The Seattle Seahawks' Marshawn Lynch breaks one of eight tackles on his way to a 67-yard touchdown run against the New Orleans Saints in the 2010 postseason. Credit: Associated Press

By

Green Bay — Jarrett Bush has seen the play several times. And like most of the NFL, it will forever be burned on his brain.

During the 2010 postseason, Seattle running back Marshawn Lynch unleashed one of the most memorable touchdown runs in league history. In the Seahawks' upset win over New Orleans, Lynch broke eight tackles — that's right, eight — on his way to an unforgettable 67-yard TD.

Lynch, who often refers to himself as being in "beast mode" during games, was exactly that on this play. And now, the Packers must find a way to slow The Beast — and the rest of the Seahawks — when Green Bay and Seattle meet in the NFL opener Sept. 4.

Making matters even tougher for Green Bay is it will have to contain Lynch without B.J. Raji. The Packers' nose tackle suffered a season-ending torn biceps during their preseason win over Oakland.

"Marshawn, he's definitely a top-five running back in this league," said Bush, a ninth-year cornerback. "We'll definitely have to have our nuts and bolts tightened down.

"One missed gap and he could be gone. So that's just part of the deal, and we just have to have that chemistry and make sure that we understand what everyone is doing so we can shut 'em down."

In the days leading up to this marquee matchup between the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks and the Packers, much will be made of the 'Fail Mary.' When Green Bay and Seattle met in 2012, an officiating controversy by replacement referees allowed the Seahawks to convert a 24-yard touchdown on the final play of the game and pull off a stunning, 14-12, win.

But that play is completely meaningless to what happens this season. Instead, containing Lynch is arguably the biggest key to who prevails.

Over the past three seasons, Lynch has rushed for 4,051 yards — an average of 1,350 per season. Lynch has 39 touchdowns in that time, including a career-best 14 a year ago.

Lynch's power and vision match any running back in football. And his exploits helped Seattle rank fourth in the NFL in rushing yards a year ago (136.8) and third in 2012 (161.2).

It's quite a test for Green Bay's revamped defensive front and a run defense that struggled mightily a year ago.

The Packers ranked 25th against the run last season, allowing 125.0 yards per game. That was their worst finish since 1983.

In the final 11 games (including playoffs), Green Bay allowed a ghastly 153.9 rushing yards per game and 5.3 yards per carry.

The Packers overhauled their defensive line this off-season, trading bulk for speed. But that unit took a major hit when Raji went down.

For now, the Packers will move forward with second-year man Josh Boyd (6-foot-2, 309 pounds) on the nose. Undrafted rookie free agent Mike Pennel, who has had a terrific training camp, is expected to make the team and is No. 2 for the time being. Letroy Guion is also an option, but he missed all of training camp with a hamstring injury before returning Monday.

"Josh Boyd is getting better each and every week," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. "B.J. has been such an anchor in there, particularly the way we've approached defense this year. So I'm counting on someone to step up."

The early returns on Green Bay's run defense have been encouraging. Through three games, the Packers are allowing 3.42 rushing yards per carry and 86.7 rushing yards per game.

When Green Bay's No. 1 defense has been on the field, it's allowed 129 rushing yards on 35 carries — an average of 3.69 yards per carry. And if it wasn't for a 40-yard TD burst by Oakland's Maurice Jones-Drew Friday, that average is 2.62.

"Where we're at right now, we feel good," Packers middle linebacker A.J. Hawk said. "That doesn't mean anything if we don't take it to the regular season, obviously. But I think we're covering all of our bases right now.

"We always talk about stopping the run first and making a team one-dimensional, and (Seattle) is one of the best there is. We feel good about it, but everybody feels pretty good right now."

Seattle probably feels awfully good about its ability to hammer the ball at Green Bay, too. Lynch is the centerpiece of the offense, and his ability to punish defenses opens up the passing game for Russell Wilson and his receivers.

And now, with Raji sidelined, Green Bay will have three new preferred starters on its defensive front from a year ago. Their ability to hold up against the ultraphysical Seahawks will be critical.

"It's really boring to talk about how people stop the run, because there's a lot of people doing a lot of dirty work that don't get any credit," Hawk said. "Guys like D-linemen just staying square in their gap.

"It's simple but not easy, we say that all the time, and they're doing a great job of that. We're getting pressure and getting in the backfield and playing on the other side of the line of scrimmage."

If the Packers can do that against the Seahawks — and slow The Beast — they'll have a terrific chance of dethroning the champs. If not, it could be a long night inside the NFL's loudest stadium.

"We're planning on going to Seattle fully loaded," Bush said. "It's going to be loud, especially in that stadium. But it's going to be fun and we'll be ready to go.

"I'm excited. National TV. A great opportunity to show America what Packer football is all about. We'll be ready to go. It's a great stage for us."

And the perfect stage to find out if Green Bay's run defense will be better in 2014.

This story appeared in Packer Plus Magazine