Trevon Diggs provide an ample challenge to LaFleur and Rodgers but Diggs has at least shown he can routinely be beat deep, something Green Bay can definitely exploit presuming Marquez Valdes-Scantling’s back heals up.
Overall though it’s the thought of McCarthy winning an NFC championship at Lambeau coaching someone else than the Packers that should scare people the most.
The good news though? Rodgers would have no issue getting fired for this game. It’d be like showing off in front of your ex how happy you are with your new partner. Is Rodgers that petty? You bet he is.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
This is honestly the matchup fans have been dreading for a year now since the Buccaneers ended Green Bay’s Super Bowl dreams.
It’s Brady, it’s Rob Gronkowski, it’s the narrative that follows them no matter what team they play for. Losing at home to the Bucs for a second straight year is probably how the most pessimistic of Packers fans saw this year ending.
On the plus side, Tampa Bay would come in more wounded than before with Chris Godwin out for the year with a torn ACL but the Bucs still have found a way to be the 2nd overall offense in scoring and yardage while the defense finished 5th in scoring and 13th in yardage.
With Lavonte David being designated to return, the Tampa defense gets even tougher for Green Bay to crack. This should be the matchup that scares every fan the most.
That being said, winning this game would do so much for the Packers and particularly Rodgers. He would finally vanquish Brady in the postseason, a legacy-altering move in the eyes of many national talking heads and it would kill a demon that has haunted the team for a year since they were oh so close to completing a comeback.
This matchup has felt borderline inevitable for a while and is the one most likely to keep fans up at night should it come to pass.
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Kris Burke wrote: