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Impressive start for Seahawks

Reigning Super Bowl champions the Seattle Seahawks laid down a big marker for the defence of their title as they hammered the Green Bay Packers 36-16 in the NFL season-opener.

Seattle Seahawks kicked off the season by thrashing another of this year's favourites the Green Bay Packers 36-16.

Seattle Seahawks kicked off the season by thrashing another of this year's favourites the Green Bay Packers 36-16.

The Packers are fancied by many to make a tilt for the crown themselves this season but on the night they unveiled their championship banner, the Seahawks showed they have not lost any of their edge in the off-season.

Marshawn Lynch ran for 110 yards and two touchdowns with Russell Wilson throwing two passes into the end zone for the rampant hosts.

Things had looked good for the Packers when John Kuhn charged over from three yards in the first quarter but by the time Aaron Rodgers found Randall Cobb for their second score it was too little too late.

The Seahawks are aiming to become the first back-to-back Super Bowl champions since New England in the 2003 and 2004 – and they will certainly be in the end of season mix if they can keep playing like this.

The Seattle defence strangled the life out of the Packers, limiting them to just 80 rushing yards and registering three sacks.

Rodgers did complete 23-of-33 passes for 189 yards and a touchdown, but he was also picked off once by Byron Maxwell.

Wilson, on the other hand, connected with Ricardo Lockette and Derrick Coleman for touchdowns as he completed 19-of-28 passes for 191 yards for the Seahawks.

A 33-yard pass found Lockette to give Seattle a second quarter lead, while he found Coleman from 15 yards late on.

Led by Lynch, the Seahawks also registered 207 yards rushing – with Percy Harvin (41 yards), Wilson (29) and Robert Turbin (27) also making inroads.