Packers vs. Seahawks: Complete NFC Championship Game Preview for Green Bay

Let the game begin. 

A rivalry renews at 3:05 p.m. ET Sunday on Fox when the Green Bay Packers (13-4) travel to the Emerald City to take on the Seattle Seahawks (13-4) at CenturyLink Field. 

The winner stakes its claim as the NFC’s best team and punches a ticket to Super Bowl XLIX on February 1 in Glendale, Arizona. 

The loser goes home with a sour taste in its mouth, knowing how close it came to the game’s greatest stage. 

"

#NFC Championship Game features #Seahawks D allowing fewest points in #NFL vs. Aaron Rodgers, #Packers O scored most points

— Ed Werder (@Edwerderespn) January 16, 2015"

These teams met Week 1 at the NFL opener in Seattle, with the Seahawks punching Green Bay in the mouth and coasting to a 36-16 victory. The Hawks were balanced in the lopsided victory, totaling 207 yards rushing and 191 yards passing. 

Seattle comes off a dominant 31-17 win over Carolina in the divisional round. Quarterback Russell Wilson was ridiculously efficient, throwing for 268 yards on a 15-of-22 passing line. 

Divisional Round Recap

Mike McGinnis/Getty Images

Unfortunately, the Packers’ thrilling 26-21 victory over the Dallas Cowboys will be remembered more for its officiating than the stellar comeback and gutsy play from Aaron Rodgers. 

Green Bay’s All-Pro quarterback went 9-of-9 in the fourth quarter—the most attempts without an incompletion in the fourth quarter of a playoff game in 25 years—including throwing the game-winning touchdown to rookie tight end Richard Rodgers in the fourth quarter. 

"

Still think Aaron Rodgers' TD throw to Richard Rodgers was the best throw I've seen all season. That was nuts.

— Ian Kenyon (@IanKenyonNFL) January 12, 2015"

On the ensuing drive, with less than five minutes remaining, the Cowboys faced 4th-and-2 at Green Bay’s 32-yard line. Despite an effective day from DeMarco Murray (23 carries, 123 yards), Dallas went with an empty backfield versus Green Bay’s pressure look. 

Tony Romo took a deep shot down the left sideline to Dez Bryant, who leapt over Sam Shields to make a ridiculous catch at the 1-yard line—or so it seemed. What a great time for Mike McCarthy to win his first challenge of the season. 

Referee Gene Steratore ruled that Bryant did not complete the process of the catch—the “Calvin Johnson rule”—and the Packers converted two third downs to run out the clock. 

"

#Packers' Aaron Rodgers acknowledges the crowd as he walks off the field after GBP defeated the Cowboys on Sunday. pic.twitter.com/msJgSGXDBQ

— Evan Siegle (@PGevansiegle) January 11, 2015"

News and Notes

Chris Trotman/Getty Images

Pluck and Cover

Interceptions sparked the Packers’ 2010 postseason run to the Super Bowl, but they’ll be hard to come by against the stingy Russell Wilson, writes Packers.com senior writer Mike Spofford. Wilson’s seven interceptions this season ranked third-best in the league behind Rodgers (five) and Alex Smith (six), and he’s thrown just one interception in six postseason starts. The Packers have yet to intercept Wilson in their two matchups against the third-year pro. 

Early Fliers 

The Packers are flying into Seattle a day earlier than usual—Friday instead of Saturday—and players and coaches are buying into the decision, writes the Green Bay Press-Gazette’s Wes Hodkiewicz. "I think it's awesome,” defensive back Micah Hyde said. “Sometimes you get there on Saturday and I don't want to say rushing around, but you get out early, get something to eat and you get back to the hotel and wake up the next morning and play. It gives us more time to relax, especially to watch film. I enjoy it.”

The Imitation Game

Although no one will mistake Matt Flynn for Aaron Rodgers anytime soon, the Journal Sentinel’s Tom Silverstein reports that Flynn is doing his best to mimic Rodgers’ verbal stylings in order to prepare the rest of the offense for the showdown in Seattle on Sunday.

"I think that would be a big mistake to try to be Aaron," Flynn said. "I play the game like I play the game and don't try to mimic anybody and just do what I can do. I just go out there and try to make sure the communication is there first and foremost because we do a lot of stuff at the line of scrimmage.”

Injury Report

Al Bello/Getty Images

Player	Position	Injury Status
Josh Boyd (Ankle)	DT	Probable
Eddie Lacy (Knee)	RB	Probable
Aaron Rodgers (Calf)	QB	Probable
Josh Sitton (Toe)	G	Probable

Injury statuses courtesy Packers.com.

Lacy popped up on the injury report Thursday with a knee issue, but it doesn't sound like McCarthy is too concerned about his status: 

"

McCarthy: Eddie Lacy's knee is sore (limited in practice). I was just being conservative. Eddie will be ready to go on Sunday. #GBvsSEA

— Green Bay Packers (@packers) January 15, 2015"

The report listed Rodgers as a limited participant in Wednesday's practice, so technically he's doing more this week than he did last week, but it's the same schedule, for all intents and purposes. 

X-Factor and Matchups to Watch

Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images

Russell Wilson/Marshawn Lynch vs. Packers Run Defense

Marshawn Lynch isn’t the only dangerous rusher on the Seahawks offense. Russell Wilson has had one of the better rushing seasons ever by an NFL quarterback, going off for at least 100 yards on the ground on three separate occasions, as ESPN.com’s Terry Blount chronicles. 

Lynch had a field day against the Packers in Week 1, rushing for 110 yards on 20 carries, including touchdown runs of nine and three yards. Seattle’s effective rushing allowed the offense to possess the ball for more than 33 minutes, keeping the league’s best player (Rodgers) off the field. Green Bay will need Clay Matthews’ athleticism and sideline-to-sideline speed to keep Wilson and Beast Mode in check. 

Packers Wide Receivers vs. Seahawks Secondary

Whatever the game plan is against Seattle in the NFC Championship Game in regard to Green Bay’s wide receivers, it won’t be the game plan we saw against Seattle in Week 1. On opening night, Green Bay stuck Jarrett Boykin on the right side for every one of his 49 snaps. With Richard Sherman locked in as the Seahawks’ left cornerback, that was a matchup not worth testing, which relegated the Packers to testing just one side of the field. 

Rodgers said he’ll throw it to the open man on Sunday: 

"

Rodgers on CB Richard Sherman: You watch the film back, it's not like the guy he was guarding was open. Not scared of him, respect for him.

— Ryan Wood (@ByRyanWood) January 13, 2015"

X-Factor: Luke Willson

Without a stud wide receiving corps, Russell Wilson has found a new best friend—second-year tight end Luke Willson. The 2013 fifth-round pick from Rice has hauled in nine of 11 targets the last three weeks, and he’s making the catches count.

In a Week 16 drubbing at Arizona, Wilson caught touchdown passes of 80 and 20 yards, as well as a 39-yarder to boot. A week later against St. Louis he added a 28-yarder, and he grabbed passes for 29 and 25 yards in the divisional win over Carolina, the latter for six points.  

Green Bay had trouble with Jason Witten last week, as the future Hall of Fame tight end caught six of seven targets for 71 yards and often ran through the secondary uncovered. 

Prediction

Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images

The Packers have no shot of winning at Seattle if they play as sloppily as they did against Dallas. The Seahawks are a better team, and their home-field advantage is unmatched. Furthermore, they capitalize on mistakes better than every other team in the league. 

But Green Bay has a seasoned Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Richard Rodgers, Corey Linsley and Davante Adams—things they didn’t have on September 4. 

"

McCarthy: Watching Richard Rodgers playing in Week 1 & looking at him play against the Cowboys, you're looking at a different player.

— Green Bay Packers (@packers) January 12, 2015"

Seattle is a confident football team, and it has every right to be. The Seahawks are nearly unbeatable at home. They’ve won seven straight, boast the league’s best defense and match up well against the Packers. 

But, as they say, on any given Sunday...the Packers do just enough on this Sunday to make it past the defending Super Bowl champions on their own turf. 

Prediction: Packers 24, Seahawks 23

Odds by Odds Shark: Seattle (-7.5)

Peter Sowards covers the Green Bay Packers for Bleacher Report.

Follow @PeterSowards on Twitter.