Seahawks vs. Packers: Keys to The Game For ‘The Rematch’
By Colin Floyd
Two years removed from a controversial win against the Green Bay Packers, Russell Wilson and the boys will return to CenturyLink for their home opener against The Pack.
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In 2012, the result was a 14-12 win for the Hawks after what many believed to be a subject call at best by the replacement officials. The atmosphere will be the same, if not even more electrifying; the teams, with much of their cores intact; and the coaches each setting their sights on Glendale, Ariz., with a 1-0 start.
When the word “rivalry” comes to a 12s’ mind, they instantly point to their universal hate for the (now) Santa Clara 49ers, and perhaps for many still-bitter fans, the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Here’s an angle not many have put into play; in the same way that Matt Hasselbeck, Mike Holmgren and Shaun Alexander were crippled by a slew of bad calls in Super Bowl XL, the Green Bay Packers were also victim to bad officiating in a certain critical game back in 2012. While I have never been to Green Bay, I can imagine that Packers’ fans have the same animosity towards the Seahawks that Hawks’ fans have had against the Steelers for years.
Here is a quick look at the Monday Night game that caused such uproar thanks to Pro Football Reference… (for even more depth)
| First downs | SEA 22 | GNB 14 |
| Rush-yards-TDs | 21-84-1 | 29-127-0 |
| Comp-Att-Yd-TD-INT | 26-39-223-0-0 | 10-21-130-2-0 |
| Sacked-yards | 8-39 | 1-19 |
| Net pass yards | 184 | 111 |
| Total yards | 268 | 238 |
| Fumbles-lost | 2-0 | 0-0 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 0 |
| Penalties-yards | 10-127 | 14-118 |
SEA
Russell Wilson — 10-21 for 130 passing yds and 2 TDs with 18 yds rushing
Marshawn Lynch — 25 rushing attempts for 98 yds
Golden Tate — 3 rec for 68 yds and 2 TDs
Chris Clemons — 4 sacks
Bruce Irvin — 2 sacks
Brandon Mebane — 2 sacks
GNB
Aaron Rodgers — 26-39 for 223 passing yds with 17 yds rushing
Cedric Benson — 17 rushing attempts for 45 yds and a TD
Jermichael Finley — 4 rec for 60 yds
James Jones — 5 rec for 55 yds
Greg Jennings — 6 rec for 35 yds
Keys to the Game:
With all the hype surrounding this matchup, you’d have to imagine that the winning side becomes the early favorite to win the NFC this year and potentially the Super Bowl. Here are my keys to the game in order for the Seahawks to come away with a win.
- Test the Green Bay defense early and often. The Packers defense is far from their bread and butter; if Russell can utilize all his new weapons effectively, this could become what not many expected, a high scoring game.
- Get the crowd into it. This won’t take much doing, seeing as the 12th Man has no problems getting fired up for their defense. But if the D-line can have another eight-sack night, the stadium noise could become all but too much for Aaron Rodgers to mount any sort of a comeback.
- Run the ball, run the ball, and run the ball. Pete Carroll has not shied away from the fact that this team still has a run-first offense, so getting Beast Mode and Robert Turbin going will open doors to air it out to Percy Harvin and company.
Everything you need to know leading up to the game:
Date: Thursday, Sept 4
Time: 5:30 p.m. PST
Where: CenturyLink Field
TV Channel: NBC
Who is going to win: Seahawks, by a score of 21-10