We are back after a 10-day absence that felt like an abbreviated Bye Week as the Green Bay Packers are in Seattle to take on the Seahawks on Sunday night football. Kickoff is slated for 7:20 PM CST as the Packers will play their third straight prime-time game at Lumen Field. The Packers hold a 15-9 overall record on the Seahawks, and this is the first time the Packers have played in Seattle since 2018. The 9-4 Packers are coming off their 34-31 defeat at the hands of the Detroit Lions on Thursday night football on December 5th, and the 8-5 Seahawks are coming off a 30-18 victory over the Arizona Cardinals. 

The last time these two teams met was on November 14th, 2021, when the then 8-2 Packers defeated the then 3-6 Seahawks 17-0.  This was a defense-dominated game where neither Quarterback had a touchdown pass but Seattle's Russell Wilson had two interceptions to Aaron Rodgers' one. Adrian Amos and Kevin King nabbed the INTs for the Packers and AJ Dillon was the player of the game having 66 yards on the ground with two touchdowns and then 62 yards through the air with a long of 50 yards. I don't think it will be as big of a defensive struggle tonight, but I do believe there could be a running back as the player of the game in Josh Jacobs. 

The last game was of course a loss for the Packers against Detroit but it served as a little bit of a beacon of hope for Packer fans despite the end result. The Packers showed they could match up with one of the best teams in the NFC and take the game down to the wire. I felt the team did exactly what it needed to do, protect the football and force Jared Goff into a mistake and that's exactly what they did. But there were several mistakes and penalties and an inability to get off the field at crucial times that cost them that game in my opinion. A game like that came at likely the perfect time for the Packers as they had an extra-long break to self-evaluate, see what they did wrong and can improve on, and take that into the final four games. 

The Seahawks are top of the NFC West hoping to take a one-game lead over the LA Rams. Even though a loss for Seattle would still keep them in a tie for the division lead, a win for the Packers would keep them still in only third place in the NFC North despite what would be a better record by two wins. This would be a chance for the Packers to show how far above the rest of the NFC they stand despite their divisional standing.   

What to see on Offense

I've been vocal about it before, and I'm going to do it again. I've loved how much the Packers have been able to grind down defenses on the ground this season. I was born in the late 1980s, so my Packers fandom has been very quarterback-to-receiver dominated when it comes to offense. While I won't complain about that at all, I've always longed for a Packers offense that imposes its will on the ground. In 2024 with Josh Jacobs, we've seen a few games where exactly that has happened. Tonight, they have a chance to do it again. 

The Seahawks' run defense is ranked 21st in the league with 126.5 rushing yards allowed per game and they are also ranked low in yards allowed per game sitting at 25th averaging 4.71 yards given up per carry. Tell any running back that they'll average 4.71 yards per carry and I'm sure they'll begin to salivate. Of course, Seattle does have some ability to stop the run though, even though it hasn't been very successful as veteran DE Leonard Williams leads the team with 11 tackles for loss on the season. Linebackers Boye Mafa and Tyrel Dodson will attempt to make a difference as well with Dodson ranking third on the team in tackles and also is tied for third in tackles for loss with DT Jonathan Hankins. They have the talent to stop the run but it may be a bit difficult to do against as potent of a rushing attack as the Packers have. One of the Packers' keys to winning will be getting Josh Jacobs rolling. 

Moving on to the passing game, the Packers will have WR Romeo Doubs back in the lineup tonight. Doubs missed the last two match-ups being in concussion protocol. In his absence, Dontayvion Wicks and Christian Watson stepped up to fill the void but Jordan Love should enjoy having his most reliable target back in the lineup. 

The Seahawks are ranked 10th in the league with only 212.5 passing yards allowed per game. CB Riq Woolen leads the team in passes defended with nine, followed closely behind by Safety Julian Love with eight. In the interception category, Safety Coby Bryant leads the team with three taking one back for a score. They may not have big names in that secondary but they are talented and capable. This is why the Packers will need to take advantage of another aspect of the passing game to have success.

The Seahawks are average at best in rushing the QB ranking 15th in sacks. Leonard Williams leads the team with seven followed by LBs Derick Hall and Boye Mafe who have six and five. For a Packers offensive line that has only averaged giving up 1.2 sacks per game and ranks second in the league at keeping their QB upright, I don't see the Seattle pass rush posing much of a game-breaking issue. 

I would look for the Packers to run this game with a run-heavy approach from the beginning. Seattle's defense has the potential to be gashed in the running game and Josh Jacobs will be happy to do it. If they are successful, look for more play-action passes to open up the Seattle secondary. Seattle's defense isn't terrible, but this could be a good game for the Packers offense to impose their will through the ground and air. 

What to See on Defense

This past week, many of us were optimistic that Jaire Alexander would play tonight. Well, unfortunately, that's not to be as he will miss another game this evening. The Packers will also be without Safety Javon Bullard. This is not ideal going up against a Seattle receiving trio the likes of Jaxon Smith-Njigba, DK Metcalf, and Tyler Lockett.

JSN is knocking at the door of a 1K yard season receiving with 911 and five touchdowns while Metcalf isn't too far behind with 812 yards receiving and three touchdowns. Tyler Lockett hasn't put up the same stats Metcalf and Smith-Njigba have, but he is always a big-play threat.  Packers CB Corey Ballentine is questionable heading into the game and I'm sure the Packers are hoping he can go just to give them more CB options outside of Stokes, Valentine, Nixon, and Robert Rochell. Having Evan Williams back will help alongside Xavier McKinney on the back end and they will both be needed to limit the big play potential of these receivers. 

There is one good way to stop the Seahawks passing game, it has not worked in the Packers' favor this season, but I have some hope that they'll turn it around in these final games. That is the pass rush. Seattle's offensive line has been terrible at keeping Geno Smith upright. They rank 29th in OL pass-blocking efficiency and Smith has been sacked 40 times this season. Smith was not sacked against Arizona last week, but in the previous four games, he was sacked 19 times. That's an average of 4-5 sacks per game. With the Packers currently averaging only 2-3 sacks per game, this would be an outstanding opportunity to work on getting that pass rush back on course. The Packers have generated 35 QB pressures in the last two games against fairly formidable opponents, so it does appear to be on the rise. I'm looking for Quay Walker, Edgerrin Cooper, and Kenny Clark to step up in the pass rush tonight as well as the remainder of the season. 

Geno Smith has a lot of talented weapons to throw to. The Packers need to bring out his mistakes as he has 12 interceptions thrown this season. Like Jordan Love on the opposite side, Smith's interceptions have slowed down as of late, but the Packers will be looking to bring them back in order to steal a few possessions away from the Seahawk offense. 

Switching over to the rushing attack, the Seahawks have been running the ball well this season with Kenneth Walker III putting up some good numbers so far this season. But a calf injury suffered two weeks ago has sidelined him and he is listed as Doubtful for tonight's game. Walker's absence is a blow to the Seahawks, but other running back, Zach Charbonnet had a great game last week vs Arizona picking up 131 yards on 22 carries and earning two touchdowns. The Cardinals' defense ranks 18th in the league against the run while the Packers rank 9th only allowing 106.9 rushing yards per game. So, I'd like to think the Packers will have a little more success against Seattle than they did. 

My key to victory on the defensive side is to win in the trenches. If the Packers can stifle their running game and get after Geno Smith in the passing game picking up some sacks and forcing him into making mistakes, this could be a winning game on the defensive side. 

Extra Notes

Brandon McManus continues to be a God-send at kicker since he was signed. You can't help but wonder if the Packers would be in the same place had they stuck with Brayden Narveson. Two games were decided by last-minute field goals from McManus since his arrival and another was a victory decided by only a point. This Packers team could be just as easily 6-7 right now praying for some luck to get into the playoffs if not for the kicking of McManus. On the other side, Jason Myers has made 20 of 23 kicks this season but has missed three extra points. Hopefully, McManus will keep up his reliability streak and we'll see if Myers can avoid a mistake tonight.

Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of this game to me in terms of special teams, is kick returns. They haven't been quite as exciting as we thought they might be for Keisean Nixon heading into the season but he has had a few good returns with a long of 43 yards. As I've said before there are times it seems like Nixon is just one step or one broken tackle away from breaking one for six, and there's a chance that could happen tonight. Nixon only has 11 returns so far this season. That averages out to barely one return per game. Seattle this season has allowed 32 kickoff returns this season, that's almost 2.5 per game. They've also allowed one touchdown on kick returns. It would be nice to see a huge spark from special teams to lift this game over the threshold, and a kick return TD would do just that tonight.  

In the End

The Packers are favored by three points to win this game. I'm not much for paying a lot of attention to Vegas odds, but as I mentioned before, this is a battle between two teams where if it goes in Seattle's favor, they will both have the same record. A big difference in those records though is that for Seatlle it will put them at a one-win advantage for first place in their division, whereas for the Packers it keeps them at third place. Winning for Seattle means possibly hosting a playoff game if the standings hold. Winning for the Packers means just the sixth seed in the playoffs still with maybe a chance at number five. What does it all mean? Well, a lot of it is momentum. Proving that they're much better than what their standing shows. A win today, and a decisive win at that will show that even the 3rd team in the North is that much better than other top teams in the NFC. 

This is a game the Packers can win. Many of the keys to victory follow along with aspects that have been strengths for the Packers as of late. The big question though is the pass rush. If the pass rush can show up tonight, it'll be a long night for Seattle and the Packers may have a good chance of coming away with a victory. Go Pack Go.