Refs Screwed Packers Against Buccaneers in First Game This Season

The Green Bay Packers will play host to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC Championship Game after both teams earned wins in the Divisional Round. It actually won't be the first meeting between these teams this season, as the Bucs defeated the Packers 38-10 in Week 6.

It was a dominant showing by Tampa Bay, but the refs clearly had a major impact on their previous matchup.

Nothing went right for the Packers when they played the Bucs earlier this season, but they also had 76 penalty yards (their second most in a game this season) while the Buccaneers had zero, one of just three times an NFL team went without a penalty in a game this season.
— Rich Hribar (@LordReebs) January 19, 2021

No one can discount the 38 unanswered points that the Bucs racked up en route to their Week 6 win, but it's also easier to pull that off when you're not impeded by penalties killing momentum or extending drives for the opponent.

The fact that Tampa benefited from an anomaly in the previous matchup helps put their previous meeting in perspective. Green Bay faced several penalties that played a role in their collapse, while the Bucs got every good break that they could've hoped for.

This conference championship game is sure to be different. The Packers have bulletin board material and home-field advantage, which will be especially key given the current weather forecast. Oh, and they also have the league's likely MVP in Aaron Rodgers.

There's no better time to have motivation for revenge than with a Super Bowl appearance on the line.

FanDuel Sportsbook has the Packers as 3-point favorites, and they're tied for the best Super Bowl odds among the remaining four teams.

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