Entering Monday night's game, both the Seattle Seahawks and the Green Bay Packers are a surprising 1-1, but for different reasons.
The Packers started off slow this season compared to last year, when they went 15-1 and were the best team in football, by losing at home to the San Francisco 49ers and sluggishly beating the Chicago Bears 23-10 last week.
The Seahawks started with a loss on the road to the Arizona Cardinals, but looked stellar in their home opener, defeating the Dallas Cowboys in dominant fashion 27-7 last Sunday.
Both teams are looking at Monday night's game as a must-win opportunity.
During the week, the Packers dealt with some controversy about an incident with receiver James Jones and Aaron Rodgers, who had issues after a wrong route led to an interception against Chicago.
"He apologized, said he's sorry for showing his emotions," Jones said to ESPN.com. "But I was like, (there's) no need to apologize. We're trying to win. I messed up. Frustration happens. It's all good. No love lost. We're teammates. We're family in here. Like I said, everybody's trying to win."
The team also had to deal with another issue when tight end Jermichael Finley's agent made some comments on Twitter about Rodgers and his leadership abilities. He said: "(Rodgers) is a great QB he isn't a great leader. There's a major difference. Leaders take the blame (and make everyone) better. He doesn't."
The team smoothed everything over, but small distractions can create issues in the locker room, which is one thing the Packers don't need.
"It's a lot of little things," Jones said. "We're missing a lot of easy plays out there, whether it's making a routine catch, whether it's making a tough catch, whether it's making a key block. We're very close to being explosive."
The Packer offense might be shorthanded if wide receiver Greg Jennings can't play. According to ESPN, Jennings said he would play in the game, but he missed last week with a groin injury and will be a game-time decision.
For the Seahawks, if they play like they did last week, Green Bay will have a tough time putting up points. The Seattle defense kept the Cowboys from running the ball and held Tony Romo in check for the entire game. Dallas only could score one touchdown in the second quarter and that was it.
"We played really physical, a really physical style that is what we really want to capture," coach Pete Carroll said. "There is not a guy that sits in this room that doesn't want to play on a team like that.
The Seahawks also were able to run the ball, which is one thing the Packers are weak at stopping and Seattle will look to exploit.
Rookie quarterback Russell Wilson is a running threat and running back Marshawn Lynch has 207 yards on the season already. Lynch has the most rushing yards in the NFL over the last 11 regular season games, going for 1,148 yards.
Seattle will look to use its home-field advantage against the Packers. The Seahawks are 15-11 at CenturyLink Field since 2009 and have won seven of the last 11 games played at home.
The teams have played twice previously on Monday Night Football, with the Seahawks winning both games.
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