NFL Week 15: Packers, Seahawks say good night

The Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks played each other in Week 1. There was a though among many that it would be the preview of the NFC Championship Game come January. That has not materialized.

Green Bay was put to rest on Sunday in a 31-24 loss to the Carolina Panthers. After surviving wild affairs against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Cleveland Browns — both in overtime — the Packers couldn’t overcome a quality opponent, even with Aaron Rodgers at the controls. Rodgers looked rusty, throwing three interceptions, nota plowing him to overcome what was a brutal performance by a defense that hasn’t been good in years.

At 7-7, the Packers are out of the race, and will be officially eliminated with the Atlanta Falcons beating Tampa Bay on Monday night. Green Bay can hang its hat on playing hard down to the final weeks, keeping itself in the race even without its All-Pro quarterback. Then again, that’s a moral victory for a franchise that hasn’t been focused on anything but championships for the past 25 years.

Meanwhile, the Seahawks might have seen the changing of the guard take place in its own building. Seattle was completely overwhelmed and outmanned by the Los Angeles Rams at CenturyLink Field in a 42-7 pasting that wasn’t as close as the 35-point margin indicates. Seattle was down 34-0 at halftime after allowing Todd Gurley to rush for 143 yards and three touchdowns, including a 57-yard jaunt on third and 20.

Seattle is 8-6 and on life support in the NFC playoff race. The Seahawks can also point to injuries, especially to Richard Sherman and Kim Chancellor. Still, Seattle had its opportunities — especially at home — and couldn’t come up with a victory against the Washington Redskins, or the Falcons, or the Rams. Hell, Seattle couldn’t beat Blake Bortles a week ago, allowing 30 points to an offense with little punch outside of Leonard Fournette.

For all NFL fans, it will be strange to watch the playoffs without Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers. Neither have not missed the playoffs since 2011, when Wilson was still a star at the University of Wisconsin. Since then, both have been constant forces in the playoffs, with the two combining for a classic in the 2014 NFC Championship Game in Seattle.

Next year, both should be back toward the top of the heap if health permits. The Seahawks and Packers will return their star quarterbacks, and in today’s NFL, that’s more than enough to be a viable threat. Still, they will be sitting home with the rest of us this time around, giving the NFC playoffs a much different feel.