By Scott Garbarini, Associate NFL Editor

(Sports Network) - Postseason football returns to historic Lambeau Field following a three-year absence this Saturday, when the resurgent Green Bay Packers begin their Super Bowl quest with a NFC Divisional Playoff showdown against the Seattle Seahawks.

After missing out on the playoffs in each of the previous two seasons, the Packers reclaimed their status as one of the NFL's elite teams with a banner 2007 campaign. Green Bay raised plenty of eyebrows by amassing a 13-3 overall record, a five-game improvement over second-year head coach Mike McCarthy's debut season, and ran away with the NFC North Division en route to a bye in last week's Wild Card round.

The 13 regular-season wins were the Packers' most since 1997, a year in which legendary quarterback Brett Favre claimed his third consecutive NFL MVP award and led the storied franchise to its most recent Super Bowl appearance.

Favre enjoyed a renaissance as well in 2007. The future Hall of Famer rebounded from back-to-back subpar seasons by throwing for 4,155 yards, the third-highest yardage total of his 17-year career, and producing a 95.7 quarterback rating that was his best since 1996.

The 38-year-old ironman also completed a career-high 66.5 percent of his passes and finished second to New England's Tom Brady in balloting for this year's league MVP, proving that Favre's offseason decision to delay retirement was indeed the right call.

Green Bay will be seeking its first playoff victory since January 4, 2004, when the Pack edged the Seahawks at Lambeau Field in an 33-27 overtime thriller during the NFC's opening round. Cornerback Al Harris provided the winning points with a 52-yard interception return of Seattle's Matt Hasselbeck for a touchdown.

The third-seeded Seahawks advanced to the divisional round with last Saturday's 35-14 decision over visiting Washington in an NFC Wild Card Playoff. Seattle trailed the Redskins by a 14-13 count midway through the fourth quarter, but erupted for 22 unanswered points to keep its season alive.

Hasselbeck's 20-yard touchdown pass to D.J. Hackett with 6:06 left to play put the Seahawks ahead, and the team put the game out of reach when defensive backs Marcus Trufant and Jordan Babineaux each scored on late interceptions of Washington quarterback Todd Collins.

While that win was impressive, it also came at Qwest Field, where Seattle has gone 8-1 this year. Conversely, the Seahawks posted a 3-5 road record during the regular season, with the last two defeats coming at the hands of also-rans Carolina and Atlanta.

Seattle also hasn't had much success away from home on the playoff trail. The Seahawks are 1-6 lifetime on the road in postseason games and haven't won one as the visitor since defeating Miami in an AFC Divisional matchup on December 31, 1983.

The Seahawks have come close to ending that lengthy drought, though. The club's two most recent road playoff losses were in overtime, the previously- mentioned defeat to the Packers and last year's 27-24 setback to eventual NFC champ Chicago at Soldier Field.

Green Bay also hasn't enjoyed a great deal of postseason success at home as of late. The Packers have dropped two of their last three playoff encounters at Lambeau, including a 31-17 upset loss to Minnesota during the 2004 campaign.

Saturday's tilt will also pit Green Bay against former head coach and current Seahawks sideline boss Mike Holmgren, who directed the Pack to six straight playoff appearances and two Super Bowls during a successful seven-year run from 1992-98.

Additionally, Hasselbeck spent his first three NFL seasons in Green Bay as Favre's understudy before being brought over to the Seahawks by Holmgren in a 2001 trade.

SERIES HISTORY

That 2003 NFC Wild Card Playoff is the only previous postseason meeting between the Packers and Seahawks. Green Bay owns a 6-5 lead in its all-time regular season series with Seattle, but was a 34-24 road loser when it last faced the Seahawks, in Week 12 of the 2006 regular season. The Packers were home winners in the previous two regular season matchups, in 2003 and 2005. Including playoffs, the Seahawks are 0-3 at Lambeau Field since last winning there in 1999.

Holmgren is 2-3 against his former team, including the '03 playoff loss. McCarthy is 0-1 against both Holmgren and the Seahawks as a head coach.

WHEN THE SEAHAWKS HAVE THE BALL

Seattle's offensive game plan usually involves spreading the field and having the battle-tested Hasselbeck (3966 passing yards, 28 TD, 12 INT) throw to a quality corps of receivers that should be bolstered by the expected return of former Super Bowl MVP Deion Branch (49 receptions, 4 TD), who sat out last week's game with a strained calf. Veteran Bobby Engram (94 receptions, 1147 yards, 6 TD) has been the most productive member of the group, but Hackett (32 receptions, 3 TD) led the way in the Wild Card win with 101 yards on six catches. Nate Burleson (50 receptions, 9 TD) added six grabs for 64 yards and can be dangerous in the open field.

The Packers have a good chance of keeping at least two of those receivers in check, as their cornerback combo of Harris (37 tackles, 2 INT) and Charles Woodson (63 tackles, 4 INT) is as formidable as any duo in the league. Green Bay does have some depth concerns in its defensive backfield, however. Woodson has been playing through a nagging toe injury and nickel corner Will Blackmon probably won't play after hurting his foot in the regular-season finale, with the untested Tramon Williams (17 tackles, 1 INT) likely to fill that role. The Packers have held enemy quarterbacks to only a 55 percent completion rate this year, the second-best mark in the NFL, and garnered 19 interceptions. So Hasselbeck, who was picked off twice by the Redskins last week, will have to be judicious with his reads if the Seahawks are to succeed on Saturday. He'll also be facing a strong pass rush headed by ends Aaron Kampman (64 tackles, 12 sacks) and Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila (26 tackles, 9.5 sacks), while underrated tackle Corey Williams (35 tackles, 7 sacks) can also get pressure from the interior.

An effective running game would make Hasselbeck's task easier, but the Seahawks have had their share of troubles in that area throughout the year. Seattle ranked just 20th overall in rushing offense (101.2 ypg) during the regular season and mustered a mediocre 77 yards on the ground in last week's playoff win. The team does have a former league MVP in its backfield in Shaun Alexander (716 rushing yards, 5 total TD), but the declining running back hasn't had a 100-yard effort since September.

Green Bay finished 14th in the league in run defense (102.9 ypg) and possesses a solid front seven highlighted by Nick Barnett (131 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 2 INT), who delivered an excellent all-around season at middle linebacker. Athletic youngster A.J. Hawk (105 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT) played well on the weak side, while strong safety Atari Bigby (86 tackles, 9 PD) was also active in run support in addition to coming up with a team-best five interceptions. Linemen Ryan Pickett (39 tackles, 1 sack) and Cullen Jenkins (44 tackles, 1 sack) are proven stoppers as well who will have the task of slowing down Alexander.

WHEN THE PACKERS HAVE THE BALL

The Packers' personnel and offensive philosophy is a lot like Seattle's, as the team boasts a talented contingent of receivers that should be getting plenty of work from the ageless Favre (4155 yards, 28 TD, 15 INT) on Saturday. The remarkably reliable Donald Driver (82 receptions, 1048 yards, 2 TD) delivered a fourth straight year with more than 80 catches and 1,000 yards, while the dynamic Greg Jennings (53 receptions) scored 12 touchdowns and averaged 17.4 yards per grab in a breakout sophomore season. Rookie James Jones (47 receptions, 2 TD) also made quite an impact as the No. 3 receiver, while tight end Donald Lee (48 receptions, 6 TD) emerged as one of Favre's favorite targets in the red zone. Favre curtailed his trademark gunslinger mentality this year, and that wiser approach has resulted in a drastic reduction in turnovers for the NFL's second-ranked passing attack (270.9 ypg).

Favre's turnaround season has been aided by terrific protection from a line that yielded just 19 sacks, an impressive number considering how much the Packers throw the ball. However, the front wall will face quite a challenge this week from a Seattle defense that got to the quarterback 45 times during the regular season and consistently harassed Washington's Collins last Saturday. The one-on-one matchups between Seahawk ends Patrick Kerney (62 tackles, 14.5 sacks) and Darryl Tapp (49 tackles, 7 sacks) and Green Bay's bookend tackle tandem of Chad Clifton and Mark Tauscher will be ones to watch, as those battles will go a long way in determining the success of both teams. The Packers still have to deal with pass-rushing linebacker Julian Peterson (74 tackles, 9.5 sacks, 2 INT), as well as a ballhawking secondary headed by Pro Bowl selection Trufant (85 tackles, 7 INT, 15 PD). Seattle yielded a league-low 15 touchdown passes and forced a healthy 34 turnovers entering the postseason.

The Seahawks also played the run extremely well in last week's victory, limiting Washington's Clinton Portis to a mere 52 rushing yards on 20 carries. Strongside linebacker LeRoy Hill (81 tackles, 3 sacks) led the charge with 13 tackles, including 11 solo stops, and is part of a top-notch trio headlined by three-time Pro Bowler Lofa Tatupu (109 tackles, 4 INT, 1 sack) in the middle. Tatupu finished with 12 tackles against the Redskins. For the year Seattle ranked 12th overall in rushing defense (102.8 ypg).

Green Bay was only 21st in the NFL in rushing yards (99.8 ypg), but its once- dormant ground game went from a weakness to a strength when McCarthy inserted Ryan Grant (956 rushing yards, 8 TD, 30 receptions) as the primary ball- carrier at midseason. The former practice squad player had five 100-yard outings over the final 10 games and averaged 5.1 yards per rush on the year. Grant also displayed plenty of game-breaking ability, as four of his eight touchdown runs were for 27 yards or more.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Seattle has a pair of impact return men in Burleson, whose average of 11.3 yards per punt return ranked second only to Chicago star Devin Hester in the NFC, and rookie Josh Wilson, who averaged an eye-opening 27.5 yards taking back kicks during the regular season. Green Bay will likely be without its regular punt returner in Blackmon, but the club is still in good hands, as Tramon Williams had a 94-yard touchdown in a win over Carolina in November. The Packers' coverage units have been better than those of Seattle's this year.

Green Bay kicker Mason Crosby came through with a very strong rookie season and possesses a powerful leg, but this will be his first foray into the pressure-packed postseason. Seattle's Josh Brown, on the other hand, is 14- of-17 on field goals during the playoffs for his career. Give the Seahawks the edge in the punting department, as Ryan Plackemeier was effective at pinning in the opposition, while the Packers' Jon Ryan had two kicks blocked in a late-year loss at Chicago.

OVERALL ANALYSIS

In a game that features the most prolific quarterback in the history of the sport as well as plenty of well-established talent on each side, it's ironic that the x-factor is Grant, an undrafted player out of college who began this season as Green Bay's fourth-string halfback. Both teams have signal-callers with a wealth of big-game experience and moxie, excellent skill and depth at the receiver positions, and sturdy defenses that are very good at pressuring the passer. But the Packers do have one potential clear advantage, provided they're able to get the running game churning out yards like it did during the second half of the season. Conversely, if the Seahawks can shut down Grant, there's no reason to think they can't win this game. Forget about Seattle's dubious history on the road -- the team came within a whisker of winning its last two playoff tests away from home and went toe-to-toe with quality clubs like Cleveland and Philadelphia as the visitor earlier this year. Still, the Packers are a little bit stronger along both lines of scrimmage and should run the ball well enough to keep Seattle's opportunistic defense honest. Therefore, give the home team a slight edge in what should be a hard-fought and entertaining contest.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Packers 28, Seahawks 22