Will Bucs stack the box vs Rodgers?
Jared Dubin previews the NFC title game, looking at the Buccaneers tendency to stack the box defensively, and how that might work against the Packers:
“Because of that focus on the run, though, the Bucs can be beaten through the air. In fact, they seemingly encourage opposing offenses to throw, based on their alignment. According to Pro Football Focus and TruMedia, the Buccaneers used at least seven defenders in the box on 59 percent of their defensive snaps, about 5 percent more often than the average team in the league (54.2 percent). The same is true of their usage of eight-man boxes: Tampa aligned that way 31.6 percent of the time, compared with a league average of 25.5 percent.
The more defenders in the box, the more advantageous it is for the opponent to pass instead of run. That held true against the Bucs, with opponents posting their best EPA per play rates against Tampa's eight-man boxes, per TruMedia.”
Full article: CBS Sports