Packers-Seahawks scouting report Week 16

The Packers (9-5) host the Seahawks (5-9) on Sunday in their final home game of the regular season.  The Pack looks to bounce back off a tough high scoring affair to the Steelers.  The Seahawks will try and get back in the win column after getting pasted by the Buccaneers at home.  This is a matchup of the two teams to have lost to Tampa Bay this season.  Seattle is just a bad team in transition after showing their general manager Tim Ruskell the door.  Former coach Mike Holmgren was offered a front office post and chose the Browns instead.  The whole shakeup with Holmgren and Ruskell is a weird one to me.  I believe both Directors of Football Operations Reggie McKenzie and John Schneider are good candidates for jobs in Cleveland.   

Jim Mora’s job may be up in the air after one season with a new general manager.  Its not all Mora’s fault the team has failed to live up to expectations this season.  Losing the projected left side of your offensive line Walter Jones and Mike Wahle before the season starts isn’t a recipe for success.  Matt Hasselbeck has looked old this year as the talent around him has fallen off.  I still view Hasselbeck as a capable quarterback.  The one complaint I have of Mora is his resistance to use Justin Forsett over Julius Jones in the backfield.  Forsett is used like Mike Sherman used to trot out Tony Fisher.  Forsett should be the main guy with Jones serving in a complementary role.  I’m tired of hearing that a back is too small to carry the load.  I don’t buy into that crap with committee backfields the rage around the league. 

Now to the rankings the Packers rank 6th in total offense, while the Seahawks are 22nd.  Both teams use the zone blocking scheme but the Pack is more efficient.  Green Bay is 15th in rushing offense with 115.9 yards per game and Seattle is 28th at 93.6 yards per game.  Defensively is where gap between these two teams widens.  The Packers are 2nd in total defense with 290.9 yards per game.  The Seahawks are 24th with 355.9 yards per game.  On the ground the Packers give up 3.6 yards per rush good for the 2nd in the league, where the Seahawks give up 4.2 yards per carry good for 13th.  The Seahawks have allowed the 3rd most receptions with 341 as the Packers have done much better giving up only 256 receptions for 28th in the NFL.  Its no wonder Aaron Rodgers is among the top ranked quarterbacks this week.    

The tight ends are the guys I look to have big days in the passing game.  John Carlson is the Seahawks best option in the receiving corps.  T.J. Housmanzadeh hasn’t been as good as expected.  Nate Burleson is doubtful to play in this game.  Packers tight end Jermichael Finley has established himself in the passing attack since returning from injury.  31 catches for 302 yards and 3 touchdowns in 5 weeks is top flight production from the tight end position.  (Fall Guy Stuntman Association is hoping for another monster day from the young tight end in their league championship game.)  I would strongly recommend playing all of your Packers on both sides of the ball this week.  The length of the leash for Mason Crosby is getting shorter among some of the fans.   

Green Bay’s Clay Nation is getting more national publicity week in and week out.  Clay Matthews should win the defensive rookie of the year.  With sacks in 5 of the last 6 games Matthews has brought consistent heat off the edge.  18 total tackles in the last 3 games show him becoming more of a force in run support as well.  Brad Jones had 5 tackles and 2 sacks last week against the Steelers.  Jones shares time with Brady Poppinga, but may deserve a longer look. 

Green Bay could clinch a playoff berth in front of the home fans at Lambeau Field on Sunday, the place where it clinched its last postseason berth in 2007 in Week 14.  There are three scenarios by which Green Bay could clinch a playoff spot this weekend: 1) Packers win AND Cowboys loss; 2) Packers win AND Giants loss or tie; 3) Packers tie AND Giants loss.  The Giants play at home against Carolina at noon, while the Cowboys are in Washington to take on the Redskins Sunday night.  At 9-5, Green Bay stands ahead of Dallas (9-5) and the New York Giants (8-6) for the top NFC Wild Card seed. By virtue of its Week 10 win over the Cowboys, Green Bay holds the first tiebreaker over Dallas.

I usually try and get my game recaps up within an hour of the conclusion of the game.  This week, I’ll be at the game cheering on passes Jermichael Finley.  My game recap will be up later that night.  Thanks for your support and happy holidays.

Tags: Clay Nation, Jermichael Finley, Mike Holmgren, Packers, Seahawks