The Green Bay Packers will attempt to take a big step toward clinching a playoff spot when they go to Seattle to play the streaking Seahawks — who have won four straight games — on Sunday night.
Can the Packers bounce back from a hard-fought but disappointing defeat in Detroit last Thursday night and secure a win in a building where the franchise hasn’t won since 2008?
Here are five stats to know ahead of Sunday night’s showdown in Seattle:
5.0: The Seahawks are giving up 5.0 yards per carry between the tackles this season, the second most in the NFL, per Next Gen Stats. Packers running back Josh Jacobs has an NFL-high 731 rushing yards between the tackles. Can the Packers set the tone early by running it right at the Seahawks front? Jacobs is going to be key against a defense giving up 4.7 yards per carry overall.
30.4%: The Packers are generating pressure on only 30.4 percent of opponent dropbacks this season, the fourth lowest mark in the NFL, per Next Gen Stats. Can Jeff Hafley’s defense pressure Geno Smith without needing to blitz? Smith has been under pressure on 37.2 percent of dropbacks, so this is a matchup the Packers must win up front. Pressuring Smith — who has thrown 10 interceptions under pressure this season but also completed almost 77 percent of passes from clean pockets — is a must.
5: Speaking of pressure, the Seahawks have five players with 30 or more pressures this season, per Pro Football Focus. The Packers have one (Rashan Gary). Leonard Williams, who leads the team in sacks and quarterback hits, is the best of the bunch, but Dre’Mont Jones, Boye Mafe, Derick Hall and former Packer Jarran Reed can all affect the game as pass-rushers. And first-round pick Byron Murphy had a four-pressure game last week. The Packers offensive line produced a highly disappointing effort last Thursday night against a backup version of the Detroit Lions front. Can they bounce back this week against a deep group of rushers?
No. 1 vs. No. 3: Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Jayden Reed rank No. 1 and No. 3 in receiving yards from the slot this season, respectively. The two 2023 draft picks are slot playmakers — Smith-Njigba has an NFL-high 63 catches from the slot, while Reed is third with 510 receiving yards and second with five touchdowns from the slot. Can the Packers win this slot matchup? Reed had only one target and zero touches last week in Detroit.
54.8: The blocking grade of Seahawks right tackle Abraham Lucas over the last four games. He’s allowed nine pressures, including two sacks, while committing five penalties (third most among offensive linemen) since Week 11. The Seahawks appear to have question marks at center, right guard and right tackle, but Lucas — a 2022 third-round pick — looks like a clear weak spot. He missed the first nine games of the season while recovering from offseason knee surgery.
