3 young Buccaneers that can step up in the NFC Championship game
By Rob Leeds
The Buccaneers need their young players more than ever.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are set to play their biggest game in 17 years this weekend. The NFC Championship versus the Packers at Lambeau is sure to be a difficult mountain for this team to climb, but the Bucs have already tackled tall orders with success so far this season.
With a regular-season victory versus Green Bay, the Bucs should go into this game with all the confidence in the world, but Tampa Bay will have to play its best game of the season if it wants to advance to the Super Bowl for the second time in franchise history.
The Buccaneers will need to rely on their usual cast of veteran stars like Tom Brady, Lavonte David, and Ndamukong Suh, but the young guys will be just as important in a time like this, starting with these three.
Player #1
At times, it’s easy to forget that Devin White is only in his second year in the NFL and has only played in one playoff game. With numerous future Hall of Fame locks on both sides of the field last weekend in the matchup with the Saints, White was the best player in the game by a mile, and the notion of a sophomore slump has been ruled out entirely.
As the Buccaneers look ahead to their third playoff game of the Tom Brady era, White is the perfect player to step up and put the game on his shoulders.
Aaron Jones is a more than capable runner of the football that the defense will key in on early, but White will also serve as the best option to slow down Aaron Rodgers. As one of the best pass-rushing middle linebackers in the entire NFL, White will have pressure on Rodgers from the first snap, even against the dominant Packer offensive line.
In addition to his prowess as a pass-rusher, White will help out in the difficult task of keeping the agile Rodgers in the pocket. Rodgers could have a field day outside of the tackles with his excellent athleticism and supreme talent if the Buccaneers give him the chance, but it won’t happen if Devin White has anything to say about it.