First look at Seahawks vs. Packers in NFC Championship Game

Aaron Rodgers is coming back to Seattle.

So is his injured calf.

The Packers’ quarterback passed for 226 of his 316 yards in the second half of Green Bay’s 26-21 comeback victory over Dallas on Sunday. He threw two touchdown passes, and any description of his performance is required to use two words:

1. Gimpy. As all of the free world has been told (repeatedly), Rodgers suffered a strained calf in his left leg during the first half of his team’s regular-season finale. Rodgers was taken to the locker room on a cart and initially feared he suffered a season-ending injury. He returned to the game and played all of Sunday’s playoff game, though he was noticeably favoring that left leg.

2. Gutsy. This is used to describe Rodgers’ performance as he was 9-for-15 passing in the first half, clearly limited by his leg. He completed 15 of the 20 passes he threw in the second half, including all nine attempts in the fourth quarter.

Seattle’s opponent for its final game at CenturyLink Field this season will be the same as the regular-season opener, when the Seahawks hosted the Packers on Thursday night.

There are plenty of storylines in this game starting with the fact that Green Bay led the league in scoring this season while the Seahawks allowed the fewest points in the NFL for a third successive year. Of course, there will be inevitable references to Seattle’s controversial victory over Green Bay in Week 3 of 2012. Also worth noting, Rodgers and Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch were teammates in college, and general manager John Schneider came to Seattle from Green Bay, where he was part of the Packers’ front office when Rodgers was drafted in the first round in 2005.

Here are some other facts to know about the matchup.

History: The Seahawks and Packers have played 15 times, Green Bay winning eight of those 15 games. However, Seattle is 3-1 in the games played at CenturyLink Field.

Last Seahawks victory over the Packers: Seattle 36, Green Bay 16, Sept. 4, 2014. And truthfully, it wasn’t that close. Russell Wilson threw for more yards than Rodgers, Lynch gained 110 yards on the ground and Seahawks receiver Percy Harvin rushed for more yards than any Packers player. The good news for Green Bay? The Packers no longer have to worry about Harvin, who was traded back in October.

Last Packers victory over the Seahawks: Green Bay 48, Seattle 10, Dec. 27, 2009. The Packers may have helped bring Pete Carroll to Seattle. After all, this was the most lopsided loss in a string of lopsided losses at the end of Jim Mora’s only season as Seahawks coach. Seattle was outscored 123-37 over the final four games.

Playoff pedigree: The teams have met twice, both in Green Bay and both resulting in Packers victories. Green Bay, Chicago and Miami are the only teams to defeat Seattle twice in the playoffs. Seattle’s first postseason loss to Green Bay was in January 2004, a game best remembered because it went to overtime and after Seattle won the coin toss, quarterback Matt Hasselbeck declared, “We want the ball and we’re going to score.” Hasselbeck’s pass to Alex Bannister was picked off after Bannister ran his route too deep, and the Packers returned it for a touchdown. The teams played in the divisional round in January 2008. Seattle got off to a 14-0 lead, scoring two touchdowns in the first 5 minutes. The Packers then went on a 35-3 run in the midst of a blizzard in the game that turned out to be Brett Favre’s final postseason victory for the Packers.

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