Seahawks at Packers: Six Things You Need to Know

The Green Bay Packers will host the Seattle Seahawks at 5:40 p.m. Sunday.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – With the Minnesota Vikings earning an upset win at the New Orleans Saints, the Seattle Seahawks will come to town for Sunday’s NFC Divisional playoff game at Lambeau Field. Green Bay has been installed as an early four-point favorite, according to BetOnline.ag. The early forecast is for a kickoff temperature in the high 20s with a slight chance for light snow.

Here’s an early look at what you need to know.

Muscle vs. Russell

This will be a matchup of the quarterbacks with the top passer ratings in NFL history. Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers is No. 1 at 102.4 while Seattle’s Russell Wilson is No. 2 at 101.2. This season, Wilson was fifth with a mark of 106.3. He’s accurate, athletic and throws one of the game’s best deep balls.

The one team that has given him some troubles, though, is Green Bay. In six career regular-season games, Wilson completed 59.7 percent of his passes with nine touchdowns, six interceptions and an 81.9 passer rating. By comparison, for his career, Wilson has completed 64.5 percent of his passes, had a 3.34 touchdown-to-interception ratio and posted a passer rating almost 20 points better.

In the infamous NFC Championship Game, he completed only 48.3 percent of his passes with one touchdown, four interceptions and a 44.3 ranking. When Seattle won at home 27-24 last season, Wilson was 21-of-31 (67.7 percent) for 225 yards with two touchdowns, zero interceptions and a 110.3 rating.

Running game on IR

The Seahawks’ offense revolves around Wilson, veteran receiver Tyler Lockett and fast-improving and imposing rookie receiver D.K. Metcalf because the running game has been wrecked by injuries. Chris Carson, one of the toughest backs in the league to tackle, finished fifth in the NFL with 1,230 rushing yards before suffering a broken hip in Week 16. Rashaad Penny, a first-round pick last year, added 370 yards and an impressive 5.7-yard average before suffering a torn ACL and missing the final three games. The leading rusher on the roster is Wilson with 342 yards on the season. On Sunday, Wilson threw for 325 yards and ran for 45 yards. Seattle's backs, including Marshawn Lynch, combined for 19 yards on 17 tries.

Legion of Boom has gone bust

For years, Seattle’s defense was defined by its defense. But those Legion of Boom defenses, which gave Rodgers such troubles, have been dismantled. Cornerback Richard Sherman is with San Francisco. Safety Earl Thomas is with Baltimore. Safety Kam Chancellor has retired. While linebacker Bobby Wagner remains and defensive lineman Jadeveon Clowney has added a versatile chess piece, Seattle finished the season ranked 23rd in points (24.9), 29th in yards allowed per play (6.02), 28th in yards allowed per rush (4.85), 21st in yards allowed per pass (7.06), 30th in sack percentage (4.68) and 26th in the red zone (61.5 percent). Seattle had allowed at least 24 points in five consecutive games before knocking out Philadelphia quarterback Carson Wentz with a concussion.

Road warriors

Including a pair of 17-9 victories over Philadelphia, the Seahawks went 8-1 on the road this season.

“No questions, we’ve been road warriors all year,” Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said before Sunday’s win over the Eagles. “Our guys have handled it well. I know why we’ve done well on the road… We’re not worried about going on the road, that’s for sure.”

Added Wagner: “We’ve just been able to come together on the road. I’ve always thought of it as a very fun environment when it’s just your group in the stadium that wants you to win, and everybody else is rooting against you. When you’re able to quiet 70,000 people, that’s a pretty fun experience.”

For what it’s worth, Seattle has lost eight in a row at Lambeau Field.

Common opponents

Both teams played San Francisco, Philadelphia and Minnesota. Green Bay lost to the 49ers and Eagles but swept the Vikings to go 2-2. The Seahawks beat the Eagles twice, split with the 49ers and beat the Vikings to go 4-1.

No such thing as too close for comfort

Both teams will be comfortable in close games. Green Bay went 8-1 for a league-best .889 winning percentage in one-score games. Including Sunday, Seattle went 11-2.