The Green Bay Packers improved to 10-4 on Sunday night with a dominant 30-13 victory over the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field.
The Packers were already leading 7-0 and never conceded a field goal. Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith left the game with a leg injury in the third quarter and with the Packers leading 20-3, backup Sam Howell managed just three passes to the net in the final quarter (24 yards passing, -21 yards by sacks) and a half.
The Packers scored 30 points for the fourth straight game, and Jeff Hafley’s defense was disruptive and productive.
Here are the good, the bad and the ugly from the Packers’ victory over the Seahawks:
Good
Start and finish: The Packers took a 7-0 lead after the first possession, and moments later they scored again to make it 14-0 and dominated in the first half, going into the break with a 20-3 lead. The Packers gained 235 yards, scored four straight times and intercepted Carrington Valentine in the end zone to end a scoring threat in the first half. While a second-half break allowed the Seahawks to cut the lead to 23-13, the Packers finished the game with a fury, using an interception by Edgerrin Cooper and a 22-yard touchdown run by Romeo Doubs to end the game.
Breakthrough defense: The Packers defense finished the game with seven sacks, 10 tackles for loss, 12 quarterback hits, two interceptions and four pass breakups. Edgerrin Cooper and Kingsley Enagbare combined for three sacks and five tackles for loss, and Cooper’s interception almost sealed the deal. The Seahawks finished the season with just 208 yards and 13 points, which was the second-lowest total of the season for Seattle.
Bad
Missed opportunities in the second half: The Packers led 23-6 in the third quarter, but then used four missed opportunities to turn the game into a blowout that stretched into the fourth quarter. The Packers went three-and-out, giving up a touchdown, three-and-outs and a turnover on downs. The misses included Jordan Love’s missed throw to Romeo Doubs before Josh Jacobs fouled and Jayden Reed’s fumble on an uncomplicated third-down conversion before Jacobs was stuffed on fourth down. The 30-13 score seems about right, but the Packers still passed up too many passes in the second half.
Start the game in the second half: Josh Jacobs threw for 73 yards in the first half, but couldn’t find a score over the final 30 minutes. He gained just 21 yards in the second half and his yards per carry was 3.6. Since the bye, the Packers haven’t locked down consistently enough. That said, the Packers still finished with 140 total yards rushing.
Ugly
A few mismanaged situations? Matt LaFleur admitted he didn’t have enough urgency to end the first half, and as a result, the Packers had to settle for a field goal from the 4-yard line with four seconds left. A little more aggression once they got into Seahawks territory could have saved time and created more touchdown opportunities. Additionally, LaFleur lost yet another challenge and is now 0 of 6 for tough calls this season, and he fumbled in the second half with a 4th and 3 from midfield. Sure, the little things in a 30-13 victory. However, he has been extremely conservative at times this season. Honestly, nothing really “nasty” stood out from this victory.
