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Seahawks Dominate Packers In 36-16 Win, Start Season Strong

The Seahawks start their season with a bang, or should we say a boom. The defending Super Bowl champions trounced the Green Bay Packers Thursday night by a score of 36-16 at CenturyLink Field in Seattle.

The Hawks’ notorious Legion of Boom defense certainly showed its stuff. But KPLU sports commentator Art Thiel says the offense was on fire as well.

"It's pretty hard to ignore Percy Harvin," Art said. "The threat of Percy Harvin completely discombobulated the Packers' defense. They had to account for him on every play."

Quarterback Russell Wilson found the speedy receiver seven times. And Wilson threw a pair of touchdown passes.

The other factor, says Art, was running back Marshawn Lynch.

"Nobody cares about the holdout or the controversies or anything like that, because Marshawn Lynch ran for 110 yads on 20 carries, and he seemed as formidable as he did all of last year," Art said.

Lynch, who ran for 1,257 yards and 12 touchdowns last season, barreled through a trio of Packers for the touchdown with 3:41 left before halftime to give the Seahawks a 17-10 lead. He added a 3-yard touchdown run on the first play of the fourth quarter for a 29-10 advantage.

Art also said quarterback Russell Wilson also had a good game, showing "a command of the offense and of himself that was even improved over a year ago."

Sure, there were some missteps, but those are correctable, Art said.

"They delivered a football game on national television that had to scare everybody else in the NFL," he said. "Not to say that everything went well, or that everything was perfect, but they got out of it without any injuries and they seem to have gotten a little bit better than they were last year."

The Seahawks next face the Chargers on Sept. 14 in San Diego.

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You can find Art Thiel's work at Sportspress Northwestand Crosscut.com.

Art Thiel and Sportspress Northwest have just published a book on Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson. The book chronicles Wilson's time in Seattle, his road here and how coach Pete Carroll has helped him succeed. "Russell Wilson: Standing Tall" can be ordered at Amazon.com. The soft-cover book can be found at Barnes and Noble and other bookstores. A hard-cover version is on sale at Costco.

Kirsten Kendrick hosts Morning Edition on KNKX and the sports interview series "Going Deep," talking with folks tied to sports in our region about what drives them — as professionals and people.
Art Thiel is a co-founder and writer for the rising sports website Sportspress Northwest. In 2003 Thiel wrote the definitive book about the Seattle Mariners, “Out of Left Field,” which became a regional bestseller. In 2009, along with Steve Rudman and KJR 950 afternoon host Mike Gastineau, Thiel authored “The Great Book of Seattle Sports Lists,” a cross between historylink.org and Mad Magazine that has become mandatory reading for any sports fan who has an indoor bathroom.