The National Football League regular season kicked off Thursday night and the reigning Super Bowl champions, those Seattle Seahawks, showed how tough it’s going to be for any team to supplant them.

This was a statement.

A 36-16 victory over Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. 110 rushing yards and two touchdowns by Marshawn Lynch and two touchdown passes from quarterback Russell Wilson showed efficiency on the offensive side of the ball. And the defense showed their strength too, squeezing the life out of Aaron Rodgers and his offense.

“We don’t change for anybody. (The Packers are) a dynamic offence but it says a lot about us that we could shut them down,” Seahawks safety Earl Thomas said to reporters, according to Reuters. “This was the first championship game out of the way, now it’s on to number two. Every week is a championship game.”

Rodgers, one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL, was held to just 189 passing yards, with one touchdown and one interception. “They are the Seattle Seahawks – they’re a great defence,” said Rodgers. “We didn’t expect to convert every drive but we have to put more points on the board.”

Before opening kickoff, the championship banner celebrating last year’s Super Bowl win over the Denver Broncos was unveiled, but the ceremony was brief, an indication that though last year’s success was important, the Seahawks were mentally ready to try to repeat as champions.

“Obviously, we were the more physical team today, offensively and defensively. I saw supposedly some of the best players in the league not want to tackle Marshawn Lynch,” Seattle defensive end Michael Bennett said. “Of course, nobody is going to say nothing about that, but I seen a lot of guys whiff on tackles that should have been 2-yard gains and they’re supposed to be the best.”

Seattle won for the 18th time in its last 20th regular season home games.