The Green Bay Packers (11-4) clinched a sixth straight trip to the postseason with an occasionally ugly but consistently one-sided 20-3 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-13) Sunday at Raymond James Stadium. 

It was over when…

…Aaron Rodgers fired his first touchdown pass since Week 14, which was caught by Jordy Nelson with 2:45 to go in the fourth quarter. The connection gave the Packers a three-score lead and locked up an 11th win.    

Game Balls

• Eddie Lacy/Randall Cobb: Rodgers earns high marks for completing 31 of 40 passes while dealing with the flu and effects of an early calf injury. He wasn’t Michael Jordan in Game 5 of the ’97 Finals, but he was more than good enough. However, Rodgers received plenty of help from Lacy—who went over 1,000 yards on the season when he burst off the left edge for a 44-yard touchdown—and Cobb—who caught 11 passes and consistently moved the chains. Together, Lacy and Cobb combined for 235 of Green Bay’s 431 yards. 
• Clay Matthews/Morgan Burnett: Matthews had 2.5 sacks to show for his most complete pass-rushing game of the season. He now has 10 quarterback takedowns this season. Burnett was a factor throughout the game, with a number of tackles near the line of scrimmage, a half-sack and one tackle for loss. He led a dominant defensive effort with 10 total tackles. 
• T.J. Lang: He returned to the protection units, and the Packers did not have a blocked kick. After another forgettable week of special teams, Lang's presence was the only notable performance. 

Stat of the Game 

431-109: Yardage is often times an unreliable metric, but Sunday’s totals were an accurate representation of the gap between the two teams. The Packers had 431 yards and 23 first downs, while the Bucs had just 109 and six. The result was a difference of 25 plays (72-47) and over 17 minutes of possession (38:38-21:22). Tampa Bay was fortunate it ended in just a 17-point gap on the scoreboard. 

Other Notes

-- Rodgers threw for 318 yards and the Packers ran for 121, including 99 from Lacy, but this was still an uneven performance on offense. The biggest negative came inside the red zone, where Green Bay finished 1-for-4 scoring touchdowns (one miss came on the final series). The Packers missed a field goal and failed to convert a fourth down inside the 5-yard line, which kept a dominate effort from blossoming into a full-fledged blowout. Green Bay will need to be sharper next week.  

-- The defense has played Kyle Orton and Josh McCown in back-to-back weeks, but credit the Packers for manhandling each offense. The Bucs dropped McCown back to pass 33 times Sunday, and he managed just 12 completions and 93 net yards. Green Bay sacked him seven times. The Bucs also rushed for only 16 yards on 14 attempts. Over the last two weeks, the Packers have allowed 362 yards on 110 plays (3.3 per play) and 15 points on 21 drives, while also forcing two turnovers and 14 punts. McCown and Orton combined for just 26 completions, 10 sacks taken and two picks. Regardless of opponent, it was important to bounce back after getting run over by the Falcons in the second half of Week 14. At the very least, the Packers should approach the season finale with a sense of confidence in how the defense is playing. 

-- Note passed to me from Captain Obvious: Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb are enjoying a special, special season. Nelson now has 92 catches for 1,433 yards and 13 touchdowns, while Cobb is up to 87 catches for 1,207 yards and 10 touchdowns. On Sunday, the two combined for 20 of Rodgers’ 31 completions and 244 of Rodgers’ 318 yards. Their importance is becoming more and more stressed as Davante Adams has slipped back to non-factor status (the rookie’s confidence is clearly lacking right now). What an asset it is for Rodgers to have two highly skilled but inherently different pass-catchers. That said, Green Bay will likely need Adams to provide an impact next Sunday.

-- The Packers’ win set up a de facto NFC North title game Sunday at Lambeau Field. Both teams should have legitimate reasons for confidence in winning the contest. The Lions busted Green Bay in the mouth back in Week 3, while the Packers have been nearly invincible at home. The winner Sunday will take the division with a 12-4 record, and also secure a first-round bye in the postseason. Next week’s result will determine whether the Packers are preparing to go on the road in the Wild Card round or taking the week off. 

-- Just as we’ve expected, everything will come down to Week 17. The 11-4 Packers vs. the 11-4 Lions. Lambeau Field. Late December. So much on the line. Professional football doesn’t get much better. Buckle up and enjoy the ride of the next seven days. 

Zach Kruse contributes to Cheesehead TV. He is also the Lead Writer for the NFC North at Bleacher Report. You can reach him on Twitter @zachkruse2 or by email at [email protected].