Seahawks: Three bold predictions versus Packers in divisional round

Ken Norton, Jr. gets creative for once

The Seahawks don’t like to blitz. They never have under Pete Carroll but a big reason they didn’t have to is that Seattle had the front four personnel to not require Seattle to come up with a big pass rush sending extra players. This year is different.

Seattle finished 31st in the NFL this season with just 28 sacks. Rasheem Green led the team in sacks with just 4. Yet, somehow the Seahawks finished with the 9th best quarterback rating allowed. This means that Seattle trusted its linebackers and secondary in coverage enough that they lived with a lack of pressure on the quarterback.

This won’t wash versus Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. Rodgers would simply sit back and lead the Packers downfield by picking up 6 to 8 yards a pop. I don’t think that Ken Norton, Jr. is a great defensive coordinator. When being the head of the defenses with the Raiders and Seahawks none of his units finished in the top 10 in total defense. But I think Norton Jr. knows he has to do something this week to not be so obvious.

I do not think Seattle blitz a majority of the time but I do think they use their cornerbacks, especially Tre Flowers, and linebackers more than normal to try to create pressure. I also wouldn’t be surprised to see Seattle mix up their defenses a bit by playing more nickel than normal as opposed to the 4-3 they ave run a bunch of the time. If Seattle is going to win, Rodgers cannot know what is coming on each play. Norton Jr. needs to call a great game.