Green Bay Packers face Seattle Seahawks with playoff positioning at stake

SEATTLE – Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson have faced off in a few memorable games in Seattle, from the “Fail Mary” to an unforgettable NFC championship game that sent the Seahawks to their second consecutive Super Bowl.

For the fifth consecutive regular season – and the seventh time overall since 2012 – Green Bay and Seattle will meet again on Thursday night, but this time it’s positioning in a jumbled NFC playoff picture at stake.

Washington, New Orleans, Chicago and the Los Angeles Rams are the division leaders in the NFC, leaving a pile of seven teams – including Seattle and Green Bay – within a couple of games of each other likely competing for the two wild-card spots. Every advantage or tiebreaker in that race – such as a head-to-head victory – could end up being crucial.

“I know that this team is very, very capable of doing what we’re setting out to do,” Wilson said. “I think everybody should watch out (for) what we can do.”

Seattle (4-5) has dropped two straight after winning four of the previous five, and hasn’t lost three straight since the middle of the 2011 season. Green Bay (4-4-1) snapped a two-game losing streak with a 31-12 thumping of Miami last week.

The “Fail Mary” in 2012, the 2014 season opener when Seattle raised its Super Bowl banner and the NFC title game after the 2014 season are the only three times Rodgers has lost to the Seahawks in his career.

The past two matchups with Seattle have been among Rodgers’ best, throwing for 311 yards in a 17-9 win to open last season and in 2016 posting a 150.8 passer rating in a 38-10 Green Bay rout.

He also has the distinction of having won in Seattle – although that came 10 years ago.

“It’s a tough environment like I said, but we’ve definitely done it before,” Rodgers said. “You’ve just got to start fast, take care of the football. They’re very good at turning the ball over. I know this is different personnel on their side of the ball than we’ve seen over the years, but they’re still playing really well.”

Rodgers and Wilson are being helped this year by improved run games that are among the best in the league. Green Bay’s Aaron Jones leads the NFL in yards per carry, while Seattle has the No. 1 rushing offense and last week rushed for 273 yards against the Rams without starting running back Chris Carson.