Happy Labor Day everyone! Hope you have nothing but fun on the calendar for today! Relax and
enjoy some Packers talk, you deserve it. To all the workers who make this country “work” we salute you! Hope you enjoy your day off and some Packers v. Seahawks talk!
Packernation, if I could put you in a time machine and warp forward to Thursday night, I would do that…I would really. But unfortunately, my portal is down for service. Maybe I should talk to Julius Peppers…that guy looks like he’s young again!
Well, the Packers take on the Seahawks and our favorite NFL humor site, The Cheese is already layin’ down the smack about the Packers gettin’ revenge in this one. But will it happen? Here is the matchup as I see it:
Packers Offense v. Seahawks defense
The Packers have done a lot of no-huddle offense in the preseason and their is no reason for them to stop now. This team was surgical against the Rams and Raiders with Aaron Rodgers at the helm. The offensive philosophy of the no-huddle is a weapon in and of itself. But to be effective, a team has to have the right mix of players. Green Bay not only has the right mix of players but has an abundance of the right players to run the no-huddle.
Starting with Aaron Rodgers and going down the list, the Packers wider receiver corps is, top to bottom…stacked. Add to that Eddie Lacy and the Packers new commitment to throw to him out of the backfield. The Packers have the potential to be the best offense in the league, and they don’t have to have Aaron Rodgers throw 50 touchdowns to do it.
The Seahawks defense is relentless and brutal. They made mince-meat of Peyton Manning and the Broncos last February. But there are several things working against them:
- Aaron Rodgers is like Peyton Manning…but with wheels, baby!
- The Seahawks D has lost some key players, particularly on the D-line
- The Seahawks’ D has NEVER encountered an offense anything like the one that the Packers can now put on the field. The Denver Broncos scored a lot of points in a weak division of the weakest Conference in football. Prepare to be welcomed to the NFC North Seasquawks!
ADVANTAGE – GREEN BAY
Packers defense v. Seahawks offense
The Packers defense struggled agains the…well…let’s just say the Packers defense struggled last year. The safety position was a liability and didn’t have a single interception, the run defense was a sieve, and there was no pass rush. But there is are reasons to believe that this year’s defense will not be the same:
- Julius Peppers to complement a healthy Clay Matthews
- A healthy defense to start the season
- Datone Jones being called out by Mike McCarthy to have a big year (keep an eye on this guy).
- The addition of Ha Ha Clinton Dix who while the second stringer at free safety, will get plenty of reps.
The Packers defense faces the team that was responsible for the infamous “Fail Mary” play. One that Pete Carroll has said the refs got right. The Packers defense has a picture of that play on their wall and in each locker just in case they have any trouble getting stoked for the game.
I know I am going to sound like a homer here and the Seahawks are going to score points in this game at home without a doubt. But This defense is hungry and ready to right some wrongs not just from the Fail Mary but from all the criticism they had to take last season. I think they will win the day.
ADVANTAGE – PACKERS
Special teams
I will make this short and sweet. I have said before that our special teams (return unit and coverage in particular) need work. While I like how Micah Hyde returns kicks, I think Jeff Janis should have been put in as the kick returner to spread the risk across two players.
Regardless of who returns kicks, the Packers have not proven they can give Aaron Rodgers acceptable field position. I question their decision making and fundamentals. The Seahawks are going to bring it, especially their coverage unit, and I don’t think the Packers are ready. I just hope they don’t hurt us.
ADVANTAGE – SEAHAWKS
So that is what I think we are going to see. You may have noticed I have yet to make a prediction. That will come later after I get my time machine fixed, fast-forward to Thursday, and check the scoreboard. But I want to know where you think the advantages are in this game? What will you be watching for? Let me know in the comments section below. Enjoy your day and…
GO PACK!!!
Win or Lose this game needs to be fought in the trenches on both sides of the ball! If the offensive line can keep Aaron upright and open holes for Lacy on the run it should be interesting to say the least. If Aaron can run the no huddle effectively and score fast early then the defense steps up with some pressure on Wilson and plug holes on Lynch the Packers have a better than average chance of beating the Super Bowl Champs! I will be watching for Jones to step up also but I really think its gonna depend on Daniels/Guion and Boyds play in the middle that will be the Packers best line of defense. If they can stop Lynch and move the line back so Pepper/Matthews can do their thing it will be a long day for the Hawks offensive line. As for the secondary I think the Packers are under rated back there! With the addition of HaHa and now Hyde playing safety I think they are very much improved. My concern is the middle I have said it all along that Hawk is our weak link in the middle so I hope Lattimore and Barrington can cover his short comings! Maybe Bradford gets a little playing time also if the Pack can get a nice lead to give this kid some real time experience, I believe he should have been playing inside all along he looks natural at the position and IMO will be their next middle linebacker in the next couple years! With all this said I will make a prediction if all these tangibles come together then the Packers beat the SB Champs 31-24
Yeah Jeff, and the trenches are one place where we will be a bit unproven with Linsley starting at center and BJ Raji out. I am a bit worried that they will falter at times. But the expectations are high and I think the efficiency of the no-huddle and the ability to move the chains while keeping our offensive play count up will not only gas Seattle’s offense but also keep our defense fresh and ready. Thanks (as always) for reading!
Exactly Brady..But in reality Tretter was a rookie also even if he started this game, Linsley has been a center his whole time in college so I think he will be fine. With Sitton/Lang on each side they will school him the hard knocks way
As for losing Bj I really don’t think it’s as big a deal as people are saying, Guion is a veteran NT, I know he has not played all camp or preseason but as I just stated he is a veteran, It’s like riding a bike you play a position for that many years you know what to do. And Boyd/Pennel both have had good showings so far as well. IMO it will be more on Daniels and Jones to stop the run and just let Guion eat up blocks.
Are you sure you haven’t been using that time machine Brady? This has been the longest off-season of my life!
The Packers offense was surgical against the Rams with Rodgers and the no huddle. They struggled against the Raiders, taking 5 drives to score twice. Which offense shows up vs Seattle? We can’t give Wilson the ball 5 times in the 1st quarter with only 1 score and expect to win. If we get up by 2 scores early, we have them right where we want them. Seattle’s #1 D was carved up by the Raiders with check downs and accurate quick passes. Rodgers should be able to do the same. The offensive line play doesn’t have to be stellar with the no huddle and quick passing game shown in the Rams game, but they can’t lay an egg either. Lacy doesn’t need holes, but he needs creases.
Our D has looked good in every preseason game. Other than a couple missed tackles giving up a long running play, they’ve shut down the run game and applied pressure on opposing QBs consistently.
Their tackling has been greatly improved. If they keep that going and contain Wilson, could be a long day for Seahawks offense. But this is no longer the preseason and the Seahawks are vastly improved since our last meeting (as are we). They’ll try to pound us early and often, with Wilson extending pass plays with his legs. Stuff the run by wrapping up and gang tackling, contain Wilson to put the game on his arm instead of his legs (both easier said than done) and the Packers can win this game. Wilson has looked very sharp. Without Wilson their offense is nothing special.
Special teams, particularly the return game and kick/punt coverage will be tested. Seattle may have the best coverage and return game in the NFL. Ours… not so great. Games turn quickly on ST plays. We must perform well on both sides of the return game. But Masthay and Crosby are among the best in the league at their positions.
At the beginning of the year I thought we had the horses to blow Seattle out or win a close game. Now I’m a bit more nervous about our chances. It will be a great measuring stick, but it’s only one game. I’d rather see us come away with a loss healthy than see a bunch of starters go down with injuries in a slug fest that we win. To get back to an earlier point by Brady – deliver the blows rather than allow the Seahawks to deliver them to us. Remain aggressive and take the game to them. If we do that, the stars of this game for us could come from multiple positions on offense and defense. If we don’t, Seattle has the ability to make us pay. Go Pack go!
“I’d rather see us come away with a loss healthy than see a bunch of starters go down with injuries in a slug fest that we win. To get back to an earlier point by Brady – deliver the blows rather than allow the Seahawks to deliver them to us. Remain aggressive and take the game to them. If we do that, the stars of this game for us could come from multiple positions on offense and defense.”
Couldn’t agree with you more on this, David. We have to play all of our NFC North opponents in the next four games after the opener so health is the priority. And regarding attitude, I wrote some of the same sentiments here:
And the time machine…??? No, I really haven’t been using it. If I could, I would not be able to resist the temptation to jump ahead and watch this game! Because like you, I feel like this was the longest off-season EVER! It did give me the idea for the “1.21 Gigawatts” meme though…which is at if you want to see it.
Thanks for reading and GO PACK!!!
I’d “like” so see a “like” button – so that you can see I’ve viewed your replies and agreed with them – without me having to reply again.