Tag: nfc divisional round

Packers to face Los Angeles Rams in NFC Divisional Round

The Packers will play the Los Angeles Rams (10-6) in the NFC Divisional Round playoffs next weekend.

The Green Bay Packers have an opponent for the NFC Divisional Round playoffs.

Sean McVay and the Los Angeles Rams will head to Green Bay to play the top-seeded Packers next weekend.

The game is scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 16 at 3:35 p.m. CT on FOX.

The Rams, the sixth seed in the NFC, beat the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday. The New Orleans Saints’ win over the Chicago Bears on Sunday ensured the Rams would be the lowest-remaining seed.

The Packers are the No. 1 seed and had a first-round bye.

The Rams finished 10-6 and second in the NFC West.

Two-time Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald and first-team All-Pro Jalen Ramsey anchor the NFL’s top scoring defense. It’s unclear who will start at quarterback for the Rams, given the injury issues for John Wolford and Jared Goff. Rookie running back Cam Akers produced 176 total yards in the Rams’ 30-20 win over the Seahawks.

The Packers haven’t played the Rams since 2018. Matt LaFleur, who has won 26 regular-season games since taking over as the Packers coach in 2019, was the offensive coordinator for McVay in Los Angeles during the 2017 season.

Seahawks’ season ends in divisional round with loss to Packers

The Seattle Seahawks battled valiantly, but ultimately fell to the Green Bay Packers, 28-23, ending their season in the divisional round.

The Seattle Seahawks battled back from a 21-3 deficit but ultimately fell to the Green Bay Packers 28-23 on Sunday afternoon at Lambeau Field, ending their season in the divisional round.

Green Bay will move on and play the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship, and the winner of that game will face either the Kansas City Chiefs or Tennessee Titans in the Super Bowl.

Green Bay got off to a quick start in this one, scoring on the opening drive thanks to a 20-yard touchdown pass from Aaron Rodgers to Davante Adams, who was left wide open after a miscommunication between Tre Flowers and Ugo Amadi.

After a field goal by Jason Myers brought it within four, Seattle’s “bend-but-don’t-break” defense, well, broke – giving up two touchdowns in the red zone, both on one-yard runs from Aaron Jones.

Seattle came roaring back in the second half though, with who else but Marshawn Lynch punching it in from the one-yard line on the team’s first drive.

After Green Bay quickly responded with another touchdown to Adams, Russell Wilson put the team on his back and drove 84 yards for a seven-yard touchdown to Tyler Lockett, which was followed by another score from Lynch early in the fourth quarter.

Seattle was unable to convert the two-point conversion and its ensuing possession resulted in a punt, allowing Green Bay to run out the clock and move to the NFC Championship.

The Seahawks finished the 2019 season with 12 wins and six losses, having gone 8-2 on the road.

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WATCH: Seahawks Marshawn Lynch’s touchdown run against Packers

Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch scored from the one-yard line on Sunday against the Green Bay Packers, his 11th playoff TD.

The Seattle Seahawks weren’t able to score a touchdown in the first half against the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Divisional Game, going into the half down 21-3.

However, they found their way into the end zone on the first drive of the third quarter. Running back Marshawn Lynch scored from one yard out, making it 21-10 with 9:44 left in the third quarter.

It was Lynch’s third touchdown with the Seahawks this season, as the veteran has now scored one in each of his three games since signing just before Week 17’s matchup against the 49ers.

Lynch now has 11 career touchdowns in the playoffs, which is sixth in NFL history. The other five players all reside in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, according to NFL Research.

Beast Mode and the rest of the Seattle offense have some work to do now that Seattle is down 28-10, as of this writing, late in the third quarter.

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3 things to watch: Seattle Seahawks at Green Bay Packers

The Seattle Seahawks need to protect Russell Wilson, get to Aaron Rodgers and stop Davante Adams if they want to beat the Green Bay Packers.

The Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers meet in the playoffs yet again on Sunday afternoon, this time with a date against the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship on the line.

Seattle has not had a ton of success at Lambeau Field, but they are 8-1 on the road this season and are starting to round into form health-wise.

Meanwhile, Green Bay has a well-rounded squad that should cause problems for Seattle on both offense and defense.

For the Seahawks to pull off the win and advance to the NFC Championship for the first time since 2014, they’ll need to prove they can win this game in the trenches.

That and more are covered in my three things to watch for this exciting afternoon bout between two of the best in the NFC.

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4

Jadeveon Clowney is ready to go for Seahawks on Sunday

Seattle Seahawks defensive end Jadeveon Clowney is not listed on the team’s injury report, and coach Pete Carroll reports he is ready to go.

While there are certainly some concerns on the Seattle Seahawks injury report for Sunday’s bout with the Green Bay Packers, one encouraging sign is the absence of star defensive end Jadeveon Clowney.

Clowney is not only off the injury report, but coach Pete Carroll reported he is continuing to feel better each day – a great sign he is putting the core muscle injury behind him and reaching his full strength at a key time for the Seahawks.

“As the week progressed he felt much better than he did last week so he’s in good shape and ready to go,” Carroll said on Friday. “We’re excited about that. Really certain about his return, so he’s in good shape to go.”

Clowney has been dealing with a sports hernia related injury since November, but he has managed to play in each of the last two games and had a huge impact against the Eagles in Philadelphia, recording five solo tackles and one sack.

His presence will be one of the most important aspects of Sunday’s battle against Aaron Rodgers and the Packers, which kicks off at 3:40 p.m. PT.

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Russell Wilson provides offense with 15 page scouting reports

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson prepares 15 page scouting reports to his entire offense, and quizzes them each week.

It’s no secret that a big part of Russell Wilson’s success over his eight-year career with the Seattle Seahawks is in his preparation.

While he has all the physical skills and high-football IQ necessary to be elite, Wilson works extremely hard to prepare for each upcoming opponent – and he works just as hard to make sure his teammates are prepared as well.

Recently, Wilson has taken to not only providing his entire offense with scouting reports – a practice he began back in his rookie year – but he has been quizzing them as well.

“I’ve always done the scouting reports, but in this year in particular, just trying to quiz guys,” Wilson said on Thursday. “I’ve always tried to put interesting facts in there or whatever it may be. Maybe something random each week or whatever. This year in particular, especially because we’ve had a lot of young receivers and young guys just to be really able to make sure that they’re on their stuff and everything else.”

Wilson goes on to say his quizzes are about a whole variety of topics, including sensible topics like protection schemes, route plans, somebody’s speed, and also things like where a coach previously worked, who owns the team, and so on.

The detail in Wilson’s reports has grown tremendously in the past few years. He typically starts his research on Sunday evening after the team’s game, and hands them out to players on Tuesday.

What started as a five or so page report has turned into 15 pages per week.

“I just thought about, just making sure that one, that I prepared, but I thought it was important to be able to give information to the other players and stuff,” Wilson continued. “I think that’s really important, to be able to not just study yourself, but also to share knowledge, that way, when you’re asking a question or somebody else has a question or whatever, we can all refer back to it. It’s grown. It started off at five pages. Now, it’s probably at 15. It’s been a cool process of it.”

The Seahawks will certainly have their hands full with a stout Packers defense on Sunday afternoon, but regardless of the outcome fans can be assured that preparation was not an issue, at least for the offense.

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DK Metcalf could break NFL rookie record for playoff yards

Seattle Seahawks receiver DK Metcalf is 83 yards away from breaking Torry Holt’s record for receiving yards by a rookie in the playoffs.

Seattle Seahawks rookie receiver DK Metcalf broke a handful of team and NFL records on Sunday, when he hauled in seven receptions for 160 yards and a touchdown in the team’s 17-9 win over the Philadelphia Eagles.

Now, Metcalf only needs 83 yards to pass Torry Holt for the most receiving yards by a rookie receiver in postseason history, a feat that will be difficult, but not impossible, for him to achieve on Sunday against the Packers.

Metcalf only topped 83 receiving yards three times this season, although he did have between 75 and 81 yards on three occasions – so it’s certainly not out of the question.

Metcalf will likely be marked by former University of Washington product Kevin King on Sunday, a matchup that should be fun to watch between two guys with a lot of size and athleticism at their respective positions.

“He’s real long,” coach Pete Carroll said of King. “He’s real fast. Good hands. Good competitor and all that. We really liked him. He’s exactly like the guys we like to look at. 4.4 flat, which is fast, fast. All the length that he has, too.”

Metcalf’s quest for 83 yards will be secondary to just winning the football game, of course, a feat that would give the dynamic rookie another shot at breaking Holt’s record – if he can’t get it done on Sunday.

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Jimmy Graham will test Seahawks defense from tight end spot

The Seattle Seahawks have struggled to defend tight ends this season, and Packers tight end Jimmy Graham will provide another big test.

Perhaps the biggest area of weakness for this Seattle Seahawks defense is their coverage of tight ends. Their commitment to the 4-3 base defense often leaves either an outside linebacker, or strong safety Bradley McDougald, in pass coverage, which creates mismatches opposing teams have learned to exploit.

It is part of the reason Seattle’s pass rush did not materialize as anticipated this year, since opposing quarterbacks could get the ball out quickly and find open tight ends in short yardage situations, thanks to Seattle’s below average coverage.

The Packers are almost certainly going to attempt to exploit that weakness on Sunday, and they have a familiar face to do the exploiting – former Seahawks tight end Jimmy Graham, who just finished his second year in Green Bay.

“There’s a lot of good things he’s done this year for us,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said to Seattle media members on Wednesday. “His numbers don’t always reflect how important he is to us in terms of how we’ve been spreading the ball around, but he is a big part of what we do.”

Graham finished the regular season with 38 receptions for 447 yards and three touchdowns, numbers that are considerably down from his first season in Green Bay and his last season in Seattle. In fact, his 60 targets were the lowest total since his rookie season, back in 2010 with New Orleans.

Still, the Seahawks know first hand what Graham is capable of, and they are not planning to take him lightly.

“He’s such a monster of a player and an athlete that you know he can just make things happen,” coach Pete Carroll said. “We’ll give him a lot of respect.”

Graham’s size and athleticism make him a tough matchup for Seattle, and Aaron Rodgers’ elite skill set could make the tandem a tough one for the Seahawks on Sunday afternoon.

However, that doesn’t mean the Seahawks are scared – quite the opposite.

“I’m going to try to hit him,” linebacker Bobby Wagner said of defending Graham. “100%. I’m going to try to hit him a lot. If he tries to box me out, he thinks he’s good at basketball. He knows I’ll beat him.”

The Seahawks will get their chance to take on Graham, Rodgers and the rest of the Packers on Sunday afternoon starting at 3:40 p.m. PT.

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It’s been ‘touch and go’ trying to get Malik Turner healthy

Seattle Seahawks receiver Malik Turner is still recovering from a concussion, and his status for Sunday’s game against Green Bay is unknown.

The Seattle Seahawks saw their plethora of depth at wide receiver slowly dwindle over the past few weeks.

The team lost Josh Gordon to suspension, Malik Turner to a concussion and Jaron Brown to a knee injury and a family matter, leaving them with just four healthy receivers on Sunday against the Eagles.

It looks like the team is nearing full health in time for Green Bay however, with Turner returning to practice on Wednesday.

Coach Pete Carroll reiterated how cautious the team is being with Turner, who suffered a concussion near the end of the Cardinals game and did not play against San Francisco or Philadelphia.

“It’s been a little touch and go to get him back,” Carroll said on Wednesday. “We’re taking great care of him to make sure that he’s right. He’s anxious to get going and see how he feels tomorrow.”

Turner has quietly been a strong contributor to this Seattle team, hauling in 15 receptions (on 22 targets) for 245 yards and a touchdown, while also holding a valuable role on the special teams.

He still has to make it through the week, and almost certainly will be a game time decision. If he is unable to go, the team may rely on rookie John Ursua to handle his role on the offense.

The Seahawks will look to move into the NFC championship game with a win on Sunday in Green Bay, with kickoff slated for 3:40 p.m. PT.

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Divisional Round: Minnesota Vikings at San Francisco 49ers odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Saturday’s NFC Divisional Round showdown between the Minnesota Vikings and San Francisco 49ers, with betting odds, picks and bets.

The Minnesota Vikings (11-6) are coming off an overtime playoff road win to face a well-rested, top-seeded San Francisco 49ers (13-3) at Levi’s Stadium at 4:35 p.m. ET Saturday. We analyze the Vikings-49ers odds and sports betting lines, while providing betting tips and advice on this Week 17 NFL matchup.

Vikings at 49ers: Divisional Round preview, betting trends and notes

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  • The total has hit the Over in five of Minnesota’s last six road games.
  • The total has hit the Over in seven of San Francisco’s last 10 games.
  • Minnesota is 7-3 against the spread in its last 10 games against NFC opponents.
  • Both teams have had their fair share of success. The Vikings have the seventh ranked scoring offense (25.5 points per game) and the sixth ranked scoring defense (19 PPG). Not to be outdone, the 49ers are second in scoring offense (29.9 PPG) and the eighth in scoring defense (19.4 PPG).
  • The 49ers are just 9-6-1 against the spread, including 3-4-1 at home.
  • The Vikings are 10-7 ATS, including 5-4 on the road.
  • The all-time record between the Vikings and 49ers is 23-23-1, but Minnesota has won six of the last eight.

Vikings at 49ers: Key injuries

Vikings: CB Mackensie Alexander (knee) is out and CB Mike Hughes was placed on IR last week. WR Stefon Diggs hasn’t practiced due to an illness, but is expected to play. S Jayron Kearse (toe/knee) and WR Adam Thielen (ankle) are questionable.

49ers: Everyone practiced Wednesday, but DEs Dee Ford (quadriceps/hamstring) and Kentavius Street (knee) and G Mike Person (neck) were limited.

Vikings at 49ers: Odds, betting lines and prediction

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Thursday at 2:45 a.m. ET.

Prediction

49ers 24, Vikings 20

Moneyline (?)

Minnesota (+260) has a prohibitive moneyline number and could have a legitimate shot at winning the game outright. San Francisco (-334) is giving up too much for a return. If you’re betting the moneyline, a small bet on the Vikings would be the play, but, if you’re betting the 49ers, a stronger bet would be to give up 3.5 points at -189.

Against the Spread (?)

The Vikings likely aren’t capable of blowing out the 49ers. A rested San Francisco team going up against a Minnesota squad that had a short week of practice after playing an overtime game on the road Sunday and flying back to Minnesota is a scenario fraught with the potential for a Niners blowout. But, Minnesota could be down by 14 late and score a meaningless touchdown to hit the number. Realistically, the Niners need to win by two scores. Take the VIKINGS +7 (-110).

Over/Under (?)

The O/U is of 45.5 (Over +105, Under -129). This is a tough one because these are two of the best rush offenses and two of the better defenses. This game could – and likely will – include its share of punts with it being a field-position battle. Minnesota has allowed 23 or fewer points 13 times this season and San Francisco has a knack for protecting leads by shortening the game. Take the UNDER 45.5 (-129).

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