Seahawks, Packers Kickoff 2014 NFL Season
Russell Wilson and the Seahawks start their Super Bowl defense with a visit from the Packers.
After seven long months, the National Football League finally returns on Thursday with a mouthwatering matchup between the Green Bay Packers and the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks.
Kickoff at CenturyLink Field in Seattle is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET.
The premium matchup between NFC heavyweights looks to be the ideal curtain raiser for what promises to be an exciting season and, potentially, a successful campaign for both teams.
The NFL Landscape
After a Super Bowl triumph in February, Seattle (0-0, 0-0 home) enters the season looking to do something that hasn’t been done in nearly a decade: win back-to-back championships.
Ever wondered how Super Bowl winning teams fare the following season?
If the Seahawks are to follow in the footsteps of the 2004-2005 New England Patriots – the last team to win two Super Bowl championships in a row – they’ll need to perform at a level consistent with last season. In fact, with a target on their collective back (and front), the Seahawks will need to play even better than a season ago.
The team returns its core players, with Russell Wilson once again ready to lead the charge, competently backed up by Marshawn Lynch in the backfield. The Legion of Boom meanwhile will look to play havoc with offenses once more. Will they limit teams to less than 15 points per game again?
After toing and froing with the Denver Broncos at the top of the NFL futures list all offseason, Seattle enters the season with 6/1 odds of winning Super Bowl XLIX, second to the Broncos (11/2).
Last year, a mediocre 8-7-1 record proved just enough for Green Bay (0-0, 0-0 road) to win the NFC North and advance to the postseason. This year, the Packers will be looking to do a lot better.
Much of Green Bay’s woe last season came on the back of an injury to starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Once again, the Packers’ success will hinge on Rodgers’ health.
If Rodgers remains fit and healthy, Mike McCarthy’s side will look to win 10-plus games for the fifth time in six years, a feat the Packers look more than capable of.
On the eve of the new season, online sportsbook Bovada has Green Bay at 9/1 to win the Super Bowl, ranking the side in tied-fifth place with the New Orleans Saints.
Aaron Rodgers will look to bounce back from last year’s injury-riddled season.
Head-to-Head
Green Bay leads the all-time head-to-head series 10-6, and has gone 7-3 in the last 10 meetings between the teams.
However, Seattle has a 3-2 advantage in games played in the Pacific Northwest, where it has won two straight.
The most recent meeting between the two sides came in the infamous ‘Fail Mary’ game that saw replacement officials botch a last second call, leaving the Seahawks to escape with a 14-12 victory. The NFL quickly struck a deal to get its permanent officials back after that particular edition of Monday Night Football.
Injury Report
Green Bay lost defensive tackle B.J. Raji to a season-ending biceps injury. Otherwise the Packers’ main personnel are all in place.
The Seahawks face a slew of niggling injuries, but none to premium players.
Betting Report
Below you’ll find Betting Sports’ breakdown of odds and betting trends.
Green Bay Packers vs. Seattle Seahawks odds for 09/04/2014
Moneyline: Seattle (-235) opened as the favorite over Green Bay (+210) on the moneyline, and has inched further ahead with most sportsbooks since.
Seattle is 15-1 at home during the regular season under head coach Pete Carroll, and will be tough to beat. That doesn’t make them invincible though.
The defending Super Bowl champion is 8-2 in the NFL Kickoff Game. However, those two losses were inflicted on the New York Giants and Baltimore Ravens in the last two seasons.
Spread: The spread opened at 3.5 and has subsequently risen as high as 7.
A season ago, the Seahawks compiled a league-best 11-5-0 ATS record, while the Packers finished a mediocre 7-9-0 ATS.
However, Seattle is 1-3-2 ATS in its last six games against the Green Bay, and 1-3-1 ATS when hosting the Packers.
Total: The total opened at 44.5 and has climbed as high as 47.5.
During the 2013 campaign, the Packers (9-7-0) marginally favored the over, while the defensive-minded Seahawks (6-10-0) favored the under.
The total has gone under in four of the last five head-to-head meetings played in Seattle.
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