WHEN THE SEAHAWKS HAVE THE BALL
Though certainly Hasselbeck (2656 passing yard, 15 TD, 12 INT) has been culpable in the Seahawks' shaky offensive play this season, the generally poor work of his offensive line and non-existent nature of the team's running game has not been a credit to the three-time Pro Bowler's cause. Exacerbating the problems for Hasselbeck this week is the fact that top receiver Nate Burleson is likely done for the year with an ankle injury suffered last week. Still, if Hasselbeck can find time to throw behind an offensive line that has surrendered a bloated 35 sacks on the year, he will have capable targets in the form of T.J. Houshmandzadeh (72 receptions, 3 TD), Deion Branch (36 receptions, 2 TD), and tight end John Carlson (47 receptions, 5 TD). Houshmandzadeh hauled in seven catches for 73 yards in the Tampa Bay loss, while Carlson had his best game in weeks with seven receptions, 86 yards,ugg boots and the team's only touchdown of the day. Mora is likely to give a lot of attention to the running game in the offseason, as Julius Jones (563 rushing yards, 28 receptions, 4 TD), Justin Forsett (475 rushing yards, 38 receptions, 5 TD) and company lead an attack that is 28th in NFL rushing offense (93.6 yards per game) as Week 16 begins. Jones and Forsett combined for 120 yards on 21 total carries last week, but the team all but abandoned the running game in the second half.
A Green Bay defense that had made tremendous strides during the team's five- game winning streak saw its reputation take a major hit last Sunday,nfl jerseys when Roethlisberger gutted the Packers during a historic 503-yard passing day. Looking to bounce back this week will be a secondary led by cornerbacks Charles Woodson (70 tackles, 8 INT, 2 sacks) and Tramon Williams (44 tackles, 3 INT, 1 sack), with safeties Nick Collins (47 tackles, 6 INT, 1 sack) and Atari Bigby (38 tackles, 1 INT) in support. Woodson had a game-high nine tackles against the Steelers but did not further his case for NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors. The Packers pass rush got after Roethlisberger for five sacks, including two each for linebackers Clay Matthews (47 tackles, 10 sacks) and Brad Jones (27 tackles, 3 sacks). The rookie Matthews, nfl jerseyswho has become the team's most capable pass rusher in the absence of the injured Aaron Kampman, has six sacks over his past four games. Green Bay enters Week 16 ranked second in the league against the run (83.6 yards per game), with d-linemen B.J. Raji (21 tackles, 1 sack) and Johnny Jolly (35 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT) both active in the trenches, and inside linebackers Nick Barnett (91 tackles, 3 sacks) and A.J. Hawk (77 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT) making plays in the next line of defense. The Pack limited Pittsburgh's Rashard Mendenhall and Willie Parker to a combined 60 rushing yards on 17 attempts last week, though Mendenhall did get loose for 73 receiving yards.