PREMIUM
Rogers' 10* NFL Game of the Week >> TOP PLAY ALERT!
(NFL) Seattle vs. Green Bay,
Point Spread: -2.50 | -125.00 Seattle (Away)
Result: Loss
Point Spread: -2.50 | -125.00 Seattle (Away)
Result: Loss
The set-up. Green Bay QB Aaron Rodgers said "I feel like we can run the table," back on Nov. 23. He's led the Packers to back-to-back wins at Philadelphia (27-13) and home to Houston (21-13) but 6-6 Green Bay remains two games behind 8-4 Detroit in the NFC North. However, the Packers are back into the wild-card chase, where they trail 7-5 Tampa Bay by one game. Green Bay welcomes 8-3-1 Seattle to Lambeau Field and the Seahawks are battling those 8-4 Lions for the NFC's No. 2 seed (behind Dallas), which gives them a first-round bye.
Seattle: The Seahawks have won four of their last five games, including a 40-7 home blowout of Carolina last Sunday night, as Russell Wilson threw for 277 yards and Thomas Rawls ran for 106 of the team's 240 rushing yards. However, they did suffer a significant loss when safety Earl Thomas sustained a broken leg against the Panthers. That said, the Seahawks are still confident that the beat will go on for a defense that is trying to lead the NFL in points allowed for the fifth consecutive season, which would be unprecedented in the Super Bowl era (Seattle currently is No. 1 again, allowing 16.2 PPG).
Green Bay: Rodgers started slow in 2016 but after throwing for a modest average of 219.0 YPG through Green Bay's first four games, he's averaged 300.9 YPG the last eight. He now has 3,283 yards on the season with 29 TDs and just seven INTs. He's thrown for seven TDs and zero interceptions over the past three games while registering a QB rating of at least 108.9 in all three. He leads the NFL in TD passes and 100-plus rating games over the past seven contests. No. 1 wideout Jordy Nelson, who missed the 2015 season with a torn ACL, hauled in his 10th TD reception in last week's win over Houston and has 69 catches on the season. Green Bay's defense is allowing 25.2 PPG (23rd), which is NINE points higher per game than Seattle's D.
The pick: Here's the rub. Rodgers may have proclaimed "we can run the table" but he really doesn't play for a team capable of doing that. Green Bay's rushing offense has struggled all season (99.1 YPG ranks 24th) and one-dimensional teams rarely if ever beat Seattle at this time of year. Throw in a shaky defense and Rodgers' job is made even tougher. Seattle is 19-4 SU & 17-6 ATS during its last 23 regular-season games from November through January. Seattle is a 10* play.
Seattle: The Seahawks have won four of their last five games, including a 40-7 home blowout of Carolina last Sunday night, as Russell Wilson threw for 277 yards and Thomas Rawls ran for 106 of the team's 240 rushing yards. However, they did suffer a significant loss when safety Earl Thomas sustained a broken leg against the Panthers. That said, the Seahawks are still confident that the beat will go on for a defense that is trying to lead the NFL in points allowed for the fifth consecutive season, which would be unprecedented in the Super Bowl era (Seattle currently is No. 1 again, allowing 16.2 PPG).
Green Bay: Rodgers started slow in 2016 but after throwing for a modest average of 219.0 YPG through Green Bay's first four games, he's averaged 300.9 YPG the last eight. He now has 3,283 yards on the season with 29 TDs and just seven INTs. He's thrown for seven TDs and zero interceptions over the past three games while registering a QB rating of at least 108.9 in all three. He leads the NFL in TD passes and 100-plus rating games over the past seven contests. No. 1 wideout Jordy Nelson, who missed the 2015 season with a torn ACL, hauled in his 10th TD reception in last week's win over Houston and has 69 catches on the season. Green Bay's defense is allowing 25.2 PPG (23rd), which is NINE points higher per game than Seattle's D.
The pick: Here's the rub. Rodgers may have proclaimed "we can run the table" but he really doesn't play for a team capable of doing that. Green Bay's rushing offense has struggled all season (99.1 YPG ranks 24th) and one-dimensional teams rarely if ever beat Seattle at this time of year. Throw in a shaky defense and Rodgers' job is made even tougher. Seattle is 19-4 SU & 17-6 ATS during its last 23 regular-season games from November through January. Seattle is a 10* play.
