The Seattle Seahawks have advanced to the divisional round of the playoffs for the first time since the 2016 season and will travel to Green Bay to face a particularly challenging foe in the Packers.
Lambeau Field has become a house of horrors for the Seahawks in the 21st Century, as Seattle has lost its last eight games on the frozen tundra. In fact, the last time the Seahawks managed to beat the Packers in Green Bay was November of 1999.
To give that some perspective, in 1999 Mike Holmgren was coaching his first year in Seattle, Matt Hasselbeck was still Brett Favre’s backup in Green Bay, and Russell Wilson was only 10 years old.
Since then the Seahawks have only known misery when traveling to Green Bay, not just in the regular season, but in the playoffs as well. Seattle was blown out 42-20 in the 2007 playoffs, and suffered one of the franchises’ most embarrassing moments during a 2003 wild-card game.
Tied at 27-27, the Seahawks won the coin toss in overtime. Then-quarterback Matt Hasselbeck proudly exclaimed “we want the ball and we’re gonna score.” The Packers then proceeded to pick off Hasselbeck on the first play of overtime and return it for a game-winning touchdown.
Fast forward to the Russell Wilson and Pete Carroll era, the poor luck has continued. In three career trips to Lambeau, Wilson has only led the Seahawks offense to 17, 10, and nine points, respectively. He also only has three touchdowns against six total interceptions, including a disastrous five-pick game in 2016. The last trip to Green Bay Wilson was unable to even find the end zone.
For whatever reason, the Packers always seem to have Wilson and Seattle’s number.
Prediction: Packers over Seahawks 20-13
Despite being 13-3, the Packers are hardly world-beaters. However, they are considerably healthier and better rested than the Seahawks.
With winter weather bringing the cold and snow, the Packers will likely run their offense behind the legs of running back Aaron Jones to control the clock and keep Wilson off the field. As Jones gets going, quarterback Aaron Rodgers should face little resistance from an inconsistent pass rush and suspect secondary.
Defensively, the Packers secondary is quite stingy, and the best way to attack them is on the ground. Unfortunately, the Seahawks cannot run the football. Against the Eagles, running backs Travis Homer and Marshawn Lynch had 19 yards on 17 total carries.
Expect a sloppy, low-scoring affair to close out the divisional round.
