The NFL's Elite Eight, otherwise known as the Divisional Round, kicks off Saturday afternoon when the Seattle Seahawks visit Green Bay, with the NFC North champion Packers 8-point favorites (over/under: 42.5) on WagerWeb.com.
While Green Bay was resting on a bye last week, the Seahawks beat the Redskins in a back-and-forth wild card game. And this matchup brings Seattle coach Mike Holmgren back to Green Bay, where he led the Packers to two Super Bowl appearances and helped turn Brett Favre into a legend.
"Mike Holmgren has meant a lot, obviously, to my career," Favre said. "And that will never change."
Despite the fact the temperature is expected to be in the 20s and there is a chance of snow flurries, both teams will rely heavily on the pass if form holds.
Seattle hasn't had a 100-yard rusher since Week 3 and totaled only 77 yards in last week's win against the Redskins. Former league MVP Shaun Alexander had a mediocre year, rushing for 716 yards and 3.5 per carry in 13 games. Green Bay has not allowed a 100-yard rusher at Lambeau Field this season, holding opponents to 87.6 rushing yards per game and 3.4 per carry.
In Holmgren's pass-first offense, QB Matt Hasselbeck set Seahawks passing records for yards (3,966), completions (352) and attempts (562). His short 6-yard throws and safe dumpoffs near the line of scrimmage help alleviate any problems in inclement weather.
"Because the ball is not in the air as long as in some systems," Holmgren said. "Keeping in mind this offense, in its origins and how we've kept it going, we took out a few runs and replaced them with passes. Just substituted."Green Bay, meanwhile, once ranked last in the league in rushing, but actually finished 21st (99.8 yards per game) with the emergence of Ryan Grant. Despite not starting the season as the No. 1 back and having fewer than 200 carries, Grant nearly cracked the 1,000-yard mark; he had 11 runs of 20 yards or more to tie for third-most in the NFL. Grant had five 100-yard efforts over his final 10 games and finished with 956 yards rushing and eight touchdowns.
Still, this teams goes as far as Favre will take it.
In his 17th season, Favre was again among the league leaders in most passing categories. During the season, he became the league's leader in wins by a quarterback, touchdown passes, pass attempts and
yards. His consecutive-starts streak sits at 253 games (273 including playoff games), the second-longest mark in NFL history.
"There's no question this guy is a future Hall of Famer," said Seahawks defensive back Jordan Babineau.
"He's seen a lot of defenses and played a lot of football. There are no tricky ways to get around Brett Favre. You have to play sound and be mistake-free."
Seattle will rely on its pressure to disrupt Favre.
The Seahawks were fourth in the NFL with 45 sacks - Patrick Kerney was second in the league with 14 1/2- and had three more last week despite Kerney being constantly double- or triple-teamed. The Seahawks have 43 sacks in their 11 wins, compared to five in six losses.
Favre, though, was only sacked 19 times in 16 games this season.
"Brett, his escapability and his release, that's really their pass protection," Kerney said.
Seattle should have its full complement of receivers for the first time since Nov. 25, as No. 1 WR Deion Branch is expecting to play after practicing this week for the first time in two weeks.
"I'm so happy," Branch said. "I knew I was playing after the game [last] Saturday. Whatever I have I'm giving. I'm playing."
Branch injured his right calf during practice in Dec. 26 and tried to play against the Redskins, but Holmgren felt Branch needed more rest. Branch had 49 catches for 661 yards and four TDs this season and missed four games with a sprained foot.
Meanwhile, Packers starting right guard Jason Spitz practiced this week for the first time since injuring a thigh muscle in the final game of the regular season against the Detroit Lions on Dec. 30. He is expected to start.
The last time these teams met in the playoffs was in the NFC's first round in 2003. It ended memorably, with Packers cornerback Al Harris returning a Hasselbeck interception 52 yards in overtime for the winning score. That came after Hasselbeck said, "We want the ball, and we're going to score," heard over the referee's microphone, after the Seahawks won the coin toss.
Green Bay has defeated the Seahawks three straight times in Green Bay, and the Packers are 17-3 in their last 20 games dating to last season, including 9-1 at Lambeau Field. The Packers have outscored opponents by a combined 247-131 overall in their last 10 home games.
Meanwhile, Seattle has lost six straight postseason road games, with its only road playoff win all-time came in 1983 (27-20 at Miami).
Prediction: You'd have to give the Packers the edge in most categories, and Lambeau may be the best home-field advantage in sports. So I don't doubt Green Bay wins, but I think Seattle is playing well enough to cover. Green Bay 24, Seattle 20.
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