Packers vs. Seahawks, NFC Championship 2015: Trip to Super Bowl on the line in Seattle
The Packers are looking for revenge in the NFC title game against a Seahawks team that crushed them by 20 points in Week 1.
Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports
Championship Sunday kicks off with a rematch of the very first game of the 2014 season. The Green Bay Packers, 36-16 losers in the first bout, will look to avenge that Week 1 loss to the Seattle Seahawks at CenturyLink Field. The Packers could hardly have imagined they would get another shot this season to dethrone the defending champs after getting blown out in the opener, but here they are in the NFC Championship Game with a chance to knock the NFC's No. 1 seed out of the playoffs and earn a trip to the Super Bowl.
The Packers are playing in their third conference title game in eight seasons under head coach Mike McCarthy. They face perhaps the most daunting task in the NFL -- winning in Seattle -- in order to reach their second Super Bowl in the last five seasons. CenturyLink Field has been a house of horrors for Green Bay recently. The last two trips to the Pacific Northwest for the the Packers have resulted in the aforementioned 20-point blowout in Week 1 and a crushing loss in the infamous “Fail Mary” game in 2012.
The Packers do have some history on their side entering this game, though. Green Bay has won three of its last four appearances in the NFC Championship game, and is 2-0 all-time in the postseason against the Seahawks. Both of those games were Lambeau Field, however, and the Packers are a much different team on the road than at home. They were a perfect 9-0 in Green Bay this season (including playoffs), but went just 4-4 on the road, where they were outscored by 17 points in those eight games. Making the task even more difficult is that fact the Seattle has won eight straight home playoff games, tied for the fourth-longest streak in NFL history, and is 10-2 all-time at home in the postseason.
The Seahawks rebounded from a mediocre 3-3 start to become the NFC's best team. They are hoping to avoid the infamous Super Bowl hangover and earn back-to-back rings. Seattle became the first defending champs in nearly a decade to win a playoff game when it beat the Carolina Panthers last weekend. It won't be satisfied with simply reaching the NFL postseason's final four round, however. With a win on Sunday, the Seahawks will be one step closer to becoming first back-to-back Super Bowl titleholders since the 2003-04 New England Patriots and the first NFC team to pull off the repeat since the 1992-93 Dallas Cowboys.
Digits
This is a classic strength-on-strength battle between the league’s No. 1 offense (Packers) and No. 1 defense (Seahawks). The Packers finished the regular season atop most of the traditional offensive leaderboards, ranking first in points per game (30.4) and yards per play (6.2). They also were highly regarded by the advanced metrics, with the top-rated offense according Football Outsiders’ DVOA. However, Green Bay’s offense hasn’t been the same on the road compared to at home. The unit averaged just 21 points per game away from Lambeau to rank in the bottom half of the league in road scoring during the regular season.
The Seahawks counter with the league’s stingiest defense, giving up the fewest yards per game (267.1), yards per play (4.6) and points per game (15.9) during the regular season. Seattle has been especially dominant down the stretch. It has allowed a total of 56 points during its current seven-game win streak, including just one touchdown in the fourth quarter during that span. Seattle once again has the league’s most terrifying defense, one that might be even more stifling than last year’s Super Bowl-winning unit.
Although the health of Aaron Rodgers' calf will obviously be a key factor in determining the outcome of this game, it's likely that even a fully mobile Rodgers would have trouble throwing the ball effectively against Seattle's Legion of Boom. If Green Bay's passing game is neutralized, the Packers need to get Eddie Lacy and the ground attack going against Seattle's outstanding run-stopping front in order to pull off the upset. Lacy struggled mightily in the first game against the Seahawks with 34 yards on 12 carries, but has been on fire over the past two months. He is averaging 99 rushing yards per game and 5.1 yards per carry in his last seven contests, and is riding a franchise record streak of 10 straight games with 100-plus scrimmage yards.
Who to watch
Davante Adams - The rookie wideout from Fresno State was largely overshadowed during the regular season by a historically great class of first-year receivers, but broke out in a big way with a monster effort in last Sunday's Divisional round win over the Cowboys. Adams had caught just four passes for 29 yards in his previous four games combined and hadn't scored since Nov. 16, before exploding for 117 yards and a touchdown on seven catches against Dallas. He faces a huge challenge in duplicating that performance this weekend against the Seahawks' top-ranked secondary, which has allowed just three players to top 100 yards receiving in a game this season.
Marshawn Lynch - Beast Mode is once again the league's most physical back, leading all running backs with 88 missed tackles on rushing plays and 2.96 yards after contact per rush during the regular season. He gashed the Packers in Week 1 for 110 yards on 20 carries and two touchdowns, and appears primed for another strong performance against Green Bay. Lynch has been held to 60 yards or fewer in each of his last two games, but is still averaging 90.7 rushing yards per game and 5.0 yards per carry over his last nine contests.
The Venue
Home to the Seahawks since 2002, CenturyLink Field has annually been voted the loudest stadium in the NFL, and its fans are among the most rowdy of any team. Last season it set a Guinness World Record as the loudest outdoor sports stadium, with the crowd noise registering at 137.6 decibels during a win over the New Orleans Saints on Dec. 2. One of the great traditions at the stadium is the raising of the "12th Man" flag before each game in the south end zone, usually by a current or former Seattle sports star.
The stadium has a capacity of 67,000, including 7,000 club seats and 112 suites. It is also one of the most picturesque stadiums in the league, with wide concourses that offer views of the Seattle skyline, Safeco Field and the Cascades mountain range. CenturyLink Field is also designed for soccer and is the home turf of Seattle Sounders FC, who have set numerous attendance records over the past few years.
How to watch
Where: CenturyLink Field, Seattle
When: 3:05 p.m. ET
TV: FOX
Announcers: Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Erin Andrews
Online streaming: Verizon NFL Mobile
Preliminary Judgment
The experts are in near agreement that the Seahawks will beat the Packers to advance to the Super Bowl. Seven of the eight members of the picks panel at SB Nation are taking Seattle, with only Joel Thorman predicting the upset by Green Bay. It’s a similar story at CBSSports.com, where six of the nine experts have the Seahawks wining.
Odds
The Seahawks are 7.5-point favorites, according to OddsShark.
Further reading
For more on the Packers, check out Acme Packing Company. For additional coverage of the Seahawks, head on over to Field Gulls.
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