Packers vs. Seahawks: Date, Time, Preview, Prediction for NFC Championship

After more than four months, the NFL has officially come full circle. Sort of. 

Back on September 4, the defending champion Seattle Seahawks kicked off the regular season with a 36-16 statement against the Green Bay Packers. Now, 137 days later, the Pack return to CenturyLink Field on Sunday, Jan. 18 at 3:05 p.m. ET in a rematch to determine one half of Super Bowl XLIX. 

Of course, plenty has changed since then.

Russell Wilson is in the playoffs, which pretty much turns him into a cheat code. Aaron Rodgers, although dealing with a torn calf, is in the playoffs, which also pretty much turns him into a cheat code. They rank No. 1 and 2 in history in postseason QB rating, per NFL.com, which is fairly remarkable. 

Seattle's defense, somehow, has taken its dominance to a new level, allowing 8.0 points per game over its last seven games. The Packers counter with Eddie Lacy, who was mostly nonexistent in the first matchup but has been steamrolling opponents over the second half of the year. 

Two game-changing QBs. Two powerful running backs who invite contact. The league's best secondary versus arguably the league's best wide receiver trio. 

"It's going to be one of those for the ages," Wilson told reporters, via ESPN.com. "You look forward to that."

Date: Sunday, Jan. 18, 2015

Time: 3:05 p.m. ET

Location: CenturyLink Field, Seattle, Washington

TV: Fox

Spread: Seattle (-7.5), per OddsShark.com

Preview

While much has been made about Rodgers, likely the league's MVP, and Wilson, who is already establishing himself as one of the most dangerous dual-threat QBs of all time, this game is going to come down to whose running game is more effective. 

Following the Packers' Week 9 bye, Lacy has averaged 115.6 yards from scrimmage (90.2 rushing, 25.3 receiving) and a touchdown per game. While Rodgers has been dominant for the entire season, the bruising RB's second-half success has transformed the offense:

“From the first eight games to the second eight games, their rushing stats have flip flopped, and that’s a big change in their approach,” Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll said, via Pro Football Talk's Curtis Crabtree.

On the other side of the ball, the Hawks boast Football Outsiders' No. 2 run defense. They allowed a minuscule 3.4 yards per rush during the regular season and haven't allowed a running back to hit 100 yards since All-Pro linebacker Bobby Wagner returned to the lineup in Week 12. 

Seattle, which is playing without defensive tackles Brandon Mebane and Jordan Hill, has shown some slight cracks in the armor. The San Francisco 49ers were running the ball extremely well in Week 15 before Frank Gore and Carlos Hyde both got hurt, and last week, Jonathan Stewart reeled off 5.4 yards per carry. 

But while Lacy makes a living running over defenders, Seattle is one of the few defenses that match that physicality. Heat-seeking missile Earl Thomas discussed the team's mentality, via the Seattle Times' Ryan Divish.

"No, everybody is growing, but with Wags, just killer instinct," Thomas said. "Some guys just have that nasty streak to him, and I want another guy beside me with killer instincts. He has that, Sherm has that, Kam has that, and that fired up passion is contagious."

CenturyLink Field is no stranger to seismic activity, but researchers better have their seismographs ready when Lacy collides with Kam Chancellor. 

When the Seahawks have the ball, it begins with Marshawn Lynch. Boasting a rare blend of power, speed and elusiveness, he has established himself as one of the most difficult ball-carriers to take down in recent memory, via Pro Football Focus:

He'll likely meet up with Clay Matthews a time or seven. Regarded as one of the most dangerous edge-rushers in the NFL, Matthews made the move to inside linebacker after the Packers' bye, helping to fix the team's once-shoddy run defense. 

Through the first eight weeks, the Packers gave up 153.5 rushing yards per game on 4.8 yards per carry. Since Matthews' move inside in nickel packages, those numbers are down to 92.3 and 4.0, respectively. 

"It's interesting how [Matthews' position change] has coincided with their turn," said Carroll, via the Journal Sentinel's Tyler Dunne. "I think it was at the nine-game mark. Great coaching, obviously. It's made a big difference."

With Green Bay's improvements in the running game, and with the way Seattle likes to grind out games, the Packers are a strong choice to cover the 7.5-point spread. 

Ultimately, though, the Seahawks' speed and physicality on both sides of the ball, as well as their vaunted home-field advantage, will help them squeeze through to a second Super Bowl in a row. 

Prediction: Seahawks 24, Packers 20