Seahawks (4-2) at Packers (4-2)
9 p.m. ET, ABC
Line: Packers by 5
Preview | Baxter's Bits | War Room Preview
Ron Jaworski's Monday night breakdown

Why to watch:
After an October filled with some dull Monday night games, November starts with a matchup rich in intriguing subplots. All eyes will be on Mike Holmgren, who makes his first return to Lambeau Field since leaving as Packers coach to become the Seahawks coach, general manager and executive vice president of football operations. In addition to the titles, Holmgren had about 32 million reasons to bolt for Seattle -- as in the $32 million he received from billionaire Paul Allen in a four-year contract to take a over a team that hasn't made the playoffs since 1988, the longest current drought in the NFL. It will be very interesting to see what type of reception Holmgren gets from the Packers faithful.

While nobody knows the Packers better than Holmgren, you can bet that the Green Bay players will be fired up for this one, especially quarterback Brett Favre. By starting his 116th game in a row, Favre will tie Ron Jaworski's NFL record for consecutive starts for a quarterback. Favre has fared just fine with offensive coordinator Sherm Lewis calling the plays, and Ray Rhodes directing the whole show. Those three won't want to be shown up by Holmgren in front of a national TV audience.

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Who to watch:
Favre, who's still battling a thumb injury on his passing hand, bounced back with three TD passes last week at San Diego after an awful Week 6 game in Denver. The Packers will use the pass to open up things for RB Dorsey Levens, who's averaging 4.0 yards per carry and will face a Seahawks run defense that ranks No. 21 in the NFL. Packers WR Antonio Freeman and Seahawks CB Shawn Springs will hook up in a matchup of Pro Bowlers. Packers WR Bill Schroeder has emerged as a solid No. 2 receiver with 27 catches for 458 yards and two TDs. Packers DEs Keith McKenzie, who has a team-high five sacks, and Vaughn Booker, who has three sacks, could make it a long night for shaky Seahawks RT Grant Williams. Packers rookie CBs Antuan Edwards, Mike McKenzie and Fred Vinson have been very solid.

Seahawks WR Derrick Mayes, who burned the Bills for two TDs last week, faces a Packers team that traded him away just before the start of the season. Mayes and fellow WR Sean Dawkins will challenge a Packers secondary that picked off six passes last week at San Diego. Seahawks QB Jon Kitna, who has thrown seven TD passes and just two interceptions, looked terrific last Sunday as Holmgren opened up the offense. Seahawks RB Ricky Watters is still looking for a breakout performance, and he's averaging just 3.2 yards per carry. Speedy Seahawks RB Ahman Green got his first three carries of the season last week and might finally be out of Holmgren's doghouse. Seahawks DTs Sam Adams and Cortez Kennedy will bring the heat up the middle against Packers C Frank Winters and Gs Marco Rivera and Mike Wahle.

INJURY REPORT

Seahawks: OUT: C Kevin Glover (blood clot-injured reserve). QUESTIONABLE: WR Charles Jordan (hamstring); WR Mike Pritchard (knee); RB Mack Strong (hamstring); S Darryl Williams (hamstring). PROBABLE: WR Charlie Rogers (ankle); T Todd Weiner (ankle). Packers: QUESTIONABLE: DT Santana Dotson (neck); DE Cletidus Hunt (ankle); LB Jim Nelson (ankle). PROBABLE: S LeRoy Butler (thumb); T Earl Dotson (back); QB Brett Favre (hand); RB Dorsey Levens (ankle).

Seahawks' numbers to know:
Seattle has not scored a rushing touchdown this season. That six-game streak is the Seahawks' longest since the 1992 campaign. The Seahawks' ground attack ranks No. 28 in the NFL, averaging a mere 77.8 yards per game. Watters has yet to post a 100-yard game this season. He ran for 75 yards last week against the Bills, but 11 of his 22 carries went for less than three yards. The Packers' run defense ranks 25th in the league, so there is hope for Watters and company to finally break out.

Packers' numbers to know:
Holmgren had a 49-7 regular-season record at Lambeau Field in his seven seasons as the Packers coach. This time, however, he'll be on the opposing sideline against a Green Bay squad that has won 33 of its last 34 regular-season home games. For what it's worth, the Seahawks are 2-1 on the road under Holmgren.

What it means:
The Seahawks are making their first appearance on Monday Night Football since 1992. Holmgren is the sole reason this team is back in the spotlight, but the Seahawks played their best all-around game in a long time in last week's impressive victory over the Bills. A victory at Lambeau Field could do wonders for Seattle's confidence and establish the Seahawks as a legitimate AFC playoff contender. Seattle is tied for first place in the AFC West, and co-leaders San Diego and Kansas City clash Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium.

But this game clearly means the most to Green Bay. The Packers are unbeaten at home this season, and they certainly don't want their first defeat to come at the hands of Holmgren. Green Bay is tied for first place in the NFC Central and will be looking to keep pace with co-leader Detroit. Expect Favre and the Packers to want to remind Holmgren just how good of a team he left behind in Green Bay. Of course, the Pack will need to keep Holmgren's return from becoming a distraction.

Sean Salisbury's breakdown
Seahawks' game plan:
The Seattle offense doesn't have much speed. But Kitna is a tough quarterback, and I'm anxious to see how he performs on national TV. When Holmgren was in Green Bay, he was able to manufacture big plays in his offense. Kitna has some of the same qualities as Favre. I'm not comparing the two, necessarily, but Kitna has toughness and leadership ability. He doesn't get rattled easily, but he is emotional a lot like Favre.

Going into Lambeau Field, Holmgren will try to create a situation in which Kitna will feel comfortable because one key will be how Kitna deals with the emotion surrounding the game and playing on the road. Holmgren will handle Kitna much the same way he handled Favre early in his career. They will take some shots downfield, but the Seahawks, without Joey Galloway, don't have much speed on the outside. Yet Holmgren is a master chess player who has already managed to generate big plays with Mayes and Dawkins as his wideouts. He will do much the same against the Packers, trying to establish the run with Watters and then putting Kitna in situations in which he can succeed.

One advantage for the Seattle defense is that Holmgren knows Favre better than anyone. He will try to exploit Favre's weaknesses, whatever they are. Holmgren will not allow Favre to be patient. He knows Favre will be jacked up to beat him. So Seattle will try to take advantage of Favre's revved-up engine early in the game and challenge him up front with the likes of Kennedy and on the outside with Springs, a Pro Bowl-caliber cornerback. The Seahawks are young and talented on defense. The key is to make Favre start off slowly. Don't let him get confident or he'll kill Seattle.

Packers' game plan:
Other than Marshall Faulk, the most versatile player in the league is Levens. He needs to touch the ball 30 times a game, both running and catching. Favre is without question the best quarterback in the league, but Levens is the key to the Packers offense. Favre will make plays and get the ball to his playmaker, Freeman. But we saw what the impact of Levens' absence did to the Green Bay offense last year. When he is non-existent in the offense, the Packers are hampered, relying solely on Favre to force plays. The Packers will motion Levens out of the backfield and make the Seahawks adjust their coverage.

The Packers defense played well against a feeble Charger offense last week. They don't have a great defense, but they will pack the middle of the field to take away the short routes. The Packers can afford to take that approach because Mayes and Dawkins, while they have been efficient targets for Kitna, are not speed burners on the outside.

Pivotal Player:
Levens. Look for the Packers to hand the ball to Levens often and to throw to him out of the backfield frequently. If he gets his touches, the Packers offense is balanced and lethal. When Levens is rendered ineffective, the Packers become one-dimensional. Favre has proven time and again he can make plays to win games, but the Packers would rather avoid a dependency on Favre's late-game heroics to save another win.