The Green Bay Packers head west to face the Seattle Seahawks in a battle between two teams looking to clinch playoff berths in the NFC. The Packers are 9-4 on the season while the Seahawks are 8-5. Green Bay lost to the Detroit Lions 34-31 last Thursday. Meanwhile, the Seahawks defeated the Arizona Cardinals 30-18 last Sunday. The Packers will enter this game with three extra days of rest. Here are the keys to victory for the Packers in their Week 15 matchup with the Seattle Seahawks.

The Packers lead the all-time series between these two teams 12-8-0 in the regular season. The two teams first met in 1976, which was Seattle’s first season in the NFL. The Packers have won three of the four playoff meetings between the clubs.

Here are the keys to victory for Sunday night’s game in Seattle:

Packers Keys to Victory vs Seahawks, Number One: Run Between the Tackles

The Packers biggest mismatch on offense involves the Green Bay rushing attack moving the ball between the tackles against the middle of the Seattle front seven.

Josh Jacobs runs best between the tackles, using his elusiveness to make potential tacklers miss in close quarters. The Packers also excel at double teaming one defensive lineman to create an initial hole for Jacobs to run through.

Elgton Jenkins, Josh Myers, and Sean Rhyan will have favorable matchups against Leonard Williams, Bryon Murphy, and ex-Packers lineman Jarran Reed.

The numbers don’t lie. The Packers offense is fifth in the league in rushing yards per game while the Seahawks defense ranks 21st. Opponents have gained 4.7-yards per rush against Seattle.

When running between the tackles, the differences is even greater. According to Next Gen Stats, Jacobs leads the NFL in yards gained between the tackles while Seattle’s defense is 31st in the league at yards allowed between the tackles this season.

The Packers need to get Jacobs going early and feed him often in this game.

Number Two: Get Pressure on Geno Smith

Pass blocking remains another area where the Seahawks struggle. Quarterback Geno Smith has been sacked 40 times this season and his effectiveness goes down substantially when he’s under pressure.

The right side of the Seahawks line is particularly vulnerable. Right Tackle Abraham Lucas may be the shakiest of the group. Can Rashan Gary, Lukas Van Ness, Brenton Cox, and Kingsley Enagbare put pressure on Smith?

When Smith has a clean pocket, he’s a very dangerous quarterback. He’s thrown 10 picks when under pressure but completes 77 percent of his passes when he has a clean pocket.

Getting pressure on Smith will be vital for the Green Bay defense. If the Packers can’t get pressure using only the front four, Jeff Hafley will have to dial up different blitz packages to get the job done.

Packers Keys to Victory vs Seahawks, Number Three: Contain Jaxon Smith-Njigba and DK Metcalf

If the Packers can’t get pressure on the quarterback, they will have their hands full trying to cover dangerous receivers like Jaxon Smith-Njigba and DK Metcalf.

Rookie Smith-Njigba leads the team with 75 catches and 911 yards receiving. He provides the Seahawks with a dangerous downfield weapon who is elusive and has good hands. Metcalf is more of a deep threat who has hurt the Packers too many times before.

The Packers hope to have Jaire Alexander back for Sunday night’s game. Alexander was a full participant at Wednesday’s practice. Getting him back could help the defense take away one receiver or one side of the field on many plays. That would be a big boost for the Packers.

The Packers will also need Keisean Nixon and Carrington Valentine to play well to counter the Seahawks receiving depth.

Hafley will likely continue to try to take away the big play and force the Seahawks to go on long, sustained drives to score points. Smith-Njigba and Metcalf will likely get some catches, but the Packers have to limit their impact.

Number Four: Protect Jordan Love

Seattle’s pass rush has been average this season. They rank 18th in the league with 31 sacks through 13 contests. They get the job done by committee, with Leonard Williams leading the way with seven sacks. Derick Hall is next with six followed by Boye Mafe with five. Byron Murphy has been improving as a pass rusher in recent games as well.

The Packers will need their offensive line to play better than they did last week against Detroit. The Lions were able to get pressure on Love, especially early in the game, even if they didn’t get many sacks.

Jordan Love needs time to throw to find his receivers whether it’s checkdowns to Tucker Kraft or long field stretching passes to Christian Watson. They also need to get Jayden Reed more involved in the offense after ignoring him last week.

Packers Keys to Victory vs Seahawks, Number Five: Don’t Let the Seahawks Run the Football

The Seahawks run game struggled for most of the season, but they’ve come on lately, especially during the team’s four-game winning streak. While the offense is only averaging 95.4-yards per game for the season which ranks them 27th in the league, last week, they ran wild over the Cardinals. Zach Charbonnet led the way when he gained 134 yards and scored two touchdowns on 22 carries. As a result of the Seahawks success running the ball, Smith was able to complete 24-of-30 passes for 233 yards and a touchdown.

The Packers run defense has been better this season. They are ninth in the league and are giving up an average of 106.9-yards per game.

Keeping the Seahawks from running effectively will help the Packers get pressure on Smith and keep the Seattle attack one dimensional. This will be important for the Packers defense who hope to have Edgerrin Cooper back to help stop the run.

Number Six: Win the Turnover Battle

The Packers have an edge in turnover differential. Green Bay is a plus-nine this season while Seattle is a minus-four.

Look for the Green Bay secondary, led by safety Xavier McKinney, to make at least one interception against Smith.

Love has done a better job of keeping the ball out of harm’s way recently and needs to continue to avoid costly mistakes.

If the Packers win the turnover battle, or even break even, they have a much better chance to win the game.

 

Prediction:

The Packers will look to get back on track after last Thursday’s disappointing loss to Detroit. The Seahawks will not be an easy opponent, they have won four straight games and are in the fight for the NFC West title.

The Packers will need to run the football to set up the pass to have the best chance to win. Getting pressure on Smith, who is prone to mistakes when pressured but elite when throwing from a clean pocket, will also be important.

This game will be close, but the Packers should get their first win in Seattle since 2008.

Packers 31, Seahawks 28

 

 

 

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