The Seattle Seahawks dismantled the Carolina Panthers 31-17 in the Divisional Round. Russell Wilson was spectacular throwing three touchdown passes. The Seattle secondary picked off Cam Newton of the Carolina Panthers twice with Kam Chancellor’s returning his all the way for a pick-six. The Seattle defense will have a harder challenge this week against Aaron Rodgers and the Packers’ offense.

The Green Bay Packers gutted out an impressive win at home against the Cowboys. The Cowboys offense played nearly flawless. Dez Bryant nearly tied the game late in the fourth quarter with a spectacular catch, which was later ruled incomplete because he did not maintain control of the ball all the way to the ground through the catch. This week against the Seahawks, the Packers’ offensive-line will need to play near perfect to protect a less mobile Aaron Rodgers.

Seahawks Vs Packers NFC Championship Odds

Here are the odds from Betonline.ag

Packers +7 (-100)
Seahawks -7 (-120)

Packers (+255)
Seahawks (-305)

Over/Under 46.5

Team Breakdowns

Seahawks: The number one objective of Seattle’s defense is pressuring Aaron Rodgers. In the Divisional Round against the Cowboys, Aaron Rodgers was obviously struggling to move around in the pocket. The Seahawks pass-rush must get to Rodgers and force him to rush his throws. The Seahawks must make Rodgers off-balance and afraid to step up in the pocket. This will force Rodgers to throw errant passes and will prevent him from checking down to his third and fourth options. With Rodgers needing time in the pocket, the Seahawks must overpower the Packers at the line of scrimmage. The defensive-backs of Seattle must press the wide-receivers of the Packers at the line of scrimmage. Seattle has the advantage in the secondary against the Packers’ receivers. With Richard Sherman on Jordy Nelson, Rodgers will have to look elsewhere and fast. The speed of Seattle’s secondary could spell trouble for Green Bay.

Packers: Aaron Rodgers and the Packer’s offense are going to have to pull out all the stops. The Seattle defense has shut down their previous seven opponents. The Packers will need to think outside the box. Rodgers will need to take his shots down field early. The offensive-line needs to protect Rodgers and give him enough time for his third and fourth options to get open. To beat Seattle, the Packers will need offensive-balance. In the Divisional Round, against the Panthers, Seattle gave up 132 rushing yards. Eddie Lacy will need to have a major impact on this game. Eddie Lacy and John Kuhn make up one of the best remaining half-back/full-back duos. It is not easy to run on Seattle, but Green Bay will need Lacy and Kuhn to keep the Seahawks on the field. Time of possession is always important, and that’s especially true of the road team. Green Bay’s best chance to beat Seattle is by dominating the time of possession. Green Bay needs to manage the clock for at least 35 minutes to pull off the upset.

Free Pick

The Packers will keep this game close. Their offense is going to struggle against the Seahawks’ turnover happy secondary, but expect a one score differential. Seattle has played great since their last loss, but all of their opponents were weaker than this Packers team. Rodgers needs to find away to keep Jordy Nelson involved. When Jordy Nelson is a major contributor, the Packers offense cannot be stopped. Seattle’s defense is known for not disguising their coverage. The Packers must consider trying to catch the Seahawks off guard. Green Bay needs to incorporate a wrinkle into their offense that will force the Seahawks to react and adjust. If the Packers try to line-up without an element of surprise for Seattle’s defense, they will lose the physical battle. Expect the Seahawks to hold off a late Packers push for the victory.

Seattle Seahawks 33 Green Bay Packers 28

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