Seahawks vs. Packers: Behind Enemy Lines with ‘Lombardi Ave’

Friends, the NFL season is just about here.

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On Thursday the Seattle Seahawks will host the Green Bay Packers in what should be an epic clash of two teams expected to be at the top of the NFC at the end of the year.

To better understand what to expect from the Packers, I exchanged questions with Mr. Ray Rivard, the editor of LombardiAve.com, our FanSided brother that covers Green Bay.

Ray offered some interesting insight on the game, which will kickoff at 5:30 p.m. PT.

He also offered his prediction of the final score of the game and it might not be what you exepct — or maybe it’s exactly what you expected.

Without further adieu, here is out first regular season installment of “Behind Enemy Lines.”

1. The Seahawks are the favorites to win this game but what do the Packers have to do to upset Seattle and the 12th Man?

The Packers will have to do four things to win against the Seahawks.

First of all, they have to protect Aaron Rodgers and give him the time to throw the ball. Secondly, they have to run the ball effectively. Third, they have to win the battle in the trenches on both sides of the ball and lastly, they need to play flawlessly on special teams.

The most important of all these is winning the battle in the trenches. Cliches aside, if the Packers can protect Rodgers, run the ball and then stop the run on the defensive side, they will position themselves for a win.

2. The Packers have an underrated running back in Eddie Lacy and the Seahawks have been known to get outplayed by good running backs. Do you think this will lead the Packers to focus more on the run game on Thursday or will they still be throwing the ball with Aaron Rodgers a lot?

I have a gut feeling that the Packers are going to use the pass to set up the run.

In fact, I feel the Packers might come out with some delays and screens to try to slow the Seahawks defensive rush. If they can complete some short to intermediate passes, it will help them to run the ball.

Yes, Eddie Lacy will be their main weapon of choice, but the Packers are just as strong in the running game when James Starks and DuJuan Harris are on the field. It will be interesting to see how the Packers come out in their first couple of series and how they attack the defense.

Look for the no-huddle immediately and look to see if Rodgers is comfortable in the passing game. If he’s going to the third and fourth options and running for his life it could be a long night.

3. The Packers have a tough schedule this season so are you happy they are playing a tough team right off the bat or would you have rather they eased into the season before playing a team as high -caliber as the Seahawks?

Starting out with the world champion is awesome and is an incredible challenge for this football team.

First of all, this game shows how valuable both these teams are to the league. That this game was selected to kick off the entire NFL season is pretty awesome. I think it says a lot about how the league views both the Seahawks and Packers.

Win or lose, this game will help the Packers ascertain immediately where they stand among the league’s elite teams and will help them in moving toward improvement as the season progresses.

So, yes, this is a watershed game for the Packers — win or lose.

4. Who is a rookie expected to play Thursday night that the Seahawks should keep their eyes on?

There are several rookie who will hit the field for the Packers Thursday night, so I’ll name a few:

Center Cory Linsley: he will be starting his first game. He’s a rookie out of Ohio State who just last week was the backup. That was until projected starter J.C. Tretter hurt his knee and will be out half of the season. Watch him closely, especially in the first couple of series to see whether he can hold his own. My guess is that he will be fine.

Safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix: the Packers’ first round pick won’t be starting, but he’ll be playing plenty as part of the Packers multiple player groupings. He’s looked good in preseason and is a player of the future.

Undrafted free agent OLB Jayrone Elliott: most likely he won’t see the field much on defense because he’s down a ways on the depth chart, but he will most likely be part of the special teamers. He led the league in sacks during preseason with five and has shown some speed and quickness in rushing the passer.

Wide receiver Jeff Janis: another player who might not get on the field much, but could make a splash on special teams. He’s a Jordy Nelson-like speedster with size who could play a big role later in the season if injuries pile up.

5. What is your prediction of the outcome of Thursday night’s game?

This is my least favorite question of the bunch here because this is a tough one to predict.

I feel that this game will once again be a barn-burner. If it’s a track meet and the Packers control the tempo, they have a good shot at winning just because they can score a lot of points. If it’s a defensive battle, the Seahawks will have the advantage. My guess is that this one comes down to a game-winning field goal as time expires.

Packers 20 Seahawks 19

Special thanks, again, to Mr. Ray Rivard from LombardiAve.com for taking the time to share his thoughts on the Packers-Seahawks season opener.