Russell Wilson and the Seahawks host Aaron Rodgers and the Packers Thursday night. (Getty)
The NFL season gets started in entertaining fashion Thursday night with a pair of NFC contenders squaring off when the Seattle Seahawks begin their title defense against a team a lot of people will succeed them as Super Bowl champs: The Green Bay Packers.
The game starts at 8:30 and will be preceded by festivities that will include live performances by Soundgarden and Pharrell and a national anthem performed by Ariana Grande.
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Here’s what you need to know:
How to Watch on TV & Online
(NBCSports.com)
TV: NBC has coverage beginning at 8 p.m. Al Michaels, Chris Collinsworth and Michele Tafoya have the call.
HOW TO WATCH ONLINE: If you’re based in the United States, you can watch the game online for free via NBC Sports’ Live Extra program. You’ll need the log-in and password for a cable account to access the stream. The stream is not available internationally. The NBC Sports website has a list of frequently asked questions.
HOW TO WATCH ON MOBILE: You can watch the game for free on your iPhone, iPad or Android by downloading the NBC Sports Live Extra app. The app is free and is available in the App Store and the Google Play store.
About the Game
It’s the first meeting between the NFC contenders since the infamous Fail Mary game in 2012, in which replacement referees incorrectly ruled that Seahawks receiver Golden Tate had caught a Hail Mary pass from Russell Wilson, giving Seattle a 14-12 win on the final play of the game. The call was so egregious that it single-handedly ended the lockout of the league’s officials.
The teams are both favored to win their divisions and both are popular picks to make it to the NFC Championship Game. Bovada has the Seahawks as 6-point favorites.
Heavy’s Pick
Packers 31, Seahawks 28
The crowd will be rockin’ and the Seahawks defense won’t make things easy on Aaron Rodgers, Eddie Lacy and Company. But Marshawn Lynch is slowly declining, and the Green Bay defense will keep things close before some fourth-quarter heroics by Rodgers. We’ll go with the upset here and take the road team to win outright.
