- Final0GB
SEA12
1412
14 - Final1NYG
CAR36
736
7 - Final2STL
CHI6
236
23 - Final3BUF
CLE24
1424
14 - Final4TB
DAL10
1610
16 - Final OTOT5DET
TEN41
4441
44 - Final6JAC
IND22
1722
17 - Final OTOT7NYJ
MIA23
2023
20 - Final8SF
MIN13
2413
24 - Final OTOT9KC
NO27
2427
24 - Final10CIN
WSH38
3138
31 - Final11PHI
ARI6
276
27 - Final12ATL
SD27
327
3 - Final13HOU
DEN31
2531
25 - Final14PIT
OAK31
3431
34 - Final15NE
BAL30
3130
31
Final
Coverage: ESPN
8:30 PM ET, September 24, 2012
CenturyLink Field, Seattle, WA
Top Performers
Passing: A. Rodgers (GB) - 223 YDS
Rushing: M. Lynch (SEA) - 25 CAR, 98 YDS
Receiving: G. Tate (SEA) - 3 REC, 68 YDS, 2 TD
The first two weeks of the season didn't go quite as smoothly as the Green Bay Packers probably hoped given that they didn't have to leave Lambeau Field.
Spending four of the next five weekends on the road may not make things much easier.
That stretch begins Monday night at one of the NFL's tougher venues for visitors as the Seattle Seahawks look to build on an impressive win in their home opener.
The Packers (1-1) recovered from their season-opening loss to San Francisco by beating rival Chicago 23-10 last Thursday night, forcing Jay Cutler into four interceptions and limiting the Bears to 168 total yards.
This week, though, they were still dealing with questions about an incident between Aaron Rodgers and wide receiver James Jones, who accepted blame for the interception that led Rodgers to voice his displeasure with his teammate.
"He apologized, said he's sorry for showing his emotions," Jones said. "But I was like, (there's) no need to apologize. We're trying to win. I messed up. Frustration happens. It's all good. No love lost. We're teammates. We're family in here. Like I said, everybody's trying to win."
The controversy kept going when tight end Jermichael Finley's agent said on Twitter that Rodgers "is a great QB he isn't a great leader. There's a major difference. Leaders take the blame (and make everyone) better. He doesn't."
Returning to the prolific pace of production the Packers have typically enjoyed with the reigning NFL MVP would likely smooth things over. Rodgers has been sacked eight times with Green Bay posting middling numbers in the passing game through two weeks, and perhaps the biggest play last week was a touchdown on a fake field goal.
"It's a lot of little things," Jones said. "We're missing a lot of easy plays out there, whether it's making a routine catch, whether it's making a tough catch, whether it's making a key block. We're very close to being explosive."
If it's going to happen soon, it will likely need to be outside Wisconsin. A Sept. 30 matchup with New Orleans is Green Bay's only home game between now and Oct. 28.
A big game may be more likely in Seattle if Greg Jennings can return from a groin injury. The three-time 1,000-yard receiver missed the Chicago game after getting hurt against the 49ers, but he has practiced this week.
Rodgers has had Green Bay's offense clicking in two career starts against the Seahawks, winning both. The most recent was a 48-10 home victory in 2009, a year after the Packers won 27-17 at Seattle in Rodgers' first season as a starter.
The Seahawks' defense, though, caused plenty of problems for Tony Romo and Dallas during Seattle's 27-7 win last Sunday. Aside from a 95-yard drive that culminated in a touchdown early in the second quarter, the Cowboys couldn't score and they finished with just 49 rushing yards.
By comparison, the Seahawks (1-1) ran for 182 yards -- 122 from Marshawn Lynch -- and rookie quarterback Russell Wilson was only asked to throw 20 passes.
"We played really physical, a really physical style that is what we really want to capture," coach Pete Carroll said. "There is not a guy that sits in this room that doesn't want to play on a team like that."
The strength in the trenches came despite the absence of left tackle Russell Okung, who should be able to return from a bruised left knee Monday to try to help protect against Clay Matthews and company. Matthews has a league-leading six sacks.
Seattle may try to use a similar ball-control strategy against the Packers. Green Bay finished 27th in the league in rushing last year, and it's in a similar spot now even though Cedric Benson ran for 81 yards in Week 2 after he couldn't get anything going against San Francisco.
Wilson won the hearts of many Wisconsinites last year in leading the Badgers to a Rose Bowl appearance, but some of those same fans surely won't be supporting him Monday.
The 5-foot-11 Wilson, who beat out former Packers backup Matt Flynn for the starting job, acquitted himself nicely last weekend in his home debut, completing 15 of 20 passes for 151 yards and a touchdown without a turnover.
It's hardly a coincidence that his first NFL victory came at CenturyLink Field. Including the postseason, the Seahawks have won seven of 11 there and are 15-11 on the banks of Puget Sound since 2009 compared to 6-20 elsewhere, including a 20-16 loss at Arizona in Week 1.
Seattle has a 17-8 record on Monday Night Football, the best winning percentage of any team.
More from ESPN.com
Clayton: Breaking down free-agent spending
Plenty of teams made big splashes early in free agency, but keep an eye on those who waited for smart bargains, writes John Clayton.
Seahawks DE Irvin suspended four games
Seattle Seahawks defensive end Bruce Irvin was suspended for the first four games of the 2013 season on Friday after the league announced he violated the NFL policy on performance-enhancing substances.
Woodson leaves Denver without getting deal
Charles Woodson met with the Denver Broncos on Wednesday, then left town without a contract.
ESPN Local
Packers get yet another shot at 49ers
Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy was succinct in identifying the one thing he wouldn't forget about the disappointing end to the 2012 season. It was the number 579. That's the yardage total the San Francisco 49ers produced Jan. 15 during their 45-21
Bruce Irvin is sixth Seahawk to test positive for PEDs
10:27 AM ET 05.19 | For the sixth time since 2011, a player for the Seattle Seahawks violated the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing drugs. The latest Seattle player to run afoul of the league's drug policy is second-year pro Bruce Irvin. Other Seahaw
Hey, Pete, it's time you talked about Seahawks' drug-test failures
Bruce Irvins four-game suspension, presumably for testing positive for the banned substance Adderall, finds Seattle Seahawks fans taking extreme sides on the issue of performance-enhancing drugs. One camp fears whatever accomplishments await the Seahawk
SPONSORED HEADLINES
Scouting Report
Packers-Seahawks: What to watch
After watching film of both teams, Scouts Inc. breaks down key elements of the Week 3 Packers-Seahawks matchup.
• What will be Green Bay's approach on defense? The Packers finally seem to be comfortable with their varied personnel packages. They now have a nice secondary rotation with seven guys and the ability to confuse a young QB like Russell Wilson, especially when they change up their fronts. They will play man coverages versus Seattle, but instead of a lot of press, they play mostly loose man looks and "stalk" coverages. The Packers' defense may need to be pretty basic in this game and show good gap integrity to stop Seattle's strong run game.
Recent Blog Posts
Matchup
GB | SEA | |
|---|---|---|
| W-L | 1-2 | 2-1 |
| Avg Points | 19.0 | 19.0 |
| Avg Points Allowed | 18.0 | 13.0 |
| Home Record | 1-1 | 2-0 |
| Road Record | 0-1 | 0-1 |
| Division Record | 1-0 | 0-1 |
| Conference Record | 1-2 | 2-1 |
| Complete Standings | ||
Passing Leaders
| Green Bay | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A. Rodgers | 67.2 | 4295 | 39 | 8 |
| T. Masthay | 50.0 | 27 | 1 | 0 |
| Seattle | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT |
| R. Wilson | 64.1 | 3118 | 26 | 10 |
| M. Flynn | 55.6 | 68 | 0 | 0 |
Rushing Leaders
| Green Bay | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A. Green | 135 | 464 | 3.4 | 0 | |
| A. Rodgers | 54 | 259 | 4.8 | 2 | |
| Seattle | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | |
| M. Lynch | 315 | 1590 | 5.0 | 11 | |
| R. Wilson | 94 | 489 | 5.2 | 4 | |
Team Averages & NFL Ranks
| TEAM OFFENSE | TEAM | PER GAME AVERAGE |
|---|---|---|
| Total Yards | GB | |
| SEA | ||
| Yards Passing | GB | |
| SEA | ||
| Yards Rushing | GB | |
| SEA | ||
| TEAM DEFENSE | TEAM | PER GAME AVERAGE |
| Yards Allowed | GB | |
| SEA | ||
| Pass Yds Allowed | GB | |
| SEA | ||
| Rush Yds Allowed | GB | |
| SEA |
Head to Head Matchups (Since 2001)
| Green Bay leads 6-2 | |
|---|---|
| Dec 27, 2009 | GB 48, SEA 10 |
| Oct 12, 2008 | GB 27, @SEA 17 |
| Jan 12, 2008 | GB 42, SEA 20 |
| Nov 27, 2006 | GB 24, @SEA 34 |
| Jan 1, 2006 | GB 23, SEA 17 |
| Jan 4, 2004 | GB 33, SEA 27 |
| Oct 5, 2003 | GB 35, SEA 13 |
Research Notes
* He's yet to throw one this season, but Aaron Rodgers is tied for the most TD passes outside the pocket since the start of 2009 with 21 [+]MOST PASS TD SINCE 2009, OUTSIDE THE POCKET
Close [X] | |||||||||||||||
From Elias: Tonight marks just the third ever meeting between a reigning MVP quarterback and a rookie quarterback on Monday Night Football. Each of the two previous reigning MVPs - John Elway and Fran Tarkenton - lost... [+]Reigning MVP QB vs Rookie QB - On Monday Night Football
Close [X] | |||||||||||||||
67 percent of the Seahawks wins over the last 5 seasons came at home. No team has recorded a higher percentage of its wins at home over that span. | |||||||||||||||
ESPN Stats & Information | |||||||||||||||



