SEAHAWKS AT PACKERS
OVERVIEW
The Packers are back to .500 thanks to a 21- 13 home victory over the Houston Texans – their second consecutive win with 13 points allowed to a bad offense following 153 points permitted during a four- game slide. The Seahawks, offensive line issues and all, are perhaps as dangerous as any team in the league right now, having dropped 40 points and 534 total yards on the Panthers Sunday night. Strange things tend to happen when these teams collide, be it the “Fail Mary” game in 2012 or the Packers’ stunning 2014 divisional- round collapse in Seattle. Any further collapses or failure from this current Packers bunch would likely signal the end of their seven straight seasons with a playoff berth. Yet with Aaron Rodgers and Jordy Nelson again bordering on unstoppable, and the Packers getting healthier with RG T. J. Lang ( foot) and ILB Blake Martinez ( knee) nearing returns, Green Bay just might have enough left in the tank to make good on Rodgers’ prediction of “running the table.” Or, at least positioning themselves to make a trip to the Motor City in Week 17 with the division on the line for a fourth consecutive season. In addition to a dominant fourth quarter from Rodgers and Nelson, the Packers received a major boost Sunday from Julius Peppers, who dropped a QB for a third consecutive game to move into No. 5 on the all- time sacks list with 142 ½ , and corner Ladarius Gunter.
MATCHUP TO WATCH
Nelson vs. Seahawks CB Richard Sherman should be worth the price of admission. Nelson is regaining his explosion with each passing week removed from his August 2015 ACL tear. Sherman has at least four picks for the fourth time in five seasons and has expanded his repertoire to include star treatment across the field. Keep an eye on former Seahawks RB Christine Michael and converted receiver Ty Montgomery, who appear to have supplanted James Starks in Green Bay’s moribund backfield pecking order. Seattle can be run on nowadays, and even as Mike McCarthy morphs further into a spread attack, he knows the run game is critical, especially if Week 13’ s snowy conditions reappear.