Packers 2017 schedule release: Five toughest games on the schedule

4. Seattle Seahawks, Week 1

The past few seasons have seen the Packers and the Seahawks birth a rivalry between two NFC contenders. In fact, there may not be a more hated team among Packers’ fans than Pete Carroll’s bunch.

In order to create a real rivalry though, two teams have to be competitive and games have to matter, and that’s certainly been the case between Seattle and Green Bay. Expect 2017 to be no different.

The most recent matchup between these two teams came in week 14 of last season, when the Packers dismantled Seattle to the tune of a 38-10 win. Aaron Rodgers threw three touchdown passes to only five incompletions, while Ty Montgomery added a score on the ground and Davante Adams finished with four catches for 104 yards and a score.

From the fans’ perspective, the bad blood from the 2014 NFC Championship game will likely linger for basically ever. Certainly those members of the Green Bay squad that blew a late lead that day won’t forget it either.

But in terms of the current iterations of both squads, the important piece of information to remember is that this game will take place at Lambeau Field, where the Packers hold a distinct advantage. The Seahawks are a dramatically different team on the road than they are at home.

In 2016, Seattle lost just one game at CenturyLink Field on their way to a 10-5-1 record. Conversely, every one of the Seahawks’ five losses came on the road.

No doubt this will be one of the more difficult games on the Packers’ schedule, but the fact that it comes at home should make Green Bay sleep a little easier.