• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Seahawks, Packers looking to get back on track

Oct 7, 2008 - 9:40 PM GREEN BAY (2-3) AT SEATTLE (1-3), 4:15 pm EDT

SEATTLE (Ticker) -- If this is indeed Mike Holmgren's last season as a head coach, this weekend likely marks his final shot at his former team.

Holmgren's struggling Seattle Seahawks host the Green Bay Packers on Sunday afternoon, with both teams trying to get back into the thick of the playoff discussion.

The 60-year-old Holmgren, now in his 10th season with Seattle after seven years in Green Bay, is planning to retire after this season. As swan songs go, it is turning out to be a tough one.

The Seahawks are riddled by injuries and struggling in every facet, with the very real possibility of missing the playoffs for the first time in six years.

Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, who has been plagued by back spasms since the preseason, suffered a hyperextended knee and deep bone bruise in an embarrassing 44-6 loss to the New York Giants on Sunday.

Hasselbeck is off to the worst start of his career, completing just 49 percent (58-of-118) of his passes with two touchdowns and four interceptions. He has yet to throw for more than 190 yards in a game.

Of course, the fact that he has had few healthy receivers to throw to has not helped. Injured starters Deion Branch (foot) and Bobby Engram (shoulder) played for the first time last week but even that didn't help in the blowout loss.

Branch suffered a heel injury against the Giants and is questionable for Sunday's game. Hasselbeck insisted he will play.

Since Holmgren left Green Bay for Seattle 10 years ago, the Seahawks have won five division titles, made six playoff appearances and advanced to one Super Bowl. However, their current streak of four straight NFC West crowns is in jeopardy.

Reunions with the Packers haven't been particularly kind to Holmgren, who is 2-4 against the franchise he led to back-to-back Super Bowl appearances in the mid-1990s.

After the promising start, the Packers have dropped three games in a row - including a 27-24 home loss to the Atlanta Falcons last weekend.

First-year starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers has been impressive for the most part but he suffered a sprained right shoulder in a 30-21 defeat at Tampa Bay on September 28. Rodgers had his lone poor performance in that game, throwing three interceptions.

Last week against the Falcons, Rodgers played well despite a sore throwing shoulder, but he threw a key fourth-quarter interception that allowed the Falcons to build a 10-point advantage with less than four minutes to play.

Rodgers will not practice until at least Thursday but is expected to play Sunday.