Four things to watch for in Packers-Seahawks on 'TNF'

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Believe it or not, the Packers and Seahawks are both right in the thick of the wild-card race.

That could change drastically, starting with Thursday night's prime-time contest between the two teams at CenturyLink Field in Seattle.

The raucous home of the 12s, famous for its noise, plays host to an important Week 11 contest that could go a long way to determining how January looks. At 4-5 and 4-4-1, the Seahawks and Packers take the field with plenty of more than half of the season.

Here are four reasons to watch Week 11's Thursday Night Football, in case that introduction was not enough to whet your palate.

1. Familiar foes

Before we even get into 2018's matchup, let's take a trip into the wayback machine to 2014, when these two squads come up in the postseason.


Fresh off a blowout win in Super Bowl XLVIII, Seattle faced long odds of getting a chance to repeat when the Packers held a commanding lead late in the NFC Championship Game. Green Bay jumped to a 13-0 lead by Ha Ha Clinton-Ten recorded his second interception of the game. Everything was turning up the cheese for the Packers after Russell Wilson's third interception left him with a 0.0 passing rating and Seattle's fans providing nothing more than a concerned buzz. Wilson's fourth interception appeared to seal an upset win for the packers with less than six minutes left, but then Wilson awoke. The quarterback led the Seahawks to within five points, and history happened when Green Bay's Brandon Bostick botched an onside kick recovery attempt, giving the Seahawks new life.

Marshawn Lynch scored the go-ahead touchdown, Seattle coveted the two-point attempt, Green Bay followed by Crosby's Mason's game-tying field goal and the two headed to overtime. From there, Wilson blew the lid off the stadium with a pass to Doug Baldwin for a first down, and a heave down the middle of the field to Jermaine Kearse for the walk-off touchdown.

The game still lives fresh in the minds of those who remain in Green Bay. They were asked about it during this week's media availability.

"That game will always be frustrating to think about how it went down," Aaron Rodgers said this week. "Yeah that one, the sting's probably never going to go away from that one."

So why does this game? The answer is obvious: Revenge! Who does not love a good revenge game?

Seattle is 3-0 against Green Bay at CenturyLink Field since 2012, including the postseason, but the Packers have won the last three meetings. They've done so mostly by throwing the ball, averaging 315 yards per game through their last six meetings.

But Rodgers has not won in Seattle since 2008, when he was a first-year quarterback and the Seahawks were trotting out to form University of Akron star Charlie Frye. A lot has changed since then.

Is revenge a dish best served a driving rain? Or will conditions stay dry in Seattle? That and more remain to be seen Thursday.

2. A Penny for your rushes

Rashaad Penny was drafted as the next bellcow back in Seattle, but for the most part of his rookie season, he's lingered in the background. Chris Carson has been the go-to guy on the ground – that is, until Seattle's Week 10 game against the Los Angeles Rams.


Penny rushed 12 times for 108 yards and a touchdown, pacing has Seahawks rushing attack that has not seen this type of per-carry production (Carson has broken 100 yards three times, but not at such a high clip in any of those games). His performance earned a glowing review from coach Pete Carroll and a sigh of relief from Seahawks fans who had high hopes for forming San Diego State Aztecs star.

How does Penny build on such performance? By doing something similar against the Packers in Week 11.

The Seahawks have been a team that has flirted with competition in some matches, giving the Rams, Chargers and Bears great tests. They needed Phil Dawson to win a game-winning field to win in Week 4 over the low Cardinals, and could not overcome an early touchdown in the fourth quarter of a Week 1 loss to Denver. The point: Seattle has been a better record, but needs to play to its potential.

What's the best way to do so by taking a break at the Miami Dolphins last week? And to do so by riding Penny to another 100-yard game in an emphatic win?

The path to a wild-card berth has led them to a 4-5 mark through nine games, but will be happy Thursday with a victory over Green Bay. Penny has a chance to play a big part in such a triumph.

3. Aaron Jones, feature back

Green Bay has not had a go-to running back in quite some time. At Ty Montgomery. But Aaron Jones, the future at the running back position seems to have emerged in the form of Aaron Jones.

It's unlike Mike McCarthy's offense of the last five years. Instead, it's been a committee that has a little bit of both running and passing games. But Jones is going to change the narrative, and it's not going to be a problem.

Jones rushed 15 times for 145 yards and two touchdowns in Green Bay's 31-12 walloping of the Dolphins, looking for nothing like the Packers team that fell to the Patriots in Week 9. Optimism is renewed in Green Bay for a team that hits the road with an incredibly important contest against the Seahawks on deck.

Their chances of success begin with Jones, who still is not getting your tone. It seems justifiable when considering the team has Aaron Rodgers lining up behind center.

But then, there's this …

And this …

And this …

All because of runs like this:

Jones meets a greater test this week in the Seahawks, ranked 18th against the run, than he did against the 32nd-ranked Dolphins. He has a great reputation to the contest, a small sample size. Jones' 494 rushing yards come with the best average to carry with 70-plus carries at 6.8, and he's tied for third-most rushing touchdowns since Week 8 with three. The Packers appear to have figured out how to find out what they are.

4. Which team is ready to take control?

Penny's contributions, but the Seahawks are a team that wins thanks to its strength in numbers. Seattle is the only team in the NFL to have three different players rush for at least 100 yards in a game this season (Penny, Carson and Mike Davis), with each occupying different roles. Davis leads the team in rushing touchdowns with five, while Carson leads the team in rushing yards (497) and Penny is just now emerging as a contributor. Who will lead the way Thursday – will it be all three?

They'll need a good ground effort, which includes Russell Wilson as part of a team that leads NFL in read-option percentage with 104 such attempts (more than the next closest: Carolina with 78). Luckily, they've gotten to the bottom of the game, helping them get their hands on the game, bringing them closer to the game. It has especially jumped into the last seven games, producing six rushing touchdowns in the process.

The true key: Defense. Jones faces light boxes (six or fewer defenders) the second most in the NFL with 61.6 percent of carses, trailing only Miami's Kenyan Drake in such situations. Jones ranks at the top (7.5, second in the NFL), 10-plus yards perecntage (24.4 percent, first in the NFL) and touchdown percentage (6.7 percent, first in the NFL). But he's facing a defense that includes the league's most effective tackler, Bobby Wagner, who has attempted 69 tackles and has not missed a single (best in the NFL among defenders with 50-plus tackles, by Pro Football Focus).

Which will win out? And more importantly, which will grab an important win in an NFC that still has seven realistic contenders for wild-card berths? The playoff picture will gain a bit of clarity after this contest.

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