Can the Buccaneers upset the Packers twice in one season?

Can the Buccaneers make magic again?

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are one win away from making the Super Bowl for the second time in team history, but they have one last massive boulder in their way before reaching their goal; Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers.

The Bucs already beat the Packers once in the regular season, but that was before the Packers cruised to the top spot in the NFC and Aaron Rodgers put the finishing touches on an MVP campaign. Now, the Bucs have to recreate magic for the second time in one season.

In the NFL, beating a team twice in one season is a difficult prospect. Even good teams struggle with weaker opponents in their division, but beating the overwhelming favorite in the conference twice in one season is even more challenging.

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The Bucs pulled off an impressive win against the Packers at home in the first game, but Rodgers also had one of the worst games of his career. The Bucs were able to take away almost everything in the passing game, but expecting a repeat on that front may be too optimistic.

The Buccaneers have to shut down Aaron Rodgers twice in one season, and if a different team had cracked the recipe for this before, there would already be a book out on the topic.

Even though the stakes are high, this type of win has the means to change the entire trajectory of the Buccaneer franchise. For a team that has struggled with mediocrity or worse for almost two decades, a trip to the Super Bowl in the first season of the Tom Brady era would go a long way to continuing the team’s current trend of success.

While it would feel great to cruise to the Super Bowl without a difficult opponent, facing a Hall of Fame quarterback at his home stadium during one of his best seasons ever would make it impossible for the media to ignore Tampa Bay any longer. No one is sure what to make of the Bucs yet, but they are starting to define the current era very well so far.

A difficult win like this would show all of the past decisions were worthwhile. Even a close loss would indicate something similar, but this team has a legitimate chance to make history with Brady at the helm.

Facing the Packers in freezing temperatures at home will be the toughest test of the season so far, but the Buccaneers are far from being out of this game. Hopefully, they can maintain their current string of success when it matters most.

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