The NFL season is officially here and the Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers will kick things off in fashion on Thursday night. The Packers are coming off a season where they missed quarterback Aaron Rodgers for a good portion after he went down with an injury. The Seahawks are preparing their title defense after beating the Denver Broncos to win the Super Bowl. This game should be filled with dramatics after the controversial call that ended the two team's last matchup. With expectations high for both teams, who starts with a win and who gets the loss?
Seattle returns with relatively the same team as last year. The led the league last year in scoring defense with 14.4 points per game and yards allowed with 273.6 per game. Not to mention, their three best offensive performers are back and healthy for the year ahead. Marshawn Lynch returns after putting up 4,624 yards and 41 touchdowns since 2010. Percy Harvin is healthy after a hip injury limited him to just one game in the regular season last year, but he did have a touchdown in the Super Bowl.
Wilson is back and ready to earn himself a high contract extension. The quarterback ranked seventh last year with a 101.2 passer rating. His 31 touchdowns ranked him in at fourth in the league overall. Wilson has clearly not missed a beat, putting up nine touchdowns in the preseason. The young Green Packers defense will certainly be tested early with Wilson under center.
Outside of Rodgers, the biggest name back on the field for Green Bay is running back Eddie Lacy who capped up a 1,178-yard, 11 touchdown season by winning offensive rookie of the year. He finished the third-best running back in the league after helping carry the offense in the wake of an injury to Rodgers. The quarterback missed seven games to a collarbone injury.
The Packers also worked to improve their secondary unit after tying for 24th in scoring defense with 26.8 points per game and 25th in yards allowed with 372.3 yards. They drafted Ha Ha Clinton-Dix in the first round and also signed Julius Peppers in free agency. They will also get Clay Matthews back after he dealt with a thumb injury.