Seattle Seahawks' Week 15 scouting report versus Green Bay Packers

After a spectacular post-bye run that has included four straight wins against the NFC West, the Seattle Seahawks begin the final quarter of their 2024 season with the first of three meetings with teams from the NFC North. If they want to maintain their tenuous hold of the division title, they will have to come up big against the NFL’s best division, beginning this Sunday night in a nationally televised contest against the 9-4 Green Bay Packers.

Green Bay is coming off a heartbreaking loss against the Conference-leading Detroit Lions and is looking to lock down their own playoff position against the Hawks. With four games remaining, the Packers hold onto the second of three Wild Card spots, one game clear of the Washington Commanders.

With the Atlanta Falcons faltering, it is likely the Packers will have to hold off whoever ends up in second place in the NFC West for a coveted playoff spot. Since that team could be Seattle, a great deal is riding on this Sunday’s game.

Seattle comes in with a four-game winning streak. Green Bay has not lost consecutive games in 2024. One of those two streaks will end on Sunday. Given that Green Bay’s four losses have come against the three top teams in the NFC (two against the Lions) by a total of 20 points, the Hawks are facing quite a challenge. Let’s take a quick look at the Green Bay Packer team that will be visiting Lumen Filed on Sunday night.

What Seattle Seahawks fans should expect from the Green Bay Packers in Week 15

Packers last season

Green Bay entered unchartered waters in 2023. Aaron Rodgers had been around forever, ensuring quality quarterback play. But now he was gone, and the talented but untested Jordan Love was set to take over. It took a while for the Love and the Packers to hit their stride, but by the second half of the season, Green Bay was one of those teams that no one wanted to face come playoff time.

After falling to Pittsburgh in week 10, the Pack stood at 3-6, and fans were beginning to doubt the new Jordan Love era. But Green Bay has one of the best offensive minds in the game in head coach Matt LeFleur, and eventually, the coach and his QB got things figured out.

They won six of their final eight games, including three straight at the end, to move past New Orleans and Seattle to grab the final Wild Card spot. They averaged 26 points per game over that eight-game stretch, a marked improvement over their first nine games, in which they topped 20 points just one time.

Green Bay continued their strong play in the playoffs, going on the road and wiping out the Cowboys in round one, and then battling eventual NFC champions San Francisco right down to the wire in a close loss. With Love getting much-needed experience, and with a group of talented young receivers, hopes were high for 2024

Packers offseason

General Manager Brian Gutekunst had built a strong roster, but there were certainly holes to fill in the 2024 offseason. First and foremost, the Packers signaled a new philosophy on defense with the firing of defensive coordinator Joe Barry shortly after the season. Barry’s 3-4 scheme struggled mightily against good running teams, a problem that has plagued the journeyman coach in several of his other stints as DC.

It was initially thought that LeFleur wanted Jim Leonhard from the University of Wisconsin. When that didn’t work out, he opted for another college coach, Jeff Hafley from Boston College. Hafley, shifted to a 4-3 front, which resulted in some players learning new roles.

Players like Rashan Gary and Preston Smith, who had been playing the edge under Barry, lined up as more traditional defensive ends in the new scheme. Gutekunst then spent a couple of day 2 draft picks on promising young defenders Edgerrin Cooper (linebacker) and Javon Bullard (safety). Bullard was brought in to help rebuild the back end of the defense. The Pack allowed both starting safeties from 2023 – Darnell Savage and Jonathan Owens – to depart via free agency.

In free agency, Gutekunst only made two major moves. On defense, he signed Xavier McKinney away from the Giants to help nail down that safety position. And on offense, he replaced lead running back Aaron Jones with the Raiders' Josh Jacobs. He also re-signed bruising back A.J. Dillon to complement Jacobs.

The rest of his moves were largely geared toward providing depth and building for the future. Green Bay said a final goodbye to sensational left tackle David Bakhtiari, but the reality is they had been playing without him for a while by the end of ’23. He has said he still hopes to continue his career if he is healthy enough to do so, but thus far, that has not happened. They also lost guard John Runyan to the Giants. Not to get too far ahead of myself, but a straight-up swap of Runyan for McKinney favors the Pack by several miles.

Packers this season

Overall, though defensive issues remain and inconsistencies on offense continue to be a problem, things have gone rather well for Green Bay in 2024. As mentioned, they sit at 9-4, holding onto a playoff spot by several games as the season winds down. Love still makes too many mistakes, but the talent is undeniable. He can run when needed, but his arm talent is what is truly scary. He can make every throw in the book. He just needs to do it more consistently and make better decisions. When pressured – and he has been pressured a lot this year – he will make some bad throws.

Jacobs has probably been the team’s offensive MVP. The chronically-undervalued runner has done in Green Bay exactly what he did in Las Vegas. He consistently gets tough yards and can break big runs if a defense isn’t on its toes. He can catch balls out of the backfield as well. A.J. Dillon suffered a neck injury in pre-season and was lost for the year, but unheralded former UDFA Emanuel Wilson has filled in quite well when Jacob needs a rest.

LeFleur will also make use of his talented group of young receivers in the run game with assorted jet sweeps and gadget plays. Love spreads the ball to all those receivers very effectively. Romeo Doubs missed the Packers’ last game with a concussion, and if he is not back on Sunday, it will limit their offense. But not by very much.

Christian Watson is a dangerous deep threat, and Jayden Reed is an emerging star. He was mostly invisible in the recent loss to Detroit and you can expect LeFleur and Love to try and get Reed involved early against the Hawks. Tucker Kraft has scored seven TDs this year. He became the Packers’ primary tight end when fellow 2023 draft pick Luke Musgraves went down early with an injury.

The Packers line has played well enough to place them second in the league in average yards-per-play. They have been effective both running and passing, but as was evident in last week’s game against Detroit, Green Bay’s line can still break down under pressure. Love has to use his legs a lot to avoid opposing pass rushers. He doesn’t take a lot of sacks, but he is under pressure quite a bit.

On defense, the switch to Hafley’s 4-3 defense has hit some speedbumps. Rashan Gary took a while to adjust but has been generating more pressure of late. Preston Smith, the other converted defensive end, was traded to Pittsburgh mid-season. Lukas Van Ness and Kingsley Enagbare have been splitting time at the other end. Both had sacks two weeks ago against the Dolphins.

Kenny Clark is still a force in the middle of the line, though now in his ninth year, the 2023 Pro Bowler may be showing signs of wear and tear. Edgerrin Cooper has missed three games, which has weakened the Packers’ linebacking corps. Isaiah McDuffie has been targeted often on passing plays and has not held up. Look for Seattle to try and isolate backs in space on McDuffie on Sunday.

The Packers have dealt with a series of injuries in their secondary but Xavier McKinney has been a constant. He is one of the best safeties in the NFL. His seven interceptions this season account for more than half of the Packers’ total. Cornerback Jaire Alexander has been in and out of the lineup quite a bit and if he isn’t able to go on Sunday, look for Seattle to take advantage of former first-rounder Eric Stokes.

Brayden Narveson won the Packers’ placekicking job in 2024 but didn’t last to Halloween. His inconsistencies caused the Pack to sign veteran Brandon McManus, who has returned stability to the kicking game. Green Bay also boasts a first-rate kick returner in Keisean Nixon, the two-time reigning first-team All-Pro return man. Jay Harbaugh’s shaky units will need to keep him from turning the game with a big return.

Sunday should provide a stern test for the Hawks. Their good play of late affords them a tiny bit of luxury so that even if they lose, they would remain very much in control of their destiny. But with another NFC North powerhouse –  Minnesota – on the horizon, a win against the Pack could prove essential.

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