The Red Zone Report | NFC Divisional Round Preview: Seattle at Green Bay.

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NFC Divisional Round Preview: Seattle at Green Bay.

By Eddie Griffin ⋅ January 11, 2008 ⋅ Subscribe to The Red Zone Report

Who can forget the last time the Seahawks and Packers tangled in the postseason?

If you don’t remember, let’s flash back. It was the 2003 wild-card round, and it was an OT thriller in the tundra. Tied at 27 heading into the extra period, the Seahawks won the toss, and Matt Hasselbeck made a fateful declaration that would come back to bite him: “We want the ball, and we’re going to score.”

On the Seahawks’ second possession, they faced a 3^rd and 11 from their 45. Hasselbeck dropped to throw, fired, and watched as corner Al Harris picked off the pass and streaked down the sideline for a season-ending, 52-yard touchdown.

That was Green Bay’s last playoff victory, as the next week, they let one slip away in Philly on the 4^th and 26, and then, in the 2004 wild-card round, Minnesota went into Lambeau and won 31-17.

Tomorrow, the two teams will tangle with a trip to the NFC title game on the line, and even though both teams rarely see each other, there will be plenty of familiarity around, with Mike Holmgren returning to his old stomping grounds, along with Hasselbeck, who’ll be sure to keep the words at a minimum if the game goes to OT. And, former ‘Hawk receiver Koren Robinson will make his first appearance against the team that drafted him 9^th overall in 2001, and who he played his first four seasons with.

But, reunions will be the last thing on any of these guys’ minds as they look to put their teams one step closer to the promised land.

Who’s going to come out on top? I break down the what’s, how’s, and why’s inside.

Offense: We know both teams can throw it, and that’s their bread and butter on offense, so let’s focus on the running game.

Seattle may have Shaun Alexander, but I’ll take production over the name. After rushing for 1,880 yards and 27 touchdowns in the Seahawks’ Super Bowl season in ‘05, Alexander has run for 1,612 yards and 11 touchdowns in the two injury and inconsistency-plagued seasons since. He’s coming off of a 15-carry, 46-yard day against the Redskins. But, he may well be due for a big game, and at the least, he and Maurice Morris are going to have to produce.

As for the Packers, they didn’t have a run game for the early part of the season, but that’s before the revelation that was Ryan Grant. Grant ran for 100 yards or more five times in the last nine games, finishing with 956 yards and eight touchdowns. And, when Grant needs a breather, Mike McCarthy can call on rookie Brandon Jackson, who finally flashed his potential in the regular-season finale against Detroit, running for 113 yards.

Edge: Packers

Defense: Seattle’s run defense shut Clinton Portis down last week, holding him to 52 yards on 20 carries. But, it was the pass defense that sewed the game up, with interception returns for scores by Marcus Trufant and Jordan Babineaux in the final minutes.

The Seahawks give up a lot of yards through the air, but as last week showed, they can make plays, especially Trufant, who picked off seven passes in the regular season. It helps to have Patrick Kerney (14.5 sacks), Julian Peterson (9.5 sacks), and Darryl Tapp (seven sacks) getting after the QB and forcing him into mistakes.

The Packers are much the same - they bend, but don’t get broken often.

Edge: Even

Special Teams: Rookie kicker Mason Crosby backed up his credentials by making 31 of 39 field goals in the regular season for Green Bay, and his strong leg can be counted on in the clutch. Punter Jon Ryan averaged 44.4 yards per punt this season.

On the other side, the Seahawks have their own clutch kicker in Josh Brown, who was 28 of 34 in the regular season. Punter Ryan Plackemeier averaged only 40 yards per punt in the regular season, but 30 of his 86 punts went inside the 20, one of the higher totals in the NFL.

Both teams are dangerous in the return game, as Seattle has three kick returns (one punt, two kickoffs) for scores this season, and Green Bay has two (both punts).

Edge: Even

Do’s And Don’ts

Seattle

Hasselbeck didn’t have his best game last week, throwing two interceptions, including one in the fourth that could have proved costly had the defense not come to the rescue. He did show his poise by guiding his team down the field for the go-ahead score, but he nor his team can afford to put themselves in a precarious position on Saturday, because they’ll be lamenting at Lambeau again.

Seattle’s secondary is going to be tested by a deep receiving corps, in Donald Driver, Greg Jennings, rookie James Jones, Robinson, and the underrated Ruvell Martin, and as quick as Brett Favre can still get the ball off, there can’t be any lapses in the secondary.

Green Bay

The offensive line has been big part of their success this season, allowing Grant to average 5.1 yards per carry, and surrendering only 15 sacks all season. With the Seahawks’ playmaking ability on defense, that O-line is going to need to continue their strong play in order to minimize the chances for mistakes.

Favre, as good as he still is, is prone to a Favre-like mistake that defies reason or explanation. Against the aforementioned playmaking defense, he’s got to use his head from snap to whistle, and not make any rash decisions that could put a dent in the Packers’ hopes.

And the Winner Is…

This has been a great ride for the Packers, and they’re not ready for it to end yet. It may be true that there’s a lack of overall experience on the team, but with guys like Favre and Charles Woodson, who have both made it past this point before, there won’t be any butterflies, at least not for long.

The road hasn’t been too kind to Seattle, as they were 3-5 away from Qwest Field in the regular season. The Seahawks weren’t tested that much in the first 17 weeks, and had struggles in some of their toughest games (losses at Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and Arizona, and at home to New Orleans). But, they did come into the postseason having won six of eight, and when the going got tough against the Redskins, they rose to the occasion and made the crucial plays in the end.

However, if they show up tomorrow afternoon and make some of the same mistakes they did against Washington, Green Bay won’t let them off the hook like the Redskins did.

That being said, this should be a pretty tight one, just like their last postseason meeting. And, just like their last postseason meeting, Green Bay should prevail and advance to the NFC title game for the first time since the 1997 season.

Prediction: Green Bay 31, Seattle 24