SOURCE: Excerpt from Las Vegas Review-Journal

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Sunset Station sports book director Micah Roberts said slightly more wagers are showing up on the Seahawks, but he's not convinced Hasselbeck can pick up the slack left by running back Shaun Alexander's lack of production.

"It will be a fairly close game," Roberts said. "The thing that concerns me is the Seahawks' running game, what once was a huge strength for them. Now they've become a team that kind of lives or dies with the pass and Hasselbeck."

The Packers, 13-3 straight up and an NFL-best 12-3-1 against the spread, balanced their offense with the mid-season emergence of running back Ryan Grant.

Seattle defeated Washington 35-14 in the wild-card round last week, extending a streak only the New England Patriots share by logging at least one playoff win in each of the past three seasons.

The Seahawks are 4-1 against the spread in their past five games played in January, while they roll in on a 7-2 run against the spread since Nov. 12.

"Seattle's defense is playing great right now," Spatafore said. "Last week, the offense didn't have its best outing, but the team still put up 35 points. Seattle showed great character being up 13-0, going down 14-13 and then ending up winning big."

The Seahawks, 11-6 straight up and 10-7 against the spread, scored 22 unanswered points to eliminate the Redskins and advance to the semifinal round.

It will take more than resilience to knock out Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre at Lambeau Field. But the surroundings are familiar to Seattle coach Mike Holmgren, who led the Packers to two Super Bowl appearances.

Green Bay has home-field advantage yet comes in on a 1-4 skid against the spread in the playoffs. The Seahawks are 7-2 against the spread in their past nine games against the NFC.

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