NFC Championship Game 2021: Winner, Score Predictions for Bucs vs. Packers

For the first time since the 2007 season, the NFC Championship Game is coming to Lambeau Field. On Sunday, the Green Bay Packers will look to do something they haven't done since the 2010 campaign: advance to the Super Bowl.

Green Bay defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLV in that game. Since then, the Packers have lost in their three trips to the NFC Championship Game, which included a defeat to the San Francisco 49ers on the road last year.

The Packers are set to host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the No. 5 seed in the NFC and the only wild-card team playing in a conference championship game this season. The Bucs' playoff run started with a pair of road wins against the Washington Football Team and the New Orleans Saints.

This will only be the second time that Green Bay and Tampa Bay are going head-to-head in the postseason, with the lone previous playoff meeting between the two teams coming during the 1997 season in the divisional round.

Here's everything else you need to know about this year's NFC Championship Game.

NFC Championship Game Information

Date: Sunday, Jan. 24

Site: Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Matchup: No. 5 Tampa Bay Buccaneers at No. 1 Green Bay Packers

Start Time: 3:05 p.m. ET

TV: Fox

Matchup Breakdown, Prediction

For more than a decade, Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady have been two of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. And during their successful careers, they have gone head-to-head three times. But it's never been in a game with such high stakes.

Having played his first 20 seasons with the New England Patriots, Brady was always in the AFC. So heading into this year (his first with Tampa Bay), he had played against Rodgers twice, with both meetings coming during the regular season (in 2014 and 2018).

This will be the first time that Rodgers and Brady are squaring off in the postseason. But it's not the first time they are playing against each other this season. In Week 6 of the regular season, Brady led the Buccaneers to a 38-10 win over the Packers in Tampa Bay, passing for 166 yards and two touchdowns.

Rodgers struggled against the Bucs' strong defense, as he went 16-of-35 for 160 yards and two interceptions. Tampa Bay is especially strong against the run, and it held Green Bay running back Aaron Jones to 10 carries for 15 yards and a touchdown in that matchup.

But this time, things could go differently. It's going to be a cold Sunday afternoon in Green Bay, with a chance of snow in Weather.com's forecast. That could work out well for the Packers, who are used to playing in those conditions.

The Buccaneers may have shut down Rodgers once, but it's going to be a challenge for them to do so again. The 37-year-old has played at an MVP level for most of the season, passing for 4,299 yards, 48 touchdowns (an NFL high and a career high) and five interceptions. He also led Green Bay to victory over the Los Angeles Rams in the divisional round, passing for 296 yards and two touchdowns.

It's going to be difficult for the Packers to get their running game going, but if Rodgers starts connecting with leading wide receiver Davante Adams and his other top targets, it could be tough for the Bucs to stop.

Don't be surprised if this NFC Championship Game goes down to the wire, as both teams have been on a roll of late and are capable of coming out on top. However, expect the Packers to pull it out.

Rodgers will lead a long drive in the closing minutes, forcing the Bucs to burn their timeouts, and Green Bay will stretch its lead to six points with a Mason Crosby field goal. Then the Packers defense will stop Brady and the Bucs from driving the length of the field, meaning Green Bay returns to the Super Bowl for the first time in a decade.

Prediction: Packers 27, Buccaneers 21