Seahawks-Packers Preview: Will Aaron Rodgers Be Available Sunday?

(CBS Minnesota) — It seems that the Week 10 matchup betwixt the Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers could acceptable up arsenic a conflict of legendary quarterbacks aft all. Russell Wilson has been cleared to instrumentality from digit surgery, which caused him to miss 3 games for the Seahawks. Aaron Rodgers, who tested affirmative for COVID and was aboriginal revealed to beryllium unvaccinated, tin rejoin the Packers this coming Saturday if helium clears the NFL’s protocols. He volition play Sunday if available.

The Seahawks person sunk to 3-5 successful Wilson’s absence. Under backup Geno Smith, they mislaid by a tract extremity to some the Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints earlier routing the Jacksonville Jaguars. Their bye came successful Week 9. Seattle’s discourtesy has notably slowed successful caller weeks, with Smith averaging 190 yards passing successful that time. Alex Collins, who has taken implicit for the injured Chris Carson, topped 50 yards rushing conscionable once. In that crippled against the Steelers, helium became the team’s lone backmost to log a 100-yard crippled successful astir 3 seasons. The Seahawks’ offense, which averages a paltry 314 yards per game, volition beryllium amended with Wilson backmost nether center. But however overmuch better?

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“The aged ‘let Russ cook’ happening is astir apt much due present than ever, and helium is good to play,” NFL On CBS expert Charles Davis said. “He has to find to find Tyler Lockett. He has to find DK Metcalf. Will Dissly, the choky end, continues to travel on. The young antheral they got from the Rams past year, Gerald Everett, different 1 that helium tin find and person bully target.”

The Packers and Aaron Rodgers were cruising toward the playoffs and different NFC North rubric earlier Week 9. Green Bay sat atop the part astatine 7-1, 4 games up of the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears. Rodgers had 17 touchdown passes against conscionable 3 interceptions, with a standing of 105.7. He was dialed successful with his apical receiver, Davante Adams, whose catches and yardage enactment him adjacent the apical of the league. Aaron Jones remained productive retired of the backfield.

The Packers deed a speedbump successful Week 9, with Rodgers retired of the lineup. They mislaid 13-7 nonaccomplishment to the Kansas City Chiefs successful a crippled that showed conscionable however important their MVP backmost is to the offense, not that determination was immoderate question. Kansas City’s defense, 1 of the NFL’s worst, repeatedly blitzed Green Bay’s backup QB Jordan Love, who was making his archetypal vocation start. That stifled the Packers and kept them off-balance for overmuch of the game. Love managed conscionable 190 yards connected 19-34 passing, with 1 TD and 1 INT. The touchdown came precocious successful the 4th quarter. With Love’s struggles, Adams was a nonfactor.

The Packers discourtesy would person been overmuch much unsafe with Rodgers nether center. And his imaginable lack again makes mentation that overmuch much difficult.

According to Davis, “their large happening is volition helium beryllium cleared to play connected Sunday. Because I deliberation astatine this signifier this squad conscionable wants to get to a Super Bowl. They’ve been to 2 NFC Championship games. You person 1 of the champion quarterbacks to ever play the game. You got adjacent doubly now, but you haven’t gotten there. Our extremity is to get to a Super Bowl… He gives america our champion accidental to win.”

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If not for the ongoing issues with Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs’ offense, the Packers’ nonaccomplishment could person been a blowout. Kansas City had a miserable day connected that broadside of the ball, and the Green Bay defense, playing without country Eric Stokes, does merit immoderate credit. To accidental the injury-riddled Packers’ defence contained the Chiefs’ discourtesy whitethorn beryllium a spot of an overstatement though.

“It’s a combo play, implicit combo play, due to the fact that I don’t attraction however overmuch the Chiefs struggle, they’re inactive Kansas City, and we expect them astatine immoderate infinitesimal to get adjacent to 30,” successful Davis’s view. “Kansas City struggling connected discourtesy a small bit; Green Bay wanting to amusement that they’re amended connected defence and tin unopen immoderate radical down. The cardinal for Green Bay successful shutting radical down is inactive handling heavy-run teams. Those teams person fixed them the issues.”

The Chiefs opened the crippled with a touchdown, but that was their lone extended thrust that resulted successful points. Four of their possessions were three-and-outs. Mahomes averaged conscionable 4.5 yards per attempt, going 20-37 for 166 yards and a touchdown. The yardage full was the lowest successful a implicit crippled of his career. Darrel Williams rushed for 70 yards, but averaged lone 3.7 yards per attempt. Even arsenic the Chiefs’ discourtesy sputtered, the Packers’ defence made definite they ne'er shifted retired of archetypal gear. And it gave their ain discourtesy a accidental heavy into the 4th quarter.

If Rodgers returns to the lineup successful Week 10, the Packers’ defence should get immoderate assistance connected the different broadside of the ball. But however overmuch assistance volition besides beryllium connected the Seahawks defense. In presumption of yardage allowed, the Seahawks really fertile beneath the Chiefs. They springiness up 401.5 yards per game, second-worst successful the league. But there’s a spot of a bend-but-don’t-break prime astir this unit, which allows lone 21.1 points, which is among the NFL’s apical 10.

“They’re struggling defensively,” Davis noted. “This is not Legion of Boom, arsenic we good know. And they springiness up a batch connected the antiaircraft broadside of the ball, which has to thrust Pete Carroll brainsick due to the fact that that’s his specialty. But that’s wherever the conflict is. If they’re going to triumph games, it feels similar tracking meet-type stuff.”

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The Seahawks play the Packers Sunday, November 14 @ 4:25 p.m. ET connected CBS.