Packers: Seahawks expert previews key matchups in Week 11

Ahead of the Green Bay Packers’ Thursday night showdown with the Seattle Seahawks, we spoke to Lee Vowell of 12th Man Rising.

Is it too early to call this a must-win game for both the Packers and Seahawks?

Green Bay enters this game at 4-4-1, a couple of games behind the 6-3 Bears. Seattle’s hopes of winning the NFC West are all but over, but at 4-5 the Seahawks need a win to stay in contention for a wild-card berth.

Ahead of a key Thursday night meeting between these two teams, I spoke to Lee Vowell, site expert for 12th Man Rising. Be sure to check out his work for an excellent Seahawks perspective on this game.

How do you think this Seahawks team matches up with the Packers?

LV: I think this is a tough matchup for a young Seahawks secondary. Seattle is currently on a five-game run against excellent quarterbacks, though Aaron Rodgers may be the best.

Seattle did well against Matthew Stafford after a slow start but had a lot of difficulties against Philip Rivers. Now that the Packers have found a decent running back and can run the ball, that could set up Rodgers for a big game. Plus, Seattle’s pass rush is non-existent after Frank Clark and Jarran Reed.

When Seattle has the ball, though, they should be able to run against the Packers. Green Bay ranks 22nd against the rush in yards allowed per game and Seattle can run the ball. So Seattle’s chance to win will rely on Chris Carson being healthy and running well.

What have been the biggest positives and negatives for the Seahawks this year?

LV: The biggest positive is how well Seattle has been able to run the ball. The Seahawks made a concerted effort to get back to not relying solely on Russell Wilson this season. Seattle is running the ball a bit over half the time this year and it is working.

Another positive is Frank Clark. He is Seattle’s only real consistent threat at defensive end and knew that coming into the season. He has produced at a high level but will have to continue to do so.

The negatives are the overall pass rush, though. A good quarterback with a decent offensive line is going to have a lot of time to throw against Seattle.

Another negative is the play-calling on second downs, specifically. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer has been extremely inconsistent in play-calling and bad on second downs. He seems to set Seattle’s offense back on drives.

What do you think will be the key matchup on Thursday night?

LV: The key matchup will be how Rodgers controls the pace of the game. Seattle doesn’t like to get beat deep but the middle of the field has been open a lot more this season as Seattle has played more zone than man coverage. If Rodgers drives his team down for scores, Green Bay will simply outscore Seattle. If the Seahawks can get turnovers, that would most likely mean a Seattle win.

Who is one under-the-radar player that could make an impact against the Packers?

LV: Seattle’s top end talent is still mostly well known, like Russell Wilson, Bobby Wagner and Doug Baldwin. But Jarran Reed is a very good defensive tackle and is having a Pro Bowl type year. He is the inside pass rush to Frank Clark’s outside rush and the two work well together.

Reed has five sacks and seven tackles-for-loss in 2018, so if he is able to impose his will along the middle of the line, Seattle should be able to slow the Packers run game and make Green Bay a bit more predictable.

Finally, what’s your prediction for this game?

LV: I like the fact that Seattle is at home and Green Bay has struggled on the road. The Seahawks also seemed to gain confidence from their first loss of the season to the Rams. They played well enough against Los Angeles this past week to get a boon as well. I think Seattle wins 27-24.