NFL Season Opener 2014: Kickoff Time and Odds for Packers vs. Seahawks

Last time the Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks played at CenturyLink Field, it featured one of the most controversial finishes in NFL history. This time around will be tame by comparison, with two NFC favorites kicking off the start of the 2014 season. 

The Packers always enter the year with high expectations thanks to Aaron Rodgers. He's proved himself to be the best quarterback in the NFL since 2008 and is able to hide many of Green Bay's deficiencies in other areas. 

The Seahawks' stock has never been higher coming off the franchise's first Super Bowl title. Their offseason was fairly quiet, though noteworthy thanks to extensions for Richard Sherman and Earl Thomas. Now, they have all the pressure on their shoulders as the champions. 

In anticipation of Thursday's season opener, here is all the information you need to know before the Packers and Seahawks kick things off. 

Where: CenturyLink Field in Seattle, Washington

When: Thursday, Sept. 4

Start Time: 8:30 p.m. ET

Watch: NBC

Live Stream: NBC Live Extra

Betting Line: Seahawks (-5)

Note: Spread via Oddsshark.com

Game Preview

Mike Roemer/Associated Press

Even more than their outstanding defense, Seattle is known for a raucous home crowd that can be disruptive to opposing offenses. It's hard enough for even the most experienced players to play there, let alone someone making their first career start. 

That's the case for Green Bay center Corey Linsley, who was taken by the Packers in the fifth round of May's draft and is going to take his first game snaps with Rodgers during the Packers' first possession due to a leg injury suffered by original starter JC Tretter.

Seahawks linebacker Bruce Irvin was sympathetic to Linsley's cause, telling reporters that he will be thinking about the rookie when the game starts, via ESPN.com:

"

I'm going to pray for him. It's going to be a long night, man. We've got to just take advantage of it.

...

All the weaknesses that [Linsley] shows us, we've got to expose it. Hopefully, (Brandon Mebane) going to do what I know he's going to do to him. So, we've just got to be ready.

"

That's a storyline not getting a lot of attention right now, though it's important to remember that Rodgers was sacked 21 times in nine regular-season games last year. He missed seven games with a broken collarbone, so durability could start to become an issue as he gets older. 

When you put a first-year center in this kind of environment, don't be surprised if there are a few nerves and early snaps. Let's just hope it doesn't happen on the first play, resulting in a 43-8 blowout like we saw when Seattle last played a meaningful game. 

Even though there wasn't a lot of noise out of Seattle this offseason, it's going to be interesting watching Russell Wilson operate. He's been terrific in his two seasons, throwing 52 touchdowns and completing 63.6 percent of his passes. 

However, Wilson will be without his favorite target, Golden Tate, who signed with Detroit this offseason. Tate caught 109 passes and 12 touchdowns from Wilson over the last two years, The front office did draft Paul Richardson out of Colorado in the second round, but realistic expectations for the rookie aren't going to be high. 

Of course, the loss of Tate didn't seem to bug Wilson in the preseason, via NFL on ESPN's Twitter feed:

You do caution about getting too excited about preseason stats, but at least Wilson showed the same level of comfort and command of the offense that we've seen over the last two years. 

The Seahawks are still going to be a run-first team and have the right guy in the backfield to do that with Marshawn Lynch, so the pressure doesn't fall on Wilson as much as it does a quarterback like Rodgers or Peyton Manning. 

On the defensive side, we know what Seattle is going to do. What are the Packers going to look like? They lost B.J. Raji to an injury already and are hoping to get the good version of Julius Peppers to upgrade a pass rush that is looking for a dominant pass-rusher to take pressure off Clay Matthews. 

At 34, Peppers certainly isn't the imposing figure he once was. He fell out of favor in Chicago, a team that badly needs defensive help, leading to his release. If the Packers are getting that guy, it could be another disappointing year for this defense. 

Prediction: Seahawks 24, Packers 17

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