After just over a quarter of the schedule, the 2020 season has produced points at a rate never seen before. Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers have been major contributors.
Green Bay, the most productive offense in the NFL with 38 points per game, travels to Tampa Bay for a game against Tom Brady and the Buccaneers.
In both quarterbacks’ brilliant careers, they combine for five MVP awards, five All-Pro nominations, 22 trips to the Pro Bowl, seven Super Bowl rings and a shared future in the Hall of Fame. In 2020 alone, Rodgers and Brady have a total of 25 touchdown passes.
Rodgers and Brady, members of an exclusive elite of quarterbacks, have met just twice as starters in their illustrious careers. The first game was a 26-21 win by Rodgers and Green Bay at Lambeau Field in 2014 and four years later Brady exacted revenge for that affront by leading the Patriots to a resounding 31-17 victory at Foxboro.
The third confrontation promises to be memorable. The Packers are undefeated and are looking for their first 5-0 start since 2015 thanks to a powerful offense and their ability to keep away balls. But his defense will be tested by Brady and wide receiver Mike Evans, who have combined for six touchdowns, including at least one in each game this season.
The Tampa Bay defense, with the unenviable task of containing Rodgers, arrives Sunday’s game at the upcoming Super Bowl venue as the eighth-best in the NFL, allowing 20 or fewer points in three of its five league games. campaign, however, those performances were against inferior attacks such as Carolina, Denver and Chicago, Green Bay will be a real test for the Buccaneers.
The Packers have shown this season that their move to the National Conference final last season was not the work of chance.. His four victories this year have been by an average margin of almost 13 points, thanks to the balance provided by running back Aaron Jones (six touchdowns) to an attack he has cleared just seven times so far this season.
Browns will try to change history
Cleveland Browns have their best start since 1994when coach Bill Belichick led the franchise to its most recent playoff triumph, a season that culminated precisely with a loss in the divisional round at the hands of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
That 29-9 win for the Steelers in January 1995 is just one chapter in a long-standing rivalry that spans 134 games. Next Sunday’s meeting in Pittsburgh has the ingredients to make it a memorable episode.
Despite the Browns coming off scoring at least 30 points in four straight games, a first in 1968 franchise history, all eyes could be on one of their defensive players, all-star defensive end Myles Garrett, who He will face Pittsburgh for the first time since he starred in a brawl last season in which he hit quarterback Mason Rudolph with his own helmet, earning him a suspension for the rest of the schedule.
Garrett, however, will not meet directly for Rudolph, who resumed his spot on the bench to make way for Ben Roethlisberger. The Pittsburgh passer has had an excellent start to the season – 10 TD passes and an interception – after missing 14 games last season with an elbow injury.
Pittsburgh’s defense, fifth-best in the NFL in 2020, maintains statistical dominance in the first portion of the current schedule. However, Cleveland will be its first major test after solid, if not dominant, performances against teams with a combined 3-15-1 record.
Clearly, the Browns don’t fit into that category. Armed with the best running game in the NFL, quarterback Baker Mayfield and wide receiver Odell Beckham – increasingly in tune – have found the perfect match.. Cleveland’s defense has made much of the job easier for them by leading the league with 12 steals, giving Mayfield and rookie coach Kevin Stefanski’s attack prime ground position to exploit their arsenal.
