NFC Championship Game Preview: Green Bay Packers At Seattle Seahawks

On Sunday for the second time this season the Green Bay Packers will travel to Seattle to challenge the Seahawks in the NFC Championship Game. Of course when these teams met in week one Seattle walked away with a 36-16 victory. Seattle put together an impressive fourth quarter to seal the deal convincingly in that contest. Although it may not seem like it looking at the scoreboard, the first game was closer than the final score suggested. What people forget about is that although Seattle held the lead and the momentum for most of the game, Green Bay was only down by a touchdown with a little less than ten minutes left in the fourth quarter. You shouldn’t expect this game to get so far out of hand for Green Bay. As you may recall, when these teams played two years the game was decided on Wilson’s Hail Mary pass to Golden Tate in the closing seconds of the game. The teams are virtually the same other than a few players and the Seahawks Super Bowl experience.

Green Bay Keys To Victory

1. Shut Down Lynch.

As impressive as Wilson is it is no secret that the success of the Seahawks offense relies on the legs of Marshawn Lynch. Lynch boasts the leagues fourth highest rushing total at 1,306 yards and was tied with Demarco Murray for the most rushing touchdowns this season at 13. This will be a tough task considering the Packers were 23rd against the run this season at 119.9 yards a game and gave up 145 yards against the Cowboys last week. If the Packers can reign in Lynch they should be able to shut down a  below average Seattle receiving core that came in 26th in the league this season. This worked for the Cowboys against Seattle in week six where they held Lynch to 61 yards and Seattle to a collective 206 yards on the day. Look for the Packers to play either safety Morgan Burnett or Ha Ha Clinton-Dix in the box for the majority of the game. Aaron Rodgers had this to say about Lynch his former teammate at Cal, “Marshawn is an extremely gifted athlete. He used to always challenge me in throwing competitions and I won’t say I beat him every time because he’s got a heck of an arm … distance-wise, not accuracy.” If Green Bay is able to slow down Lynch maybe Seahawks Coach Pete Carroll will dial up a halfback pass.

2. Don’t Be Afraid Attack Richard Sherman.

Richard Sherman, the self proclaimed best corner in the league, is a smothering force and big reason that the Seattle defense has been so dominant. However, if the Packers plan to have success they can’t avoid him like they did in week one. In week one against Seattle the Packers didn’t throw towards Sherman’s side of the field the entire game, by doing this they handcuffed their offense. Packers coach Mike McCarthy said this about their week one game plan, “We thought Richard would come over there and play him [Jordy Nelson] on the left side. It didn’t happen, and how the game sorted out, the ball went where it went was just really how the game was played. There was never a ‘don’t throw right’ in the game plan. With that, I think we’ve played a lot differently since then.” I don’t buy it, Sherman has gone on the record saying that he doesn’t follow receivers during games so McCarthy and company shouldn’t have expected anything else.  Aaron Rodgers is one of the best quarterbacks in the league, the Packers are going to have to trust him to make plays against Sherman. The Packers can’t give Seattle the advantage of shutting down an entire half of the field. If the Packers are going to be successful they are going to have to come up with creative ways to get receivers open on Sherman’s side of the field and take some chances against Sherman.

Seattle Keys To Victory

1. Pressure Aaron Rodgers

When these teams met in September the Seahawks were able to get to Rodgers three times and one of them was a safety. The way that Seattle was able to pressure Rodgers in that first matchup was a big reason they were able to pull away in the fourth quarter. With the way Rodgers has been playing recently if the Seattle defense can’t get to him, he’ll tear them apart it doesn’t matter how good their secondary is. That’s how good Rodgers has been since their last meeting. Pete Carroll said this about the Packers improvements, “They’ve grown with their season, and they’re at the top of their game.” These improvements are mostly because of how Rodgers has been playing. Rodgers is still  nursing that calf injury and his escapabilty is not at the level that it usually is so the Seahawks should be able to use that to their advantage.The Cowboys had Rodgers flustered in the first half of last weeks game where they were able to get to him twice. In the second half the Cowboys weren’t able to pressure Rodgers and he picked them apart. If Seattle can get to Rodgers early and often there is no reason that they shouldn’t be able cause turnovers all game with their secondary.

2. Let Russell Wilson Improvise.

Wilson is at his best and most dangerous when he can make snap decisions on the field. Go back and look at the game the Seahawks played against the Eagles. Philadelphia’s defense contained Lynch for the majority of the game. When Wilson was able to break the pocket, extend plays, and run the ball the Eagles defense didn’t have an answer. Wilson was able to extend plays and wait for receivers to get open and torched the defense for 263 yards and two touchdowns. The offense can’t let Wilson get bottled up behind the line of scrimmage like he was against the Cowboys in week six. That’s how they were able to stifle the Seahawks offense after they stopped Marshawn Lynch. Seattle’s receivers aren’t very good and often rely on Wilson to buy time in order for them to get open. The Seahawks should try to get Wilson outside the pocket and in space early and often.

This game is shaping up to be a heavy weight match up between two of the NFL’s best Quarterbacks. Rodgers of course possesses the gaudy numbers of an MVP candidate while Wilson’s improvisational skills and decision making, make him one of the most dangerous players in the league. Both teams come into this game playing some impressive football down the stretch. Even though most people probably choose Seattle at home, I’m going to give this one to Green Bay. The way Rodgers has been playing recently is way to exciting to think that he won’t continue to play at a high level. Even though Wilson has proven he can create magic in the clutch, I don’t think that his receivers will be capable of competing with Green Bay in a shoot out.

Final Score: Green Bay 30, Seattle 24