Green Bay Packers tight end Jimmy Graham caught only 11 passes and averaged a little over 12 receiving yards per game over the final six games of the 2019 season, but the former Seattle Seahawk should have an opportunity to do some damage against his former team during Sunday’s NFC Divisional Round game at Lambeau Field.
The Seahawks have struggled covering tight ends for much of the 2019 season.
In fact, only the Dallas Cowboys gave up more catches to tight ends this season, while only the Arizona Cardinals gave up more receiving yards to the position. The Seahawks allowed tight ends to catch 97 passes for 1,066 yards.
Graham caught only 38 passes in 2019, his lowest in a season since his rookie year in 2010.
Seahawks coach Pete Carroll isn’t overlooking a player he coached for two seasons.
“He’s such a monster of a player and athlete that you know he can just make things happen,” Carroll said, via 710 ESPN in Seattle. “We’ll give him a lot of respect.”
Over the last five weeks of the regular season, the Seahawks gave up big games to Zach Ertz (12 catches, 91 yards), Kyle Rudolph (four catches, 50 yards, TD), Tyler Higbee (seven catches, 116 yards) and George Kittle (seven catches, 86 yards).
Last week, the Seahawks allowed nine catches for 117 yards to Ertz and Dallas Goedert.
The one problem: Although he has a rich history of being a dominant pass-catching tight end, Graham no longer presents a significant threat in the passing game, and his remaining athleticism can’t match Ertz, Higbee or Kittle.
The Packers just need Graham to take advantage of every opportunity that comes his way Sunday.
In Detroit in Week 17, Graham was open up the seam on the first play from scrimmage but dropped the pass. That’s the kind of play Graham must finish against the Seahawks.
The Packers have paid Graham a little over $22 million over the last two years. He likely won’t be back in 2020. If ever there was a time for Graham to come alive and positively affect a big game, it’s now.
Also, don’t discount the possibility of the Packers using Robert Tonyan or rookie Jace Sternberger in the passing game on Sunday, especially if coach Matt LaFleur and quarterback Aaron Rodgers like the matchups against the Seahawks defense and want more speed to execute specific concepts for the position.
