Packers vs. Seahawks: Odds, Storylines to Watch in NFC Championship Game 2015

Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers limp to Seattle for a showdown with Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks in the 2015 NFC Championship Game.

Crazier things have happened—just ask Andrew Luck how his weekend went.

Things are as bleak as they seem for the Packers, though, and yes, an upset of the defending champions fits as "crazy" at this point. Not only is Rodgers hurt, but an earlier trip to the same venue this season resulted in a 36-16 loss.

Las Vegas fired its opening salvo of championship weekend odds in confidence largely because of what seems to be such an obvious outcome in this weekend's opening affair.

2015 NFC Championship Odds and Schedule

Date	Matchup	Start Time (ET)	Network	Odds (O/U)
Sunday, January 18	Green Bay Packers vs. Seattle Seahawks	3 p.m.	Fox	SEA -7.5 (47)

Odds courtesy of Odds Shark and accurate as of 9 p.m. ET on Jan. 11.

Early Storylines to Watch

All Things Aaron Rodgers

Mike Roemer/Associated Press

The prevailing focal point of the NFC title game centers on Rodgers in a multitude of ways. 

For one, his ability to comfortably get on the field and stay on it takes center stage. A telling quote after his team's 26-21 victory over the Dallas Cowboys in the divisional round, per the Packers on Twitter, says it all:

Rodgers was pristine in that contest, throwing for 316 yards and three scores. A note by Grant Paulsen of 106.7 The Fan's Grant & Danny Show sums up the MVP-esque performance well:

That said, there is a major difference between the Dallas secondary and the one Richard Sherman will lead onto the field next Sunday. In the Week 1 disaster, Rodgers mustered just 189 yards with a touchdown and an interception while taking a trio of sacks.

The thing is, even a healthy Rodgers could not take down the Seahawks in Seattle. It takes a superhuman effort, something it is hard to imagine the globe will witness, altered scheme to compensate for an injury or not. 

While the offense will need to compensate for an injury under center, the sluggish defense looks just that after Dallas' Tony Romo threw for 191 yards and two scores and DeMarco Murray ripped off 123 yards and a score on 25 carries.

Look, Rodgers may be on the cusp of one of the most memorable, gritty playoff performances by a star quarterback in league history.

Seattle, obviously, will have something to say about that.

Beast Mode

Hey, Wilson is important.

The guy, all 5'11" of him, creates magic in the pocket and outside of it in a number of ways. He can also take things into his own hands when necessary.

He just hasn't had to do that often as of late.

Wilson has Marshawn Lynch to thank. Lost in the hoopla of Beast Mode's shy postgame interviews is the fact that Lynch has lived up to his moniker in every way possible over the course of the past few weeks.

Faced with a tough San Francisco defense in Week 15, Lynch ripped off 91 yards and a score. The week after, he bullied his way to 113 yards and two scores on just 10 totes against Arizona. St. Louis folded the week after as he gained 60 yards and a score.

In the divisional round, Lynch received just 14 carries in a game dominated by Carolina's offense (34:03 of possession time) and ran for an efficient 59 yards.

Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images

Surely, Lynch remembers this struggling Packers defense. The unit allowed him to start the season off with a bang by way of 20 carries for 110 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Quarterbacks will continue to soak up the headlines as the title games approach, but Lynch may be the most important player on the NFC side of things. Green Bay does not have a Luke Kuechly or Thomas Davis who can put a violent end to his rushes.  

Should Beast Mode break free, Wilson and the defending champions will be at an even bigger advantage and begin to generate whispers of "dynasty" talk on the way to a second consecutive Super Bowl berth.

Stats courtesy of NFL.com. Advanced metrics via Pro Football Focus (subscription required).