Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - Packer Plus
What Packers can take from Super Bowl
The NFC champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated Patrick Mahomes and the AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV.
The Buccaneers won three road playoff games – including a victory over the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field in the NFC championship game – to get to the Super Bowl.
Here are some quick Packers-themed takeaways from the Bucs’ Super Bowl win:
h Keep investing in the offensive line and pass-rushers. Big games are so often won and lost at the line of scrimmage. The Bucs beat the Packers two weeks ago by dominating in the trenches, and they repeated the trick Sunday in the Super Bowl. The Packers are going to be dealing with David Bakhtiari’s return from an ACL injury and the potential loss of Corey Linsley along the offensive line, and it’s certainly possible edge rusher Preston Smith is gone as a cap casualty. GM Brian Gutekunst must find a way to keep his offensive line fortified while ensuring his defense has enough pass-rushers for new coordinator Joe Barry.
h Turns out, scoring 26 points without David Bakhtiari against this Bucs defense was a pretty impressive feat. The Packers obviously had issues protecting Aaron Rodgers in the NFC title game, but nothing like what Patrick Mahomes dealt with in the Super Bowl. The pressure on Mahomes was unrelenting.
h The Super Bowl played out a lot like the Packers’ loss in Tampa Bay in Week 6. Just like back in October, a close game early got out of hand as the Bucs put consistent pressure on the quarterback, got a few big passing plays from Tom Brady and then just drained the life out of the game by dominating the line of scrimmage consistently.
h The Packers were probably a little sick watching this game. No one can know for sure how the Packers would have actually matched up with the Chiefs, but Kansas City’s patched-together offensive line really struggled to protect Mahomes, and Tom Brady and the Bucs were super efficient on offense. Could the Packers – with their mix of pass-rushers and efficiency on offense – have replicated the effort? Maybe.
h Tom Brady won MVP, but Todd Bowles was the difference in the Super Bowl. He mixed up coverages to confuse Mahomes early, took away the big play from Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce and trusted his front four to get pressure. The performance begs the question: Why weren’t Matt LaFleur and the Packers interested in talking with anyone from the Bowles’ coaching tree in their defensive coordinator search?
h Patrick Mahomes may play in many Super Bowls, but it’s far from a guarantee. His State Farm buddy, Aaron Rodgers, hasn’t been to the Super Bowl in 10 years. Tom Brady has shattered all realistic expectations for a great quarterback. Getting to the Super Bowl is insanely difficult.
h Shaq Barrett is awesome. I wanted the Packers to trade for him in 2018 and sign him in 2019. He has been a great player for the Bucs the last two years, and especially the last two games.
So is Devin White. The Packers h haven’t invested big at inside linebacker in a long time, but it’s incredible what an athlete like White can do for a defense. Getting a top player at the position can turn a good defense into an elite one.
h The officiating contrast from the NFC title game to the Super Bowl was stark. The crew didn’t let the Chiefs defense get away with any kind of physical play down the field. The Packers didn’t get those calls two weeks ago.
h Unique situations handed Brady a few helpful veterans for this Super Bowl run. Can the Packers find a few bargain veterans willing to come chase a Super Bowl with Rodgers in 2021?