Packers vs. Seahawks: TV Info, Preview, Predictions and More for NFC Title Clash: Stop me if you’ve heard this before: The Green Bay Packers are heading into CenturyLink Field in front of a national audience in an effort to knock off the defending Super Bowl champions. The Packers kicked off the NFL season with a 36-16 loss against the Seattle Seahawks, and now, they will finish the NFC season at the same location. The winner of Sunday’s NFC Championship Game on Fox will play in the Super Bowl against the winner of the showdown between the New England Patriots and the Indianapolis Colts. With that in mind, here is a look at the essential information and schedule for the NFC title clash. 2015 NFC Championship Game Matchup: Green Bay Packers at Seattle Seahawks Date: Sunday, Jan. 18 Time: 3 p.m. ET TV: Fox Preview/Prediction That season opener is difficult to forget when projecting this game. Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers refused to even throw the ball on Richard Sherman’s side of the field, which cut their passing playbook virtually in half. What’s more, running back Eddie Lacy only finished with 34 rushing yards and offered little to no help. Seattles physicality simply overwhelmed the Packers offense, and the crowd was deafening, as always. It set the stage for a season of domination from the Seahawks defense, in which it finished No. 1 in the league in scoring defense, pass defense and total yardage allowed and No. 3 against the run. It also gave up more than seven points a single time in the final six games of the regular season, and it is playing at a ridiculously high level. Sure, the Carolina Panthers ended up with 17 points in the divisional round, but seven of those came in garbage time. The only chance the Packers realistically have is with a better performance from Lacy, who has run for at least 97 yards in each of the last four games, counting Sunday’s win over the Dallas Cowboys. If Lacy can pick up chunks of yardage, Seattle’s defensive line will have to freeze for a second before attacking the injured Rodgers. That extra split second of decision time could help Rodgers find wide receivers Jordy Nelson or Randall Cobb in the passing game. The wild card for the NFC title game is the health of Rodgers. His strained left calf was visibly bothering him against Dallas Sunday, and he discussed his status, per Rob Demovsky of ESPN: I think Ive got 120 minutes left in me. So Im going to do everything I can to make sure I can play all those minutes. Rodgers was far less mobile both inside and outside of the pocket than usual Sunday, which could be a problem against the relentless Seahawks defense. John Clayton of ESPN discussed how Rodgers status could be a concern: Because of his limited mobility, Rodgers has to have great pass-blocking. He thanked his offensive line after Sundays game because it saved him. He was sacked once and hit on only two other plays. According to ESPN Stats & Information tracking, the Cowboys had three pressures on five first-half blitzes, but blitzed only two times in the second half. The Seahawks usually dont blitz. Carroll goes with four-man pressures. Even though their sack numbers are down, the Seahawks do a great job with four-man pressure. Michael Bennett is a master of pressuring the quarterback. Defensive end Cliff Avril is dangerous rushing from right end. Rodgers also has to watch for Bruce Irvin, the strongside linebacker who puts his hand on the ground and rushes from end on passing downs. When healthy, Rodgers mobility helps him avoid sacks. In the NFC Championship Game, he will be a standing target. If there is one defense that you want to be 100 percent against, it is the one residing in Seattle. While the Seahawks defense gets most of the credit, and rightfully so, the offense is dangerous as well behind the rushing combination of running back Marshawn Lynch and quarterback Russell Wilson. They finished tops in the league in yardage on the ground, which stands in stark contrast to a Packers defense that was 23rd against the run. Green Bay just allowed DeMarco Murray to run for 123 yards and a touchdown in the divisional-round game, and there is little reason to be that confident in Green Bay’s ability to stop the potent Seattle rushing attack Sunday. After all, the Seahawks rushed for 207 yards in the first meeting, and Lynch tallied 110 and two touchdowns by himself. All of the factors in this game are stacking up in the Seahawks’ favor. The running game should thrive against the vulnerable Packers defense, Rodgers is far from 100 percent, and the crowd will be rocking from the opening kick. Seattle is going back to the Super Bowl to defend its crown. Prediction: Seahawks 23, Packers 17 Follow me on Twitter: Follow @ScottPolacek Read more NFL news on BleacherReport #Football #NFL #NFLPlayoffs #PreviewPrediction
Posted on: Mon, 12 Jan 2015 13:40:20 +0000
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