The Packers host the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night and the stakes have been raised by the loss of each of the other three teams in the division plus a Seahawks in-division loss against the Rams. Packernation knows that the performance of the defense against the Bears will likely not be enough to get the job done against the Seahawks.
The Packers put Sam Barrington on IR yesterday which means that the inside linebacker position will be even more in flux as the season progresses. Now, Clay Matthews will be more locked in to that position which means it will be easier to game plan for him. The middle of the field looks like it is going to be soft for the duration…at least half of the inside when Matthews is there. The Packers cannot be happy with where their run defense or pass defense is at right now. Matt Forte had a heyday to the tune of 141 yards.
The Seahawks are striving to give Marshawn Lynch more opportunities to catch the ball out of the backfield which doesn’t bode well for a Packers defense that stacked the box against Forte and couldn’t stop the run or sniff out a screen. Sam Shields made an adjustment the second time Matt Forte ran the play that would have gotten him a touchdown (if he had held onto the ball) so some learning is taking place. But I just don’t think the Packers’ defense is at the same point they were when they faced the Seahawks at the end of last year. They played a great game against Wilson and Co. though it was not enough in the end.
The return of Datone Jones will help the rotation on the defensive line but again, the writing is on the wall…we couldn’t stop Forte and Bennett…how will we stop Lynch and Graham? I suggest that this week, the best defense is a good offense.
The Packers saw success on defense when the offense extended drives. We have seen in the past that the Packers 
offense needs to extend drives to keep the defense off the field for enough time that they can get ready for the next series. This element of the game will be particularly important on Sunday. And one thing is for sure…we do NOT want to punt the ball to Tyler Lockett.
One noticeable difference in the Packers’ offense last Sunday was that without Jordy Nelson and with Cobb at less than 100%, the Packers cannot stretch the field. This will be fine as the Packers take a more traditional approach to the West Coast offense and mix in a good bit of Eddie Lacy. And while I do hope the Packers stretch the field once again by giving Jeff Janis a chance to get on the field, I hope it is not in this game.
Aaron Rodgers is money at Lambeau. He didn’t have an interception there all last season. And with James Jones back on the field for the Pack, and presumably Randall Cobb feeling a bit better, the offense should be able to move the ball against a difficult Seattle defense.
The ability of the offense to extend drives is going to be critical if the Packers want to take their home opener and start the year 2-0.
Go Pack!