The Seahawks need a win more than the Packers do in a game that starts Seattle’s second half of the season. If Seattle loses, even in a relatively mediocre group of other teams trying to make the postseason in the NFC, they would likely need to go 7-1 the rest of the way. That’s a tough task, obviously.
The NFC is very top-heavy with five teams having 2 or fewer losses and 10 teams having 5 or more losses. Seven teams from the NFC will make the playoffs. Seattle currently sits just one game back of the Atlanta Falcons for the last spot in the NFC playoff picture.
In other words, despite a bad start, the Seahawks can make the postseason still. But the chase to do so starts Sunday against Green Bay. Here are five things that will happen when the Seahawks play the Packers in Green Bay on Sunday.
Bolds predictions for the Seahawks and Packers week 10
Bold prediction number 1: Russell Wilson throws for 180 yards and gets sacked 5 times
Russell Wilson returns! But the bad part is he returns to a place where he has massively struggled in his career. In four chances, Wilson has never beaten the Packers in Green Bay and most of the games aren’t close. Wilson has 4 touchdowns passes and 6 interceptions in those four games in Green Bay.
I don’t care how good a player is, when that player keeps going to a place and hasn’t had success it does get in the player’s head a bit. The problem this Sunday for Wilson is he will be playing in cold conditions with a middle finger still on the mend and behind an offensive line that run blocks better than it pass blocks.
Wilson isn’t going to have a lot of time to throw the ball against Green Bay and will get sacked five times. He won’t throw for 200 yards but he will still throw 2 touchdown passes.
Bold prediction number 2: Rashaad Penny is finally productive and gets 80 yards rushing and a touchdown
Rashaad Penny has been a bust of a first-round pick. No matter what he does the rest of this season, which likely won’t be a lot, he’s a bust. He probably will find a new team to play for in 2022 as he is a free agent at the end of this season. Surely the Seahawks won’t re-sign him after watching Penny spend more time rehab from injuries than actually play.
Of course, presumed starter Chris Carson is out again this week with a neck injury and he has also been injury-prone.
So far in 2021, Rashaad Penny has played in three games, ran the ball 15 times and gained a total of 24 yards. His long run is 5 yards. That’s bad. But the Packers aren’t perfect against the run and this will be the week that Penny finally gets off a couple of 15-plus yard runs and gets 80 for the game and a touchdown.
Bolds prediction number 3: Packers linebacker Rashan Gary gets 4 sacks
Packers linebacker Rashan Gary is having a Pro Bowl-type season. While he does have 4.5 sacks to lead the Packers he also has 18 quarterback hits. This is tied for fourth-best in the NFL. Green Bay sends Gary on blitzes quite a bit (Gary has blitzed 28 times this year) and Gary’s size (he is 6’5″ and 275 pounds) and speed make it difficult for offensive tackles to keep him away from the quarterback.
Seattle has given up the second-most sacks in the NFL this season even though the Seahawks were assumed to have a better line this season. It did seem to help with communication in week 9 when Ethan Pocic played center instead of Kyle Fuller. But Seattle will be playing the Packers as opposed to the Jaguars. Gary is going to have a huge day and create chaos.
Bold prediction number 4: Aaron Rodgers throws 2 interceptions and 2 touchdowns
Aaron Rodgers still needs to be cleared to play for Sunday’s game after missing week 9 after testing positive for COVID-19. Let’s assume he will. Rodgers will probably come in extra-motivated playing off the fact that he, whether right or wrong, feels wronged by the reaction he has gotten from some misleading statements about vaccinated.
Rodgers is going to play well but he is going to make two mistakes that end up in interceptions. One will be by Quandre Diggs and the other by Tre Brown. By the end of the game, Rodgers will still throw for 350 yards and a couple of touchdowns, though.
Bold prediction number 5: The Packers win in a game that is closer than the final score implies
This game is going to go a lot like most 2021 games for the Seahawks. The offense will start decently enough but as the game unfolds Green Bay will dominate time of possession more and more. This year, Seattle is last in the NFL when it comes to its offense have time of possession. The Seahawks averages holding on to the ball for 25:52 of the game and this is 1 minute and 15 seconds less than the 31st team.
Green Bay keeps the ball for an 8th-best 31:21 of the game. So what is going to happen in week 10 is Green Bay is going to keep the ball for 38 minutes to Seattle’s 22. By the beginning of the fourth quarter, the game will be tied at 17 but the Seahawks defense will be tired. Green Bay will dominate the final quarter and win 31-17.