Tampa Bay Buccaneers Triumph in NFC Championship

Tampa+Bay+Buccaneers+Triumph+in+NFC+Championship

Janell Wang, Staff Writer

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers triumphed against the Green Bay Packers with a final score of 31 to 26 in the National Football Conference (NFC) Championship at Lambeau Field, located in Green Bay, Wisconsin. This victory propels the Buccaneers into the Super Bowl LV against the Kansas City Chiefs on Feb. 7. The Buccaneers will also be the first team to play in their home stadium as the Super Bowl will take place in Tampa, Florida.

For the Buccaneers’ quarterback, Tom Brady, this marks his 10th time being in the Super Bowl, and he is the oldest player to ever do so at age 43. In the Buccaneers’ match against the Packers, Brady completed 20 out of 36 passes and finished in 280 yards, along with scoring a total of 3 touchdowns. In the second half of the game, Brady stubbed his toe, and safety Jordan Whitehead had to sit out after suffering a shoulder injury, resulting in three interceptions. Nevertheless, the Buccaneers managed to pull through and secure their spot in the Super Bowl. The Buccaneers’ coach, Bruce Arians expressed his excitement. 

“I guess when I was holding the Halas Trophy, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh. We’re actually gonna do it,’” Arians said.

This means a lot to the Buccaneers who haven’t been in the playoffs in 13 years and haven’t won a Super Bowl since 2003. Brady joined the Buccaneers in the offseason after leaving the New England Patriots. There was a lot stacked against Brady and the Buccaneers as he did not have enough time to train with Arians and the offensive coordinator, Byron Leftwich. This was made even more difficult with the ongoing pandemic. In fact, when Brady first joined the team, the Buccaneers started off rough.

“We were at 7 to 5 games ago, not feeling great. We felt like we needed to find our rhythm,” said Brady. “The guys came through. Everyone stepped up to the challenge.”

Now, the Buccaneers will face off against the Chiefs in the Super Bowl. It will be interesting to see who comes out victorious.

 

Photo courtesy of BUCCANEERS.COM