Packers: Lambeau Field hasn’t been kind to Russell Wilson
Russell Wilson returns to action on Sunday against the Green Bay Packers after a four-week hiatus due to a mallet finger injury suffered at the hands (or helmet) of Aaron Donald back in Week 5.
In Wilson’s succession-themed comeback video posted on Twitter, he made it a point of intent to feature a brief clip of Lambeau Field amidst the other clips which resembled someone returning from an amputation.
However Wilson’s record in Wisconsin following his departure from Camp Randall in 2012 has been far from desirable.
Russell Wilson is winless at Lambeau Field
Officially, Wilson is 0-4 at Lambeau Field with losses coming in 2015, 2016, 2017 and the 2019 NFC Divisional Round.
Russ has never cracked 300 yards or three touchdowns in a game at Lambeau, with his official passer rating a measly 71.7 — a far cry from his career mark of 102.3.
Of course, this is greatly dragged down by Wilson’s brutal five-interception game in December 2016. The Packers defense had a field day with six total turnovers, holding Seattle to just 10 points, seven of which came in garbage time.
The Seahawks’ struggles on the frozen tundra extend well beyond Wilson’s career. The Packers are 9-0 at home to the Hawks since the turn of the century, including three playoff games. In fact, the last time Seattle came to Green Bay and left victorious, they were playing in the AFC.
On the flip side, Wilson’s Seahawks are 4-0 when the Packers visit Seattle. Believe me, we don’t have to get into the intricacies of those games today.
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No love lost between frequent foes
You could argue that the Seahawks have been the Packers’ biggest rival outside of the division throughout the Aaron Rodgers era. Some of the players certainly feel that way too.
“It’s kind of like a division game for me,” Davante Adams said on Thursday. “It’s such a familiar opponent at this point.”
Adams has had insane success levels against Seattle in the past. When it comes to opponents outside of the division, only the Eagles and 49ers have had it worse than the Seahawks against #17.
Adams’ last two encounters with Seattle have both resulted in 160-yard games, and another one may be on the cards on Sunday afternoon as Adams reconnects with Aaron Rodgers for the first time since the Washington game three weeks ago.
Will Wilson’s luck turn around on Sunday?
The Packers defense Wilson will be facing has some new faces compared to the last one he came up against in January 2020. De’Vondre Campbell is a significant step up from Blake Martinez and although they will be sans Za’Darius Smith, third-year player Rashan Gary is a different animal now compared to what he was when he last encountered the Seahawks.
The status of Eric Stokes will be huge for this game. He’s officially listed as questionable due to the knee injury he sustained in pre-game warmups last weekend. If Stokes can’t go, it’ll likely be Rasul Douglas versus Tyler Lockett and Kevin King matched up with DK Metcalf due to his size.
Stokes has been exceptional for the Packers in my opinion. The defense was just fine without him last weekend, but Seattle’s passing attack should be a lot more competent than Kansas City’s.
Official Packers vs. Seahawks prediction
There are a lot of unknowns entering Sunday’s game. If anyone can show up on Saturday and ball out on Sunday after a two-week hiatus, it’s Aaron Rodgers. If the Packers offense can hit the ground running from the outset this has the potential to be an electric game.
Wilson is probably the second-best quarterback the Packers defense has faced all year, and that’s behind Patrick Mahomes and the undeniably broken Chiefs offense. Green Bay has done a tremendous job limiting the deep passing plays all year, but nobody throws a prettier bomb than Wilson.
He and Tyler Lockett frequently linked up on downfield shots all the way up until Wilson’s finger injury. If they can pick up where they left off a month ago, this could be a game of two explosive offenses dueling it out. I think we’ll see just that. I’ve got the Packers winning 34-28 in an entertaining affair.