The Packers’ NFC Championship Game loss in Seattle was so last season. That’s been the approach around Lambeau Field headquarters this week as head coach Mike McCarthy prepares his team for a “rematch” with the Seahawks.
Outside observers might assume that players have had this game circled on their calendars since the day regular-season schedules were released in April. Well, if players did circle it, their poker faces are mightily impressive.
“It’s just the next opponent,” veteran linebacker Julius Peppers said. “We have a great opportunity to go out and get another win. I think that’s where the focus is, not on who we’re playing.”
Peppers made it a point for himself to avoid any mental distractions that could exist as a result of thinking back to Green Bay’s epic collapse eight months ago. Those are painful memories for Packers players, especially for a 35-year-old like Peppers whose career is winding down.
Reminiscing about having a 12-point lead with five minutes to play, yet finding a way to lose in overtime to Seattle, was deemed as not being a healthy way to prepare for this Sunday’s matchup.
“We’re not, well, I’m not talking about last year,” Peppers said. “Y’all can direct those questions to the other guys. I’m strictly talking about this game this week.”
Aaron Rodgers shared Peppers’ feelings on the topic.
“It’s Seattle, it’s our next opponent, it’s Week 2,” Rodgers said. “We’re going to try and approach it just like every other game, like we approached last week. It was an important week, a division opponent. This week, conference opponent, a good football team and it’s a home game.”
Perhaps it began as a conscious effort that players had to make in order to prepare for this game with Seattle no differently than any others. But if so, it has since evolved into a determined mindset to keep any potential emotions about this game in check.
“We understand the storylines,” Rodgers said. “We played (against the Seahawks) a couple times last year. This is 2015. It’s a different season. Everyone is dealing with different expectations and all the same type of goals. It’s different personnel. They’re trying to be the best team they can be in 2015 and we’re trying to be the best team we can be.”
But how? How can players be so casual about a game that has fans so riled up? Because McCarthy gave his team closure on it during an offseason meeting in April.
At that meeting, McCarthy squashed what nose tackle B.J. Raji described as “the elephant-in-the-room question” about the loss in Seattle.
“‘How is the loss going to affect us going forward?,’” Raji said.
From Raji’s perspective, the reality of losing to the Seahawks in the NFC Championship Game and falling a few minutes shy of reaching the Super Bowl in February won’t affect himself or his teammates.
“We didn’t forget about the game, but the only way you can learn from a situation like that is to take a more analytical approach and not so much an emotional approach,” Raji said. “After you talk about it and move past it, leave the emotions behind, but take the lessons and move forward.”
One distinctive difference between the upcoming Sunday night game and the two losses to Seattle last season is location. Green Bay has lost three consecutive games to the Seahawks, all within the past three seasons. That makes Russell Wilson 3-0 against the Packers in his NFL career. Of course, all three of those games were in Seattle. This time, Wilson & Co. have to try their hand at Lambeau Field.
The home-field advantage in this budding rivalry cannot be overlooked. That’s why McCarthy was wearing a “Get Loud, Lambeau” shirt to his Wednesday press conference. Each player also had one waiting for them in their lockers, many choosing to wear it out of the building that day.
“We hope (Packers fans) show up and give us that homefield advantage that Seattle’s benefited from so much over the years,” linebacker Clay Matthews said.
If the Packers do finally get a win over Seattle, it would send the Seahawks to an early 0-2 record. It would also ensure that Green Bay doesn’t begin 1-2, which it has for each of the past three seasons.
“This is really about beating Seattle and getting to 2-0,” McCarthy said.
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