The way the Seattle Seahawks ended last season will be the way they begin this season: winning.
The Seahawks and Green Bay Packers are set to collide Thursday night in the NFL opener of the 2014 NFL season.
The last time these two faced off, the game ended on a controversial Hail Mary pass that left a bitter taste in the Packers’ mouths.
Since then, Packers fans went on to see the Seahawks rise in the ranks of football’s elites. The Packers get to go in to CenturyLink Stadium to try and knock off the defending champs.
Seattle is coming off the biggest win in their franchise history. The last time the Seahawks stepped on the field – excluding preseason – they defeated the Denver Broncos by a score of 43-8 in Super Bowl XLVIII.
The Seahawks are hungry and ready to get back in gear. They are not focused on a repeat but more focused on just taking each game one at a time. They have to get focused in a hurry because the Packers are coming into town ready to show the NFL they’re ready to get back to championship status.
Green Bay is recharged as they have quarterback Aaron Rodgers healthy again. As for their running game, running back Eddie Lacy is coming off a 1,100 yard, 11-touchdown rookie season.
For Seattle, they won’t be returning their same stars to the field.
During the offseason, Seattle lost several key defenders, including Brandon Browner, Red Bryant and Chris Clemons. On the offensive side, they took a loss in their receiving core when Golden Tate left to Detroit.
The Packers signed an aging Julius Peppers in the offseason to try and solidify their defense but lost defensive tackle B.J. Raji during the preseason to a bicep injury.
This should be a very interesting game to watch as the Seahawks stonewall defense goes against Green Bay’s high-powered offense.
Do not count out quarterback Russell Wilson and the Seahawks offense though. This offense can explode with wide receiver Percy Harvin finally healthy and running back Marshawn Lynch ready to pound the rock.
If the Packers defense led by Clay Matthews can step up to the challenge, then they just might slip out of Seattle with a victory.
However, the way Seattle ended last season will be the way they begin this season: winning.
Kickoff is Thursday at 7:30 p.m. and on NBC.