Both Teams Looking To Make Up Ground In Crowded NFC Playoff Picture
Aaron Rodgers will lead the Green Bay Packers into loud CenturyLink Field to take on Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday night in a matchup of two teams fighting to get back into contention for the playoffs.
Neither team is where they want to be, hovering around the .500 mark and looking up in the standings their respective division, but both have the talent to be dangerous in 2018.
The Seattle Seahawks will look to rebound from a tough 36-31 loss at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to the Los Angeles Rams as they came up just short against their division rivals.
Meanwhile, Mike McCarthy’s Green Bay Packers look to get their first road win of the season as they are 0-4 on the road in 2018.
Before this pivotal NFC matchup with playoff implications for both, we’ll take a look at the headlines going into this matchup.
Let’s get started!
Championship Form On Offense For Seattle
While the offensive line is still a mess at protecting Russell Wilson, the Seattle Seahawks have slowly rounded into the type of form on offense that saw them play for the Super Bowl in consecutive years.
By running the football.
Seattle was 23rd in rushing and tied for 20th in rushing attempts last season. It’s been a complete 180 in 2018.
Seattle has the NFL’s top rushing offense this season as in addition to the dual-threat option of Russell Wilson playing a significant factor, Seattle may now have themselves a three-headed monster at running back as second-year back Rashaad Penny is coming off his first 100-yard game of his season.
Carson missed the Seahawks game last Sunday in Los Angeles with a hip injury but is set to return on Thursday night. Mike Davis has been an impressive change of pace back out of Seattle’s backfield, another back who has registered a 100-yard game this season.
It’s a unique situation for Seattle offensively, and it’s helping Russell Wilson stay on pace for a new career-high in Passer Rating at 110.2 as he’s thrown 21 touchdowns to just five interceptions.
Packers Trying To Solve Road Issues
The outlook of the Green Bay Packers’ season would be far more positive if they could manage to win a road game. After dropping all four of them to start the season, they now face back-to-back road games in Seattle and Minnesota.
CenturyLink Field has not been kind to the Packers, specifically on offense as Aaron Rodgers has just two touchdown passes to three interceptions in three games there since 2012 where the Packers have gone 0-3.
Albeit, one of those games ended in what should’ve been an interception for Green Bay on a controversial Hail Mary touchdown throw from Russell Wilson to Golden Tate, the Packers scored only 12 points in that game and Rodgers was held without a touchdown.
The Seahawks don’t have a Legion of Boom, but what they do have is team speed across the board and 70,000+ screaming and rabid fans creating chaos and hell for opposing offenses.
Seattle is only 1-2 at home this season, but that didn’t mean the opposing team had much fun playing in this environment. If Green Bay wants to stay in contention for their division, they have to win this game on Thursday night.
Is The Answer To Green Bay’s Offensive Troubles Aaron Jones?
The Green Bay Packers are coming off a 31-12 rout of the Miami Dolphins at Lambeau Field, and the highlight of the game was the play of second-year running back Aaron Jones.
Jones rushed for a career-high 145 rushing yards on just 15 carries to go along with two scores vs. the Miami Dolphins. Injuries have slowed the 23-year-old back early in his career, and that may be the Packers thinking when Jones is averaging only 10.4 carries per game, but with a unproven receiving core and injury-riddled Randall Cobb, is that the right choice?
Mike McCarthy is the man calling the plays for the Green Bay Packers and there have only been two games this season where the defense or poor play forced Green Bay into going into a pass-heavy catch-up approach. Jones played in both of those games after missing the first two games of the season.
Jones at five-foot-nine and 208 pounds is a loud to handle, and he’s plenty strong once he makes contact into a defender as he keeps his legs churning for more yards. The Packers haven’t had a back like this since Ryan Grant, yeah, a long time ago you might be thinking.
Rodgers is often not throwing the ball to an open man and is forced into holding the ball the more double teams Davante Adams and Jimmy Graham see each game, so Jones getting a increase in touches could change Green Bay’s fortunes moving forward.
What are your thoughts on this Week 11 matchup in Seattle? Leave your comments below!