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Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Becht: 4 Keys for Bucs vs. Packers

The Buccaneers are 2-12 and find themselves in a position to play spoiler with their two remaining games at home. The Green Bay Packers come rolling into Tampa off a terrible loss at the Buffalo Bills last week. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers and company now find themselves in a tight NFC North race for the division title. The Bucs will get the Packers best on Sunday, but the blueprint is out there to beat them. Here are a few keys in this game for the Bucs against this challenging Green Bay football team.1. RODGERS FACTOR
Aaron Rodgers is arguably the best quarterback in the NFL. For the majority of the season he's been spot on, slicing and dicing NFL defenses week in and week out. Last week vs. Buffalo, however, was the poorest performance of his career with just a 34.3 passer rating. He went 17-for-42 with 185 yards, no TDs and two interceptions. The reasons why were simple: constant pressure with the defensive front four and physicality against the Packers receivers at the line of scrimmage. Rodgers has one of the fastest releases in the game and he processes information very quickly, but when you add in-your-face pressure and physical play against his receivers, it can disrupt his timing and force WRs Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb off their routes. The perfect storm can happen this week as it did last week and get the Packers offense out of rhythm.2. LONG DRIVES

The Bucs offense has struggled the entire season. They have found themselves on the very of victory many times, but have only closed the deal twice. Turnovers have absolutely killed this team; last week was the 19th-straight game with at least one. If there were a week to take care of the football it would be this one against the Packers. Giving Aaron Rodgers a short field will most definitely create a storm that will be tough for the Bucs to overcome. To counter the Packers powerful offense, it is important for the Bucs to create nine- to 14-play drives effectively keeping Rodgers off the field. Continued success from running backs Doug Martin and Charles Sims, who combined for more than 100 rushing yards last week, will help this endeavor, as will winning on early downs to shorten the distance to go on third down. Staying ahead of the chains will keep the Bucs ahead of Rodgers.3. DEFENSIVE BACKUPS NEED TO SHINE
It's been an injury-riddled season for the Bucs defense. Their defensive leader, Gerald McCoy, is now on the list of players out for this Packers game. One shining positive for the Bucs' defense has been the tremendous growth and understanding of Lovie Smith's system from everyone on this roster. Guys like SS Bradley McDougald, LB Orie Lemon, LB Danny Lansanah and DE Jacquies Smith have all improved and made huge contributions in recent weeks. This week's test is a huge one against this powerful offense, but understanding of the defensive system and playing fast can help these players fight on Sunday.4. YOUTH GETS A CHANCE

Get to know the key players on Green Bay before the Buccaneers take on the Packers Sunday at Raymond James Stadium.

Fourteen games through his incredible rookie season, we can all agree that Mike Evans will be a fine NFL player. It is now time for the coaching staff to play some of their other young talent in these final two games to see what they've got. The offensive line has been a major issue throughout the season, so working some of the younger guys in a few series in this football game can't hurt. It is hard to find talent around the league and sometimes in the late round of the draft, so the only way to find out if a guy can play in the NFL is by putting them out there. The future starts now for the Bucs … Let's see what they can do.

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