Green Bay Packers

How the Green Bay Packers can defeat the Seattle Seahawks in Week 14

Updated Mar. 5, 2020 2:01 a.m. ET

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Running the table requires taking down one of the Green Bay Packers’ biggest foes.

Enter the Seattle Seahawks. No introduction is required for this team. We all know the history. Oh how two words can invoke such emotion. You only need to say “Fail Mary” to a Packers fan to feel the anger felt on one Monday night in 2012. “Brandon Bostick” fuels a similar reaction. The poor guy.

But only two words matter in Titletown this week: Beat Seattle. The Seahawks enter a frozen Lambeau Field in red-hot form, winning four or their past five games, the marquee victory coming at New England.

Recent history favors Seattle in this matchup, but it’s Green Bay who won the past meeting, a 27-17 victory at home last September. A Seahawks win would be their first at Lambeau Field in the 21st century, their latest coming on November 1, 1999.

None of that matters now. Pete Carroll’s resilient team enter Lambeau as favorites, but they’ll have to overcome the loss of All-Pro safety Earl Thomas to make good on their pregame hype.

Winning the NFC North might require nothing but wins from here on out. How can the Packers make it three in a row by defeating the Seahawks?

Dec 4, 2016; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers wide receiver Ty Montgomery (88) rushes with the football during the second quarter against the Houston Texans at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Dominate time of possession

Green Bay’s defense doesn’t matchup well with Seattle’s talented offense. The Seahawks can run the ball, throw deep and attack the middle of the field with Doug Baldwin and Jimmy Graham.

Snowy conditions will likely make this a low-scoring game, but the Packers can play their best defense when the ball is with Aaron Rodgers. A key to success in Green Bay’s back-to-back victories was sustaining long, scoring drives. Russell Wilson can’t hurt you when he’s wrapped in a blanket on the sideline.

The Packers held a four-point lead late in the third quarter at Philadelphia before melting 14:49 off the clock on two scoring drives. The Eagles offense was given little time to mount a comeback.

The same was true at Lambeau last week. The Texans wrestled back momentum by tying the game up at 7-7, but the Packers killed the game with a 12-play, 98-yard touchdown drive followed with an eight-play, 89-yard scoring possession.

Running the ball and converting third downs remains the winning formula this week. Wear an Earl Thomas-less defense down in the snow with long, clock-draining drives.

Dec 4, 2016; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back Thomas Rawls (34) leaps over Carolina Panthers cornerback Daryl Worley (26) for a touchdown during the first quarter at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports

Shut down Thomas Rawls

As last week proved, throwing the football in frigid, snowy conditions is no easy task. Seattle will look to dominate up front and run the ball down Green Bay’s throats. Winning time of possession and keeping Aaron Rodgers on the sideline is as important for the Seahawks as it is the Packers.

Thomas Rawls’ return allows Seattle to opt for more run-heavy gameplans, and he delivered against a stout Carolina last week, rushing for 106 yards and two touchdowns.

If Rawls gets his way with the Packers defense, it’s game over. Don’t be fooled by Seattle’s No. 22 rushing offense ranking, Rawls’ return is a game-changer. Dom Capers’ focus must be on preventing the second-year pro from shifting out of first gear. The Packers must meet Rawls in the backfield regularly as they did Marshawn Lynch in last year’s meeting of the two teams.

That evening, Lynch was held to just 41 yards from his 15 carries, and the Packers won the game 27-17.

Much has changed in the past 15 months, but stopping the run remains the No. 1 priority against a talented Seahawks offense.

Dec 4, 2016; Green Bay, WI, USA; The Packers offense huddles in the fourth quarter as the Green Bay Packers host the Houston Texans at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Adam Wesley/Green Bay Press Gazette via USA TODAY Sports

Make the most of home field advantage

Aaron Rodgers hasn’t lost a December game in Lambeau since 2008, his first year as a starter. That’s no fluke either. The Packers thrive in frigid conditions. They are used to it.

Just last week they fought through testing conditions at home. Adjusting to the footing was problematic for both teams, but the Packers dealt with it better than their opponents. The Seahawks will face similar struggles should snow arrive Sunday as expected.

This game isn’t at CenturyLink Field, it’s played under the Packers’ terms. The Seahawks are a different beast on their own turf, far more fragile on the road. A perfect 6-0 in Seattle, the ‘Hawks haven’t travelled well with just two wins from six road trips.

If Thomas Rawls is Seattle’s key offensive chess piece, their home-road rushing splits don’t bode well. The Seahawks average 122.7 yards on the ground and have scored 11 rushing touchdowns at home, but those numbers drop to 80.3 yards with just one score all season on the road.

The Packers know what it takes to win at Lambeau this time of year, no matter how tough the opponent. The Seahawks are a massive threat to Rodgers’ incredible unbeaten streak, and they enter as favorites.

But this one’s at Lambeau. Make it count.