NFC Championship Game 2015: Latest Comments, Predictions for Packers vs Seahawks

The NFL's top-scoring offense meets the top-scoring defense Sunday when Aaron Rodgers leads his Green Bay Packers to Seattle for a rematch with the Seahawks.

By now, most know what happened between these two in Week 1.

Russell Wilson and Co., in short, cruised. The Seahawks sent Rodgers and Co. away with a 36-16 defeat thanks to stellar defense and Marshawn Lynch's eruption.

Now the Seahawks are once again in postseason form. Rodgers has a chance to write one of the better postseason quarterback narratives in history if he can limp to a victory, though.

As it should, the NFC Championship Game is set to be a classic.

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. 16.

What They're Saying

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There are two focal points surrounding Sunday's encounter: an ankle and a stadium.

First up is Rodgers' health situation, something that did not prohibit him from throwing for 316 yards and three scores against the Dallas Cowboys in the divisional round.

The chatter all week has centered on Rodgers' health, something Earl Thomas, the less-talkative leader of the Legion of Boom, is not all-in on, per Stephen Cohen of SeattlePI.com.

“I’m not buying into this leg issue,” Thomas said. “I’m not buying into it. I saw him scramble close to the goal line on the Cowboys, so he’s not fooling me with that.”

It is a smart play for the Seattle defense. The unit held the Carolina Panthers to just 17 points last weekend in a simple home win, although linebacker Bobby Wagner wants to make sure that everyone understands that the hyped 12th Man also makes it difficult on his unit.

Per Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

"

It makes it difficult. But when I'm looking over and seeing the offense struggle more than I am, I'm not too worried about it. We've got hand signals. We've got all of the signals, so we communicate. We play so many times in the stadium that I'm used to it. Everybody else is used to it. It's the other teams that don't get the opportunity to play there eight games in the season.

"

The challenges Seattle presents at home are obvious, although the Green Bay staff surely has pointed out this week that the Seahawks can be beat at home, as Dallas accomplished the feat in Week 6.

In fact, the vibes out of Green Bay continue to be positive despite the task.

“We’re in a good frame of mind,” Rodgers said, per Mike Spofford of Packers.com. “Fridays are relaxing days for our bodies physically. We have a re-gen program to get our bodies back. A heavy mental day. Everybody is finishing up and getting ready to take off.”

In an ideal world, that cool leadership demeanor by Rodgers will lead the Packers to an upset.

Prediction

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There are fairy tales in sports. Just ask Ohio State. 

Don't expect one to be written by Green Bay, though.

Healthy or not, the Seattle defense knows what to do with Rodgers. There is a reason that he threw for just 189 yards, one score and one interception against the Seahawks in their first meeting—Richard Sherman.

As NFL on ESPN illustrates, Sherman is a major reason the Seahawks can contain Rodgers:

Even if Eddie Lacy improves on his 12 carries for 34 yards from the first encounter (not crazy, he has a minimum of 97 in four straight games), Rodgers' inability or unwillingness to throw to an entire side of the field makes things easier on Seattle.

It is not as if the Green Bay defense inspires confidence right now, either. Just last week it allowed a pair of scores through the air and 145 yards and a score on the ground on a 5.2 per-carry average.

Cue Beast Mode, who steamrolled the Packers for 110 yards and two scores on just 20 carries. Lynch is in predictable postseason form, too, as the owner of four scores over the course of his last four outings, as well as a per-carry average that has never dipped below 4.2 in that period.

Unless the Packers can commit to the run and control the clock in a hostile environment, the Seahawks are at a major advantage.

Lynch and Wilson will look to do the same, with Green Bay's defense providing a comfortable avenue to do so. Rodgers will keep the Packers close, but they figure to come up short as Lynch bleeds the clock late.

Prediction: Seahawks 30, Packers 23

Stats courtesy of NFL.com. Advanced metrics via Pro Football Focus.