7 Stats to Know About the Seattle Seahawks

Before the Green Bay Packers take on the Seattle Seahawks, here are seven stats that you need to know about this somewhat familiar opponent. 

Last week with the Green Bay Packers comfortably sitting at home on their bye, I took a look at six key stats of theirs heading into the playoffs. And despite many saying that this season they "won ugly", the Packers fared quite well in a number of key statistical areas.

Now with the NFC Divisional round looming and a date with Seattle on Sunday, I thought it would be a good idea to take a look at seven key stats about this Seahawks team that will go a long way towards determining the outcome of the upcoming game.

Seattle against running backs

The reason this stat made the list is quite simple, the Green Bay Packers have Aaron Jones and Sunday's matchup with Seattle has the makings of a huge day for him. By this point we all know that this is not only a much better Packer offense when Jones is the focal point, but it also looks quite different as well. So I won't be diving into this production this season, however, I think it's important that we take a look at how the Seahawks have fared against running backs in 2019.

On the ground opposing teams have averaged 117.7 rushing yards per game this season which ranks 22nd in the NFL. However, over Seattle's last five games they've been particularly bad allowing over 161 yards on average. Then we have the passing game, where running backs are averaging 9.5 yards per catch, which was the 3rd most during the regular season, as well as 51.1 total receiving yards per game, the 4th most. This game has Aaron Jones written all over it and he needs plenty of touches. 

Sacks

Two of the biggest strengths of this Packers team is their offensive line in pass protection and their defensive front's ability to get after the quarterback. And it just so happens that the Seahawks struggle to force sacks and their offensive line gives up quite a few. Although the Seattle defensive front is headlined by Jadeveon Clowney, he was only able to record three sacks during the regular season - a career low - and as a team, the Seahawks have just 28 sacks total, which is tied for the second fewest in the NFL. Not to mention that we've all seen what Aaron Rodgers can do when he has time in the pocket.

Meanwhile their offensive line has allowed Russell Wilson to be sacked a league high 48 times. Last Sunday in the Wildcard round, we saw Fletcher Cox of Philadelphia destroy the interior of Seattle's offensive line unit and on this upcoming Sunday, I think we can expect much of the same from Kenny Clark and a roaming Za'Darius Smith.  

Passing yards allowed

Yes, the Green Bay Packers' passing game has been inconsistent this season overall, but we've seen Rodgers put up some of his best numbers against Detroit, Oakland and Philadelphia, who each ranks 1st, 8th, and 14th, respectively, in most passing yards allowed per game in 2019. And for those wondering, Seattle's secondary is giving up 263.9 passing yards per game, which was the 6th highest average in the NFL. This certainly isn't the Legion of Boom that we saw in years past and it is a great opportunity for Rodgers, Davante Adams, and Allen Lazard to take advantage. 

Turnovers

Turnovers are always going to be a key stat and uncharacteristically, over their previous two games the Packers have been quite sloppy. Against Minnesota and Detroit, Green Bay turned the ball over four times, but fortunately, they were able to escape with a pair of wins. However, they can't bank on that happening this week with Seattle in town. 

Like Green Bay, Seattle has had a very opportunistic defense in 2019 when it comes to creating turnovers. Their turnover differential of +12 is tied for the 3rd best in the NFL with the Packers, and this includes 32 total takeaways from their defense, compared to 25 for Green Bay. You might also notice that since the two teams share the same turnover differential but Seattle has more takeaways, it means their offense turns the ball over more. With that said, this is the case for most teams not led by Rodgers. Either way, the Packers must take care of the ball this weekend. 

Redzone efficiency

Much like turnovers, this is always going to be a key stat and red zone efficiency is a big reason that the Green Bay Packers find themselves at 13-3 this season. While the Packer defense has given up a number of chunk plays in 2019, they tighten up in the red zone and allow opponents to score touchdowns on just 50 percent of their visits, the 7th best in football. But they will be up against an efficient Seattle offense that finds the end zone 62.9 percent of the time, thanks in large part to the heroics of Russell Wilson. 

On the flip side, the Packer offense has also been very successful inside the opponent's 20 yard line, coming away with a touchdown on 64 percent of their visits. Meanwhile, the Seahawk defense allows a touchdown 58.2 percent of the time, which ranks 19th in the NFL and is something that Green Bay will hopefully take advantage of. 

Explosive plays

As I alluded to in the last cateory, the Packers' defense has been prone to giving up the big play in 2019. To be exact, they've allowed 56 plays of 20 yards or more, the 10th most, as well as 15 plays of over 40 yards, which was the 2nd most. However, to their credit they have been better in recent weeks, but as we look ahead to Sunday's matchup, this is an area that they need to be extremely careful with. 

Seattle is a team that likes to take shots downfield and they aren't necessarily one to be picking up first down after first down as they methodically move the ball. They prefer those chunk plays. And this season, they've recorded the 6th most explosive plays and their explosive play rate of 12 percent is the 4th highest in football. Giving up too many quick scores is not a recipe for success for Green Bay.  

Russell Wilson at Lambeau Field

This is my favorite stat because I feel that many fans out there have Seattle labled as Green Bay's boogeyman because of how the 2015 NFC Championship game ended. But that's just not true. What is true is that since that game, whoever has been the home team has dominated and when Russell Wilson has had to come to Lambeau Field, both he and the Seahawks have struggled. 

2015: Packers 27, Seahawks 17

Russell Wilson: 203 yards, 63% completion percentage, 2 TDs, 1 INT, 2 sacks

2016: Packers 38, Seahawks 10

Russell Wilson: 240 yards, 56% completion percentage, 1 TD, 5 INTs, 3 sacks

2017: Packers 17, Seahawks 9

Russell Wilson: 158 yards, 52% completion percentage, 0 TDs, 0 INTs, 3 sacks

So, while obviously the Green Bay Packers shouldn't take any opponent lightly, there are a number of key matchups in this game that favors them over Seattle. And oh yeah, this game is at Lambeau Field, which as you can see, certainly doesn't hurt.

 

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__________________________

Born and raised in Green Bay, WI and I still call it home. After my family, watching the Packers, sharing my opinions on the team through my writing and interacting with other fans is my greatest passion. You can find me on Twitter at @Paul_Bretl. 
 

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Comments (14)

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IvanAllen's picture

January 09, 2020 at 06:20 am

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Doug_In_Sandpoint's picture

January 09, 2020 at 06:39 am

Ummm...so you are saying that freeing our slot receivers will be important to winning this initiative? If so, thank you for your thoughtful insight.

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murf7777's picture

January 09, 2020 at 07:58 am

Great article Paul, thanks for the stats. Although, I think Pack would beat New Orleans, I feel the best case scenario was for Seattle to come to Green Bay. These stats back up my thoughts. Wilson hasn’t been able to win at Lambeau and I’m surprised we are not a 7 point favorite. Of course, anything can happen especially with Wilson at QB. I think we win by 10+ unless we turnover the ball more then them. Prediction: 24-13 Packers. #norespect

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LambeauPlain's picture

January 09, 2020 at 08:48 am

I think this game comes down to Red Zone efficiency and both teams, after 16 games, have displayed effectiveness.

The Packers should win the Red Zone game because of the big boys up front. After 16 games, the Pack has top 5 units with their O & D lines in terms of run and pass efficiency. The Seahawks units are both ranked 30th!

That is a huge advantage for the playmakers behind them.

Pack 27-14.

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Cubbygold's picture

January 09, 2020 at 09:22 am

I wonder how many of those 15+ yard plays came either while Savage was injured, Campbell/Greene we're out, or late in games when GB had a big lead (thinking of DAL and OAK).

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Packers0808's picture

January 09, 2020 at 09:26 am

All the changes made from last year to this one staple hasn't and it is quite simple to see! It is simply time for Rodgers to step up and really do some things like he did in the past instead of being basically a middling QB the last 3 years or so! Go Pack and come on Aaron and really turn the talent back on!

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murf7777's picture

January 09, 2020 at 09:46 am

It would be great to see Aaron look like the Aaron of old, but I don’t see that changing much during the playoffs. I believe much of his errant throws are related to lack of talent and being on the same page and timing issues with the young receivers. What I do like about Aaron lately is his willingness to see those obstacles and realize it is about the whole team and not him that will lead us to victory. In addition, I like that he is talking to the press much more about the team and less about him. That said, all it takes is the timing on a couple of big plays happen and he ends up with gaudy numbers. He smart enough to realize those gaudy numbers wouldn’t be sustainable over 3 games thus he talks up the team over himself.

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Qoojo's picture

January 09, 2020 at 09:56 am

"here are seven stats that you need to know about this somewhat familiar opponent"

That's the thing. It's not a familiar opponent to this coaching staff and many of the players. Basing Russell's performance against past packers teams doesn't mean much to me. Kind of like the stat that the packers never lost a home playoff game, then a mobile QB named Vick came to town against one of the myriad of shit defenses fielded since holmgren and white left.

On an unrelated side note, I watched youtube vids of the atlanta game and chicago game from 2010. It was striking how much speed Rodgers has lost. Also, it was kind of a funny to see him throw long on 3rd and 1 when the WR wasn't really open, but he did it with much better accuracy and with much better WRs (Jennings, Driver, Nelson, Jones).

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BradHTX's picture

January 09, 2020 at 11:47 am

Insightful, and absolutely correct.

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Bearmeat's picture

January 09, 2020 at 12:20 pm

Next year is where the rubber meets the road for Rodgers. If Gute gets him weapons (and I have every faith that he will), next year is our Super Bowl roster. Rodgers needs to do more than hold his water with his salary. If he doesn't, with weapons and a year in the system, it's time to look to the future.

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Bearmeat's picture

January 09, 2020 at 10:59 am

Look:

The ONLY matchup that favors the Seahawks here is Russell Wilson being better than Aaron Rodgers in 2019 (by a substantial margin). We have the better OL. We have the better DL. We have the better RBs. We have the better secondary. They have better WRs but our CBs will give them more fits than they've dealt with in weeks.

Keep Wilson in the pocket. Don't turn it over. Win. That simple.

I'm expecting a 2 possession win on Sunday and I'll be there to watch the glory unfold in person.

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LambeauPlain's picture

January 09, 2020 at 12:00 pm

I will join you in the stands for the victory roar!

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LambeauPlain's picture

January 09, 2020 at 12:01 pm

Here are to temps in the teens!

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