Packers–Seahawks rivalry

The Packers–Seahawks rivalry is an American football rivalry between the Green Bay Packers and the Seattle Seahawks. The Packers entered the National Football League (NFL) in 1921 and saw significant periods of sustained success under Curly Lambeau in the 1930s and 1940s, as well as in the 1960s under Vince Lombardi. However, the Packers entered the 1970s in a sustained slump. They only made the playoffs once from 1968 to 1975. The Seahawks entered the NFL in 1976 as part of an agreement to expand the league after the AFL–NFL merger. The Packers and Seahawks played their first game during the 1976 NFL season, with the Packers winning 27–20 at Milwaukee County Stadium. During the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, the two teams only played each other intermittently, as they were in different conferences. However, this changed in 2002 when the Seahawks were moved from the American Football Conference (AFC) to the National Football Conference (NFC). Teams playing in the same conference compete against each other in the regular season at least every three years and may meet more often if they share common positions in their respective division or are paired in the playoffs.

The rivalry between the two teams grew stronger after they became NFC foes. They met for the first time in the playoffs during the 2003 NFL season, an overtime 33–27 Packers' victory that occurred after Seahawks' quarterback Matt Hasselbeck exclaimed over the referee's microphone "we want the ball and we're going to score!" after winning the overtime coin toss. Both teams maintained consistent success throughout the 2000s, 2010s and into the 2020s, with the Packers winning Super Bowl XLV and the Seahawks winning Super Bowl XLVIII. Both teams sustained high-quality quarterback play, with Brett Favre and then Aaron Rodgers leading the Packers, and Hasselbeck and then Russell Wilson leading the Seahawks. The teams met in the playoffs three more times during this era, with the Packers winning two. The lone Seahawks' postseason victory was the 2014 NFC Championship Game, in which Seattle won after an improbable comeback in he fourth quarter. The rivalry has been defined by these high-profile postseason games, as well as some controversy. In 2012, the teams competed in what became known as the Fail Mary game. With replacement officials refereeing the game due to the 2012 NFL referee lockout, the Packers controversially lost on a walk-off Hail Mary pass by Russel Wilson. The ensuing controversy led to the end of the lockout and the return of the NFL's referees. As of the 2023 NFL season, the Packers lead the overall series 15–9, including winning 3 out of 4 postseason games. The Packers and Seahawks most recent game was on November 14, 2021, with the Packers winning 17–0.

Green Bay Packers (1919–1975)
The Green Bay Packers were founded in 1919 by Curly Lambeau and George Whitney Calhoun. After a few years of playing local teams, the Packers entered the National Football League (NFL) in 1921. Between 1929 and 1944, the Packers dominated the NFL, winning six championships and reaching the playoffs two other times. The advent of the forward pass under coach Curly Lambeau and wide receiver Don Hutson revolutionized the way football was played. After the retirement of Hutson and the eventual departure of Lambeau to the Chicago Cardinals, the Packers experienced 15 years of poor results from 1945 to 1959. However, with the hiring of Vince Lombardi, the Packers saw a revival, making the playoffs eight straight seasons and winning five championships, including the first two Super Bowls. After Lombardi departed for the Washington Redskins in 1969, the Packers again experienced a prolonged period of poor results, only making the playoffs once from 1968 to 1975.

Seattle Seahawks
As part of the AFL–NFL merger, it was agreed that the NFL would expand by two teams. The Seattle Seahawks and the Tampa Buccaneers became these two expansion franchises, both of whom had their inaugural season in 1976. The Seahawks started in the NFC West, but only played there for one season before being moved to the AFC West.

Early years (1976 to 2001)
After the Seahawks entered the NFL as an expansion team, they only played the Packers eight times from 1976 to 2002. The Packers won the first three match-ups, while the Seahawks won the next three and the series stayed tied 4–4 by 2002. Neither team saw much success in the 1970s and 1980s, with the Seahawks not winning their first division title until 1988. The Packers only made the playoffs once from 1976 to 1992. However, in the 1990s the Packers saw sustained success under head coach Mike Holmgren and future Pro Football Hall of Famers Brett Favre and Reggie White. The team appeared in two Super Bowl in the 1990s, including a victory in Super Bowl XXXI. The Seahawks meanwhile saw little success after their division title in 1988, as they failed to make the playoffs again until 1999. Coincidentally, that season was the first for the Seahawks after they lured Holmgren from the Packers to serve as their general manager and head coach. In 2001, the Seahawks traded with the Packers for quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, who had served as Favre's back-up quarterback for two seasons. Starting with the 2002 NFL season, the Seahawks were moved from the AFC West to the NFC West as part of a larger league realignment. Being in the same conference pitted the two teams against each other more often, including setting the stage for postseason match-ups.

Conference rivals (2002 to present)
The true rivalry between the teams began in the 2000s. In 2003, the teams met for the first time as conference rivals, with the Packers winning 35–13 during the regular season. That same season, both teams made the playoffs and met in a Wild Card Playoff game at Lambeau Field. The game went back-and-forth, and after a missed field goal at the end of the fourth quarter by the Packers, went into overtime. After the Seahawks won the overtime coin toss, Hasselbeck exclaimed "we want the ball and we're going to score!" The referee's microphone was still on and picked up this comment for the national television audience and stadium fans to hear. After both teams exchanged punts, Hasselbeck dropped back to pass on third down and long, throwing a quick pass to his left which Al Harris jumped in front of for an interception returned for a touchdown. The score ended the game, sending the Packers to the Divisional Round. Harris' walk-off touchdown was the first defensive score in overtime to end a playoff game and was ranked as the 86th greatest play in NFL history in 2019; the game itself was also ranked as the 72nd greatest in NFL history.

The Packers dominated the rivalry in the 2000s, winning six of seven match-ups. This included two games that became notable for snowy weather. In 2006, the Seahawks hosted the Packers in during a Monday Night Football game that looked more like Lambeau Field. For the first time in their history, the Seahawks hosted a game with snow actively falling. A year later, the Packers hosted the Seahawks in a Divisional Playoff game. The game, which has been referred to as the Snow Bowl was notable both for the snowy weather and for the Packers comeback. Down 14–0 within the first five minutes of the game after two Ryan Grant fumbles resulted in Seahawks touchdowns, the Packers responded by outscoring the Seahawks 42–6 the rest of the game to secure the victory.

The rivalry was evenly matched in the 2010s, with each team winning four games. However, this decade saw a number of notable games and controversy. The decade began with what became known as the Fail Mary game, a Week 3 regular season match-up in Seattle during the 2012 NFL season. The 2012 NFL referee lockout began at the start of the season, with the NFL fielding replacement officials for the first three weeks. During these few weeks there were questions about the quality of the officiating. The Packers led a low-scoring affair 12–7 with under a minute left in the game and the Seahawks having possession. The Seahawks drove to mid-field with enough time for one final play, with rookie quarterback Russell Wilson throwing a Hail Mary pass into the end zone as time expired. The ball initially appeared to have been intercepted by the Packers for a game-ending turnover. However, one official signaled a touchdown and after replay review, the officials deemed the play a simultaneous catch by Seahawks' wide receiver Golden Tate and Packers defensive back M. D. Jennings. This score gave the Seahawks the victory, although afterwards significant controversy arose with multiple NFL referees, analysists, coaches and players claiming that replay showed that Jennings had a clear interception before Tate grabbed on to the ball. An offensive pass interference penalty, which again would have ended the game in the Packers' favor, was also missed by the officials. The resulting outcry and controversy was noted as the catalyst for the NFL and its referees to end the lockout the next week. The game was the first for Wilson against the Packers and the second for Aaron Rodgers against the Seahawks. Wilson won the starting quarterback job that season over Matt Flynn, who was signed by the Seahawks from the Packers after Flynn backed up Rodgers for four seasons.

The Fail Mary game began a three-game win streak for the Seahawks against the Packers, which culminated in the 2014 NFC Championship Game. In this game, the Packers took a 19–7 lead deep into the fourth quarter, with the Seahawks only points coming from a touchdown pass from the team's punter during fake field goal attempt. After Wilson threw his fourth interception of the game with 5 minutes left, the Seahawks chances for victory appeared bleak. However, after forcing a Packers' punt, the Seahawks scored a quick touchdown and then attempted an onside kick. The Seahawks recovered the kick after Packers' back-up tight end Brandon Bostick abandoned his blocking assignment and attempted to recover the kick. The ball bounced off of his helmet and the Seahawks recovered. Wilson drove the team down quickly for a touchdown, giving the Seahawks a 20–19 lead. Wanting to go up by three points to protect against a possible game-winning field goal, the Seahawks attempted a two-point conversion. Wilson was flushed from the pocket and ultimately threw a desperation, high-arcing pass that was caught by Luke Willson for a successful attempt. Although Willson was an eligible receiver on the play, his assignment was originally to just block. Rodgers and the Packers got the ball back and quickly drove down for a tying field goal, sending the game into overtime. The Seahawks won the coin toss and started overtime with ball. After completing a 35-yard pass for a first down, Wilson threw another deep pass, again for 35 yards, for the game-winning touchdown, sending the Seahawks to Super Bowl XLIX. After this loss, the Packers won four of the next five match-ups, culminating in a victory in the 2019 Divisional Playoffs. In that game, the Packers were able to stave off another Seahawks comeback, running out the clock on two third-down conversions at the end of the game. The Packers won the most recent match-up 17–0 in a 2021 regular season game. The shut out was the first in the team's rivalry.

The two teams' rivalry has been characterized by numerous dramatic finishes and high-profile games. Both teams maintained long successful periods, with the Seahawks supported by Hasselbeck and Wilson, while the Packers saw success under Brett Favre and Rodgers. After Rodgers had left the Packers for the New York Jets and Wilson had left the Seahawks for the Denver Broncos, Rodgers reflected on his games against Seattle as a "great rivalry," saying "we couldn’t seem to beat them … in Seattle. They couldn’t beat us in Green Bay." The rivalry continued to grow in the 2020s, with the Packers and Seahawks scheduled to play each other again near the end of the 2024 NFL season.

Notable games

 * Packers 33, Seahawks 27 (January 4, 2004) – This playoff game is known for Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck saying, "We want the ball and we're going to score!" The teams had their first postseason match-up in the 2003–04 NFL playoffs, at Lambeau Field. The Wild Card game saw numerous lead changes, and after a missed field goal attempt by the Packers at the end of the fourth quarter, the teams were tied 27–27. In overtime, the Seahawks won the coin toss. Hasselbeck (a former Packer) told the microphoned referee, and thus the crowd and the national television audience "we want the ball and we're going to score!" After each team went three-and-out, cornerback Al Harris intercepted a Hasselbeck pass and returned it for the winning touchdown. In honor of the league's 100th anniversary, the NFL compiled lists of the greatest games and plays, with this game and Harris' interception were ranked as the 72nd and 86 greatest, respectively. Harris was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Week for his interception returned for a touchdown, which was the first defensive touchdown to win an overtime playoff game in NFL history.


 * Packers 42, Seahawks 20 (January 12, 2008) – Sometimes referred to as the Snow Bowl, in the 2007–08 NFL playoffs the Packers and Seahawks met again for a postseason match-up at Lambeau Field. The Seahawks jumped to a 14–0 lead in under five minutes in the 1st quarter, recovering two fumbles on consecutive drives by Packers running back Ryan Grant and scoring a touchdown each time. The Packers defense, however, only allowed two Seahawks field goals for the rest of the game. Grant went on to rush 27 times for 201 yards and scored 3 touchdowns; his 201 rushing yards set a team postseason record. Quarterback Brett Favre also threw for 3 touchdowns as the Packers beat the Seahawks 42–20. A large snowstorm dumped about 2 inches of snow during the game, with the Green Bay Press-Gazette saying that "Lambeau Field turned into a snow globe".


 * Seahawks 14, Packers 12 (September 24, 2012) – On September 24, 2012, the teams played a regular season game at the Seahawks' CenturyLink Field. It is remembered for the controversial last play, dubbed the "Fail Mary". Replacement officials were being used due to the 2012 NFL referee lockout. With the Packers leading 12–7 and only eight seconds left, Seattle rookie quarterback Russell Wilson threw a desperation Hail Mary pass into the end zone. Packers safety M. D. Jennings and Seahawks wide receiver Golden Tate both jumped for the ball, and both maintained some contact with it in the air and upon landing on the ground. The two officials near the play conferred and then simultaneously made separate signals with one raising his arms to signal touchdown, while the other waved his arms to signal stoppage of the clock. Eventually, it was declared a touchdown, with Jennings and Tate ruled to have simultaneous possession (which is decided in favor of the offensive player), giving the Seahawks the win. Following the game, the NFL released an official statement that acknowledged that a pass interference penalty should have been called on Tate. Also, several of the regular NFL officials stated they would have ruled it an interception. The referee lockout ended a few days after the game, with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell stating that the reaction by fans, players, and the media after the Fail Mary game "may have pushed the parties further along" in their contract negotiations.


 * Seahawks 28, Packers 22 (January 18, 2015) – The Packers travelled to Seattle for the 2014 NFC Championship Game. Seattle was looking to repeat as Super Bowl champions, having defeated the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII 43–8 the year before. However, Russell Wilson started poorly and his team was down 16–0 at halftime. The Seahawks finally scored on a fake field goal attempt; holder Jon Ryan threw a touchdown pass to Garry Gilliam. They were still down 19–7 with less than three minutes left, however. Wilson ran for a touchdown. Then, after a successful onside kick, Marshawn Lynch rushed for another touchdown, giving his team its first lead. Ahead 20–19, the Seahawks elected to go for a two-point conversion; Wilson came under pressure and was chased out of the pocket, but managed to loft a high, arcing pass to tight end Luke Willson, who took the ball into the end zone. That successful conversion proved to be crucial, as Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers had enough time to drive down the field for a tying field goal. In overtime, Seattle won the coin toss, and Wilson threw a game-winning touchdown pass to Jermaine Kearse on the first possession.


 * Packers 28, Seahawks 23 (January 12, 2020) – The Seahawks travelled to Green Bay for a NFC Divisional Playoff game. The Packers took a 21−3 into halftime after a 20-yard touchdown pass from Aaron Rodgers to Davante Adams and two rushing touchdowns by Aaron Jones. The Seahawks fought back in the second half, scoring three touchdowns, while holding the Packers to just seven second-half points on another touchdown pass to Adams. After the last touchdown, the Seahawks two-point conversion failed, keeping the Packers' lead at 28–23. The Seahawks got the ball back but were forced to punt with just over two minutes left in the game. The Packers were able to run out the rest of the clock, converting twice on third down.

Club success
As of the 2023 NFL season, the Packers and Seahawks have won a combined 14 championships in the league's history, including 8 Super Bowl appearances. Each team's overall record and playoff success are provided in the table below.

Game results
As of the end of the 2023 NFL season, the Buccaneers and Packers have played each other 23 times, with the Packers leading the all-time series 14–9. The Packers lead the all-time series 12–3 when they are the home team, while the Seahawks lead the all-time series 6–2 when they are the home team. The Seahawks and Packers have played each other four times in the postseason; the Packers lead the postseason series 3–1. The following game results are up-to-date as of the end of the 2023 NFL season.