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Two of the best teams in the NFC will square off on “Sunday Night Football” as the Green Bay Packers travel to Seattle to face the Seahawks.
Green Bay, winners in three of the last four, will look to bounce back from a brutal 34-31 loss to the Detroit Lions last weekend. The Packers are the No. 6 seed in the NFC playoff picture.
Seattle is one of the hottest teams in the league, with four straight victories. The Seahawks are the No. 3 team in the conference and need a victory to extend their lead in the NFC West.
Seattle is down to its third-string center for the time being. Olu Oluwatimi is sitting on the bench with a large wrap covering his right leg and is listed as doubtful to return. Jalen Sundell has now taken his place at center.
Oluwatimi was himself a backup until Week 11, when starting center Connor Williams retired for “personal reasons.” Since his elevation to a starter, Oluwatimi had allowed zero sacks and only four pressures, according to Pro Football Focus.
Oh no!
One play after nearly throwing an interception that was ultimately dropped, Geno Smith left no doubt on 3rd-and-9, throwing a floater in the end zone that was picked by Carrington Valentine. The interception wiped out what was a 63-yard drive.
Instead of the Seahawks cutting into the Packers’ lead from inside the red zone, Green Bay now takes over the ball on its own 14 with a 17-3 lead.
Josh Jacobs is already up to nine rushing attempts with 10 minutes to go before halftime. Why is that notable? It puts him halfway to 18 for the night, and the Packers are 7-1 this season when he rushes at least that many times. With his rushing touchdown in the first quarter, Jacobs now has 12 on the season, tying his career-high from Pro Bowl seasons in 2020 and 2022.
For the first time tonight, the Seahawks kept the Packers out of the end zone.
Green Bay managed to drive 51 yards in eight plays, but Jordan Love couldn’t connect with Romeo Doubs on 3rd-and-6 from the 20, and the offense stalled in the red zone.
Brandon McManus then drilled a 39-yard field goal to put the Packers ahead 17-3.
The Seahawks moved the ball 40 yards on their second drive, but the possession was halted at the 30-yard line after another Packers sack. This time it was Rashan Gary who got home on 3rd-and-2, forcing Seattle into a kick.
Jason Myers converted from 48 yards to make it a 14-3 Green Bay lead.
Over its last three games Green Bay has averaged 16.0 points in first quarters, the third-highest mark over that span, second only to Buffalo and Denver’s average of 17.0. In that respect, Green Bay’s 14-0 start has played to expectations.
Seattle’s scoreless first 13 minutes has not, however. Over that same three-game span, Seattle had averaged 15.7 points per first quarter. Mark it down as a big win for Green Bay’s defense so far.
For the second straight drive, the Packers marched down the field against a hapless Seahawks defense.
This time, Green Bay effortlessly moved the ball 80 yards in eight plays, capped by Romeo Doubs dragging multiple defenders into the end zone for a 13-yard score.
The Packers lead 14-0 with 1:54 left in the first.
The Seahawks picked up one first down on their first play, but three plays later punted after a sack by Edgerrin Cooper. Not a great start for the Seattle offense.
The Packers will take over on their own 20 with a 7-0 lead.
What an opening drive by the Packers, who went 63 yards in 10 plays for a touchdown. Josh Jacobs ran for 27 yards and seven carries, and also had two receptions for 17 more yards.
Green Bay leads 7-0.
And the first play from scrimmage is a screen pass from Jordan Love to Josh Jacobs for a three-yard gain.
There is no doubt both teams want to win tonight in prime time. But how motivated will they be to show much of their hand? If the season ended today, Seattle (8-5) would be the NFC’s No. 3 seed and host sixth-seeded Green Bay (9-4) in a wild-card game, which makes tonight’s matchup a chess match between coaches.
Green Bay is third in its own division, the ultra-difficult NFC North, yet still has a cushion to earn a playoff spot. It entered this weekend with a two-game lead over the Rams, and also holds the tiebreaker on L.A.
Seattle, meanwhile, leads an NFC West where only two games separate the first from worst. All four teams in the division have at least six wins; no other division can boast that.
The Packers will attempt to contain one of the league’s deeper wide receiver corps tonight without two starters in their defensive backfield.
Cornerback Jaire Alexander, who hasn’t played since Nov. 17 while recovering from a knee injury, practiced this week but was ruled out, anyway. Nickelback Javon Bullard also won’t play as he continues to recover from an ankle injury. In good news for the Packers, safety Evan Williams will be able to play after coming back from the league’s concussion protocol.
Seattle has thrown for 3,509 yards this season, second-most in the league, though their quarterback rating ranks only in the middle of the league. Geno Smith is throwing to three dangerous targets in Jaxon Smith-Njigba (911 yards, five touchdowns), D.K. Metcalf (812 yards, three touchdowns) and Tyler Lockett (511 yards, two touchdowns).
Seattle is the only team with a first-year head coach with a winning record this season. The Seahawks have done it by being the league’s streakiest squad. They started 3-0, lost five of their next six, and have since won four consecutive.
Tonight, Seattle will attempt to win five straight games for the first time since 2020.
Green Bay last won in Seattle in 2008, so long ago that Aaron Rodgers was a first-year starter at the time. The Packers are 0-4 in the Pacific Northwest ever since, including such memorable games as the 2012 “Fail Mary,” and an NFC title-game loss two years later. For what it’s worth Green Bay has not played in Seattle under coach Matt LaFleur.
Green Bay has scored at least 30 points in three consecutive games. Quarterback Jordan Love and running back Josh Jacobs (1,053 rushing yards, third in the NFL) force defenses to respect the line of scrimmage while also worrying about being beaten over the top by the pass. And they’ve made it difficult to know which receiver to prioritize in pass defense. Four different Packers receivers have 450-plus yards this season, which ties for the most in the league with Atlanta and Miami.
That diversified attack is working: So far, the Packers rank seventh in scoring offense, averaging 26.8 points per game. Green Bay is 7-1 this season when Jacobs gets at least 18 carries, with the only loss last week.
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