The Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks will meet at Lambeau Field on Sunday night to determine which team moves to within one game of Super Bowl LIV.
Here’s how the staff at Packers Wire believes the NFC Divisional Round matchup will go down:
Zach Kruse (12-4): Packers 27, Seahawks 17
An initial reading of the matchup pointed to another close game. A deeper evaluation of the Seahawks revealed a flawed team that could struggle to match up with the Packers on both sides of the ball. Unless Russell Wilson can pour on the big plays, the Packers have a chance to roll over their visitors by dominating the line of scrimmage, feeding Aaron Jones in multiple ways and creating one or two crucial takeaways. Wilson is a magician capable of saving the Seahawks, but a big Packers win is certainly possible.
Jack Wepfer (11-5): Packers 24, Seahawks 17
Improbably, the Packers, under first-year head coach, move to the NFC Championship. Ugly, and with some health and matchup luck sprinkled in, the Packers keep chopping wood. On Sunday, the Packers simply are a better team across the board. The Seahawks remind me of later-era Mike McCarthy Packers in the sense that they’re buoyed by Russell Wilson’s knack for making plays off schedule. But like those Packers teams, the Seahawks fall short because they simply don’t have the more complete roster. Yes, Wilson is playing much better football than Aaron Rodgers this season, but this game is played 11-on-11, and the sum of the Packers’ 11 is better than the Seahawks on each side of the ball. Expect Za’Darius Smith to make voters regret his All-Pro snub. The Packers may give up a few plays, but Seattle just doesn’t have the health along the offensive line to sustain momentum. They’ll have to chip away, bit by bit. The Packers should have enough with Davante Adams and Aaron Jones, along with home-field advantage, to earn their ticket to the second-to-last week of the NFL season.
Marty Kauffman (11-5): Packers 23, Seahawks 20
In an ironic role reversal, the Green Bay Packers are not the team going into a playoff game relying on their elite quarterback to win the game based on his talent. And with Aaron Rodgers entering the game as the quarterback of the more talented team, the edge goes to Green Bay because Rodgers – despite his OK season – can easily turn into the elite quarterback we’ve seen his entire career. The Packers should dominate up front on both the offensive and defensive lines compared to Seattle. The key will be obviously containing Russell Wilson which they have done for most of his career, but that was under Dom Capers. With the more talented roster, home field and their ability to win close games this year, Green Bay comes away with the victory.
Anthony Nash (12-4): Packers 28, Seahawks 24
This is likely going to be a much closer game than many people believe it to be. While the Packers seemingly have a ton of advantages to their name, including the fact the game will be played in a snow-filled Lambeau Field, the Packers and Seahawks have always played in some wacky games throughout the past. However, thanks to the Seahawks offensive line being decimated and their offense as a whole operating similarly to the mid-2010s Packers team that were extremely reliant on Aaron Rodgers, it wouldn’t be shocking to see Green Bay win. Expect a ton of Aaron Jones and for the Packers defense to try and contain Russell Wilson as much as possible. If they can follow that simple blueprint, the Packers will likely be moving on in the playoffs.
Nolan Stracke (10-6): Packers 28, Seahawks 24
Green Bay has a lot going for them in this matchup. Home field advantage, Rodgers’ home record vs Seattle (4-0), and the overall play of the whole team. In last year’s loss, the Packers had virtually no running game and the star of the defense was Kyler Fackrell. Oh, how times have changed. I expect the Packers defense will be able to pressure Russell Wilson without having to blitz with the Smiths coming off the edge and Kenny Clark disrupting the middle. Seattle’s defense isn’t what it used to be this year, so getting Aaron Jones involved early then working in play-action could really give the Packers an edge. I still expect Wilson to work some magic, but not enough to carry his team to the NFC Championship.
Joe Kipp (11-5): Packers 27, Seahawks 17
There’s no reason the Packers shouldn’t win this game. They’re the healthier squad, possess more talent and are playing at home. That said, one of the few advantages the Seahawks have in this game is experienced coaching. Pete Carroll is 11-8 all-time in the playoffs, while Matt LaFleur has had yet to coach in a single postseason contest. The key will be sticking with the running game. Aaron Jones is a superstar. The Seahawks are below-average against the run. It’s been stressed by LaFleur himself at times this season that he’s gotten away from running the ball too early (i.e. Week 12 against San Francisco). There will be times of stress, but I believe Green Bay is the better team, and that’ll show on Sunday evening.
Writer | Prediction | Score | Record |
Zach Kruse | Win | 27-17 | 12-4 |
Jack Wepfer | Win | 24-17 | 11-5 |
Marty Kauffman | Win | 23-20 | 11-5 |
Anthony Nash | Win | 28-24 | 12-4 |
Nolan Stracke | Win | 28-24 | 10-6 |
Joe Kipp | Win | 27-17 | 11-5 |
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