Tampa Bay Makes History With Thrilling Win Over Packers in NFC Championship

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers knocked off the Green Bay Packers, 31-26, on Sunday in the NFC Championship game at Lambeau Field. The Buccaneers advance to Super Bowl LV, where they will face the winner of Sunday night’s AFC Championship between the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs.

Tampa Bay will become the first team in NFL history to play a Super Bowl in its home stadium. Super Bowl LV will be Sunday, February 7 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.

The journey to get there wasn’t easy. The Buccaneers got into the playoffs as a wild card team, getting the No. 5 seed. They went on the road three-consecutive weekend and beat No. 4 Washington, No. 2 New Orleans and now top-seeded Green Bay.

Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady, playing in his NFL-record 14th conference championship game, advances to his 10th Super Bowl as a player. He went 6-3 in Super Bowls while playing with the New England Patriots during the first 20 seasons of his career. Brady signed with the Buccaneers last offseason and guided the Buccaneers to their first Super Bowl appearance in 18 years.

Tom Brady #12 celebrates with Cameron Brate #84 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after Brate scored a touchdown in the third quarter against the Green Bay Packers during the NFC Championship game at Lambeau Field on January 24, 2021 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images

Brady looked unstoppable throughout most of the game, but he was uncharacteristically sloppy late in the game, throwing three interceptions to allow the Packers to get back into the game.

Tampa Bay took the opening possession downfield and got on the board first when Brady connected with Mike Evans for a 15-yard touchdown pass and 7-0 lead. The teams traded punts, and Green Bay tied the game early in the second quarter when Aaron Rodgers launched a deep pass to Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who hauled it in for the score.

The Buccaneers wasted no time, marching 73 yards in just four plays. After a deep pass downfield to Chris Godwin, running back Leonard Fournette has a dazzling 20-yard touchdown run where he spun around defenders and got hit hard as he dove across the goal line.

The Packers trimmed the lead to 14-10 on Mason Crosby’s 24-yard field goal.

Late in the second quarter and facing a 4th-and-3, Tampa Bay lined up to punt. The Buccaneers called a timeout before the play clock expired, and the Buccaneers sent its offense back on the field. Brady completed a pass to Fournette for the first down. With eight seconds remaining, Brady took the snap and threw a perfect pass to Scotty Miller for a 39-yard touchdown and 21-10 lead right before halftime.

Buccaneers linebacker Devin White recovered a Packers fumble early in the third quarter, and that set up an 8-yard touchdown pass from Brady to Cameron Brate. The Buccaneers led, 28-10, at this point.

Brady threw three interceptions in three-consecutive series to allow Green Bay to get back in the game, and Rodgers led the Packers to a pair of touchdowns in the third quarter to slice the Buccaneers lead to 28-23. Green Bay missed a two-point conversion.

The Buccaneers got a 46-yard field goal with 4:46 remaining in the game to extend their lead to 31-23.

Rodgers directed a Packers drive to a 1st-and-goal at the 8, but he had three-straight incompletions. Crosby’s second field goal gave made the score 31-26 Tampa Bay.

Brady and the Buccaneers ran out the final two minutes of the clock, aided by a pass interference call on the Packers that led to the game’s end.

Rodgers is now 1-4 in conference championship games.