The 2014-15 NFL season kicks off Thursday night in a battle between the defending champion Seattle Seahawks and the ever-dangerous Green Bay Packers. As many will remember, the last time these two teams met was surrounded by controversy due to the replacement referees awarding Golden Tate possession of a last second 'Hail Mary.' Although Tate is no longer a member of the Seahawks the rivalry is still alive and well.

The Seahawks and Packers will kick off their game at 5:30 p.m. (P.T.) on NBC.

The game can also be live streamed by going to www.nbc.com.   

Aaron Rodgers will be looking to get back into his usual form after suffering a broken collarbone, which kept him out of seven games last season. Emerging in Rodger's absence was rookie running back Eddie Lacy who showed the league that he was a force to be reckoned with. The combination of Rodgers and Lacy, with Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb on the outside will definitely be a challenge for the Seahawk defense to cover.      

In the Super Bowl the Seattle Seahawks were able to show how a domineering defense is an essential key to victory. Although the Seattle defense is not expected to be as potent with the loss of several key pieces, the '12^th man' should pose a threat to the timing of Green Bay's offense. Green Bay's top receivers will be shrouded by a Seattle secondary that features Richard Sherman and safety Earl Thomas.

Seattle on the offensive side of the ball is nothing special. Although the team gets by with their running attack and minor big play ability, against the Green Bay Packers quarterback Russell Wilson will have to come out throwing. The Packers are weak on defense and so this could pull Seattle ahead in the favorite category.

The NFL is confident in the Thursday Night Football scheme. Now NFL games can be seen on Sunday, Monday and Thursday. The expansion of Thursday Night Football has moved the games to be played on CBS and NBC. This will allow a greater fan base to watch, due to the previous issue of having to purchase the NFL Network.    

"What we have seen over several years is that there's tremendous demand for more football, and particularly on Thursday night. And we believe there is an opportunity to build Thursday night. We are huge believers in broadcast television. We believe that a distinguishing factor between the NFL and many other sports is that we continue to be successful on broadcast television," says NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.