motife
01-08-2008, 08:11 PM
Scouts, Inc.
Why To Watch
This game features two of the most explosive offenses in the NFL. And while those offenses will get a lot of hype, defense might determine the winner. There are great story lines in this game, as Seattle coach Mike Holmgren returns to his old stomping grounds in Green Bay and Seattle QB Matt Hasselbeck tries to make people forget his "We want the ball and we're going to score" proclamation after the Seahawks won the overtime coin toss in their last playoff visit to Green Bay. Hasselbeck proceeded to throw an interception on the first drive in overtime, and it was returned for a game-winning touchdown.
Green Bay QB Brett Favre continues to play at a dominant level, but each time he takes the field, it could be the last time we see this 38-year-old play in the NFL. While the NFC East matchup between between the Cowboys and the Giants will generate most of the headlines this week, this should be the better football game to watch.
When the Seahawks have the ball
Rushing: The first question is "What run offense?" Seattle averaged only 3.7 yards per carry against Washington last Saturday and totaled only 77 yards. In all honesty, that is a pretty good running day for the Seahawks right now. The offense had just enough balance, and that will be the goal again this Saturday. Seattle's only reason to run the ball against this Packers defense -- which finished 14th against the run in the regular season with 102.9 yards allowed per game -- is to keep Green Bay honest and help negate some of the pass rush.
RB Shaun Alexander continues to get the bulk of the carries, despite being less effective than backup RB Maurice Morris. Seattle's offensive line played well in the wild-card round, but Green Bay's front four, led by DEs Aaron Kampman and Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila and DT Cullen Jenkins, is much better than the Redskins defensive line the Seahawks faced last week.
When Seattle does run the ball, look for it to run at Gbaja-Biamila, because he is not physical at the point of attack. Running at him also will negate some of his ability as a rusher in passing situations. Kampman is excellent at the point of attack, so the Seahawks want to make him flatten out and chase down the line. Green Bay's LB unit, which is led by MLB Nick Barnett, also is excellent. This group is physical and possesses good lateral speed. Alexander will struggle to run the ball if he is not physical or quick to the hole. Morris gives Seattle its best shot in the running game, but you have to wonder whether he will he get enough touches.
Passing: This is one of the key areas that will determine the game for Seattle. In order for the Seahawks to win, they are going to have to protect Hasselbeck against a solid Green Bay front seven that occasionally brings blitz pressure with its speedy linebackers. Seattle definitely will use a silent count this week, especially because Green Bay has solid home-field advantage. Seattle's line will need to be in sync and get off as one at the snap of the ball.
Seattle also should benefit from the return of WR Deion Branch. The Seahawks got a big-time game out of WR D.J. Hackett last Saturday, but with Branch back in the mix, they can use their three-wide packages with WR Bobby Engram in the slot. Seattle needs to get production from its TE or slot receiver because the Packers' safeties are weak in coverage. Plus, the Seahawks are as good as anyone in the NFL in terms of being able to spread out a defense, throw quickly and negate pressure. However, Seattle must also be able to establish a bit of a ground game because it will open up play-action. Hasselbeck is excellent at hiding the ball in play-action situations but won't be able to sell it without a running game.
Green Bay CB Charles Woodson will match up with the Seahawks' No. 1 WR. If Branch is healthy, Woodson will cover him, which will allow Hackett to work on CB Al Harris. Without Branch, Woodson will cover Hackett, and Harris will have a much easier matchup against Engram or WR Nate Burleson. Hasselbeck must not be careless with the football.
When the Packers have the ball
Rushing: As hard as it might be to believe, the Packers' run offense is much better than the Seahawks'. Green Bay ranked dead last in the league in rushing early in the regular season but finished 21st (99.8 yards per game) behind the running of Ryan Grant. Despite not starting the season as the No. 1 back and having fewer than 200 carries, Grant nearly cracked the 1,000-yard mark. The running game now is formidable, and Seattle has to respect Grant's ability. What has been most impressive about Grant is that he is not only effective between the tackles but also has the ability to get out on the edges, which is where Green Bay needs to try to attack this week.
The Seahawks stuffed Redskins RB Clinton Portis last Saturday, but Washington made the mistake of trying to pound the ball between the tackles. Seattle is not big along its defensive front, but it is quick, and it played the game on the other side of the line of scrimmage. If the Packers attack the edges, it will negate some of the pass-rush pressure created by DEs Patrick Kerney and Darryl Tapp, along with OLB Julian Peterson, who aligns all over the field.
Seattle was effective versus the Redskins' run, but Green Bay can't afford to become one-dimensional on offense. A pass-heavy attack is one Seattle's front will tee off on and create turnovers against in the backend. That was the recipe the Seahawks and defensive coordinator John Marshall used Saturday, and they will try to use the same game plan against the Packers.
Passing: The Packers' high-powered offense versus the Seahawks' underrated secondary is the key matchup. Like Seattle, the Packers do not want to become one dimensional. Yes, Favre is taking better care of the ball this season, but this will be one of the best pass-rushing and ball-hawking defenses he has seen, which could result in some turnovers.
Seattle has excellent speed off the edges with Kerney, Tapp and Peterson, who will blitz from all over the field. Green Bay's young interior linemen, LG Daryn Colledge, RG Jason Spitz and C Scott Wells, actually have performed much better than LOT Chad Clifton and ROT Mark Tauscher. Both tackles are starting to show their age and are giving up more edge pressure. In fact, one of the reasons Favre played so poorly in Dallas earlier this season was the inability of the tackles to handle the edge pressure they saw. If they struggle early, Green Bay will have to counter with more two-tight end sets, which will limit its ability to get rookie WR James Jones on the field as much as hoped.
The Packers would like to work from their three-WR packages, but to do that, they must be able to protect versus an attacking Seahawks front seven. When Favre does go to the air, he must look out for CB Marcus Trufant, who is having a huge bounce-back season. Trufant likes to gamble on the edge, so he will give up some big plays. Favre will not back down from any corner in the NFL, so he needs to soften Trufant up with some underneath passes before trying to beat him over the top. Washington never did that, and Trufant returned an interception for a touchdown. If the Seahawks can create pressure up front and the CBs can hold their own, that will go a long way to determining a winner.
Special Teams
The Seahawks' special teams have been as good this season as any other time in Holmgren's tenure, but then again, they never have been been considered outstanding under his watch. In fact, a botched kickoff versus Washington could have cost them the game.
Green Bay gets the edge in the return and cover units, but if it is a close game and a game-winning field goal is needed, we want Seahawks PK Josh Brown on our sideline. Both teams have explosive offenses, so getting good field position to throw the ball and control tempo will be huge in this game. Keep in mind that Packers P Jon Ryan might struggle if the weather is bad Saturday, just as he did against Chicago in Week 16. For these reasons, we give an ever-so-slight edge to Seattle in the special teams department this week.
Why To Watch
This game features two of the most explosive offenses in the NFL. And while those offenses will get a lot of hype, defense might determine the winner. There are great story lines in this game, as Seattle coach Mike Holmgren returns to his old stomping grounds in Green Bay and Seattle QB Matt Hasselbeck tries to make people forget his "We want the ball and we're going to score" proclamation after the Seahawks won the overtime coin toss in their last playoff visit to Green Bay. Hasselbeck proceeded to throw an interception on the first drive in overtime, and it was returned for a game-winning touchdown.
Green Bay QB Brett Favre continues to play at a dominant level, but each time he takes the field, it could be the last time we see this 38-year-old play in the NFL. While the NFC East matchup between between the Cowboys and the Giants will generate most of the headlines this week, this should be the better football game to watch.
When the Seahawks have the ball
Rushing: The first question is "What run offense?" Seattle averaged only 3.7 yards per carry against Washington last Saturday and totaled only 77 yards. In all honesty, that is a pretty good running day for the Seahawks right now. The offense had just enough balance, and that will be the goal again this Saturday. Seattle's only reason to run the ball against this Packers defense -- which finished 14th against the run in the regular season with 102.9 yards allowed per game -- is to keep Green Bay honest and help negate some of the pass rush.
RB Shaun Alexander continues to get the bulk of the carries, despite being less effective than backup RB Maurice Morris. Seattle's offensive line played well in the wild-card round, but Green Bay's front four, led by DEs Aaron Kampman and Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila and DT Cullen Jenkins, is much better than the Redskins defensive line the Seahawks faced last week.
When Seattle does run the ball, look for it to run at Gbaja-Biamila, because he is not physical at the point of attack. Running at him also will negate some of his ability as a rusher in passing situations. Kampman is excellent at the point of attack, so the Seahawks want to make him flatten out and chase down the line. Green Bay's LB unit, which is led by MLB Nick Barnett, also is excellent. This group is physical and possesses good lateral speed. Alexander will struggle to run the ball if he is not physical or quick to the hole. Morris gives Seattle its best shot in the running game, but you have to wonder whether he will he get enough touches.
Passing: This is one of the key areas that will determine the game for Seattle. In order for the Seahawks to win, they are going to have to protect Hasselbeck against a solid Green Bay front seven that occasionally brings blitz pressure with its speedy linebackers. Seattle definitely will use a silent count this week, especially because Green Bay has solid home-field advantage. Seattle's line will need to be in sync and get off as one at the snap of the ball.
Seattle also should benefit from the return of WR Deion Branch. The Seahawks got a big-time game out of WR D.J. Hackett last Saturday, but with Branch back in the mix, they can use their three-wide packages with WR Bobby Engram in the slot. Seattle needs to get production from its TE or slot receiver because the Packers' safeties are weak in coverage. Plus, the Seahawks are as good as anyone in the NFL in terms of being able to spread out a defense, throw quickly and negate pressure. However, Seattle must also be able to establish a bit of a ground game because it will open up play-action. Hasselbeck is excellent at hiding the ball in play-action situations but won't be able to sell it without a running game.
Green Bay CB Charles Woodson will match up with the Seahawks' No. 1 WR. If Branch is healthy, Woodson will cover him, which will allow Hackett to work on CB Al Harris. Without Branch, Woodson will cover Hackett, and Harris will have a much easier matchup against Engram or WR Nate Burleson. Hasselbeck must not be careless with the football.
When the Packers have the ball
Rushing: As hard as it might be to believe, the Packers' run offense is much better than the Seahawks'. Green Bay ranked dead last in the league in rushing early in the regular season but finished 21st (99.8 yards per game) behind the running of Ryan Grant. Despite not starting the season as the No. 1 back and having fewer than 200 carries, Grant nearly cracked the 1,000-yard mark. The running game now is formidable, and Seattle has to respect Grant's ability. What has been most impressive about Grant is that he is not only effective between the tackles but also has the ability to get out on the edges, which is where Green Bay needs to try to attack this week.
The Seahawks stuffed Redskins RB Clinton Portis last Saturday, but Washington made the mistake of trying to pound the ball between the tackles. Seattle is not big along its defensive front, but it is quick, and it played the game on the other side of the line of scrimmage. If the Packers attack the edges, it will negate some of the pass-rush pressure created by DEs Patrick Kerney and Darryl Tapp, along with OLB Julian Peterson, who aligns all over the field.
Seattle was effective versus the Redskins' run, but Green Bay can't afford to become one-dimensional on offense. A pass-heavy attack is one Seattle's front will tee off on and create turnovers against in the backend. That was the recipe the Seahawks and defensive coordinator John Marshall used Saturday, and they will try to use the same game plan against the Packers.
Passing: The Packers' high-powered offense versus the Seahawks' underrated secondary is the key matchup. Like Seattle, the Packers do not want to become one dimensional. Yes, Favre is taking better care of the ball this season, but this will be one of the best pass-rushing and ball-hawking defenses he has seen, which could result in some turnovers.
Seattle has excellent speed off the edges with Kerney, Tapp and Peterson, who will blitz from all over the field. Green Bay's young interior linemen, LG Daryn Colledge, RG Jason Spitz and C Scott Wells, actually have performed much better than LOT Chad Clifton and ROT Mark Tauscher. Both tackles are starting to show their age and are giving up more edge pressure. In fact, one of the reasons Favre played so poorly in Dallas earlier this season was the inability of the tackles to handle the edge pressure they saw. If they struggle early, Green Bay will have to counter with more two-tight end sets, which will limit its ability to get rookie WR James Jones on the field as much as hoped.
The Packers would like to work from their three-WR packages, but to do that, they must be able to protect versus an attacking Seahawks front seven. When Favre does go to the air, he must look out for CB Marcus Trufant, who is having a huge bounce-back season. Trufant likes to gamble on the edge, so he will give up some big plays. Favre will not back down from any corner in the NFL, so he needs to soften Trufant up with some underneath passes before trying to beat him over the top. Washington never did that, and Trufant returned an interception for a touchdown. If the Seahawks can create pressure up front and the CBs can hold their own, that will go a long way to determining a winner.
Special Teams
The Seahawks' special teams have been as good this season as any other time in Holmgren's tenure, but then again, they never have been been considered outstanding under his watch. In fact, a botched kickoff versus Washington could have cost them the game.
Green Bay gets the edge in the return and cover units, but if it is a close game and a game-winning field goal is needed, we want Seahawks PK Josh Brown on our sideline. Both teams have explosive offenses, so getting good field position to throw the ball and control tempo will be huge in this game. Keep in mind that Packers P Jon Ryan might struggle if the weather is bad Saturday, just as he did against Chicago in Week 16. For these reasons, we give an ever-so-slight edge to Seattle in the special teams department this week.