SEATTLE — Before Sunday night’s game was even 10 minutes old, Josh Jacobs had already left his stamp.
The Green Bay Packers rode their star running back heavily on their first two drives, getting the ball in Jacobs’ hands 11 times. The first drive ended with a Jacobs end zone plunge, the second with a Romeo Doubs touchdown catch, and the Packers sprinted to an early 14-0 lead over the Seattle Seahawks they never relinquished en route to a 30-13 win on “Sunday Night Football.”
Despite the Packers’ offense slowing down in the second and third quarters, the Seahawks couldn’t fully take advantage. After Seattle scored a fourth-quarter touchdown following a Jacobs fumble, the Packers returned to their workhorse running back before Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love connected with Doubs in the end zone again to put the game away.
Love orchestrated the Packers offense efficiently en route to his fourth straight game without an interception. Green Bay is now 6-2 this season when he throws multiple touchdowns in a game.
The Seahawks’ comeback efforts were hampered late by the loss of starting quarterback Geno Smith. He exited in the third quarter with a knee injury and was replaced by Sam Howell, who was largely ineffective. Six of Seattle’s seven drives operated by Howell ended with either a punt or a turnover.
Seattle sorely needs Smith back next week for a key NFC clash with the Minnesota Vikings. With their defeat, the Seahawks are now in a tie atop the NFC West with the fellow 8-6 Los Angeles Rams.
The Packers improved to 10-4 with the win and will face the New Orleans Saints next Monday night.
Packers feast on Seahawks passers
Entering Week 15, the Seahawks ranked 28th in the NFL in pressure rate allowed and 21st in sack rate allowed, according to TruMedia. Whether it was Smith or Howell behind center, Green Bay’s front exposed perhaps Seattle’s biggest flaw.
A handful of Packers pass rushers joined the party — defensive tackles Kenny Clark, Devonte Wyatt and Karl Brooks, defensive ends Rashan Gary and Kingsley Enagbare and linebacker Edgerrin Cooper, among others. On the night, the Packers amassed seven sacks from six players and 12 quarterback hits from nine players, a promising sign that perhaps an inconsistent pass rush has some juice left for the home stretch.
Love, Jacobs and Doubs provide the cooking
After scoring a touchdown on their first two drives, the Packers went eight consecutive drives without another one.
That stretch included three field goals, three punts, a Jacobs lost fumble — his first since Week 2 — and a turnover on downs. After three straight drives in the second half without a first down, the Packers reeled off three in a row to start their next drive but still didn’t score on it after a shotgun run to Jacobs was stuffed well short on fourth and 2 from Seattle’s 39-yard line.
All the offense needed to find the end zone for the first time in nine drives was an interception by Cooper, setting it up at Seattle’s 27. On third-and-5 from the 22, Love flung a dime to the back center of the end zone, where Doubs made a spectacular diving catch for his second score of the night to seal the game. After all that, the Packers still scored 30 points.
Seahawks fall flat on both sides of ball
This was the biggest game of the Seahawks’ season and for 30 minutes they played as if it were a meaningless exhibition. The defense allowed the Packers to score on all four of their first-half possessions and surrendered more points (20) in the opening two quarters than they had in any game over the last month. Seattle’s offense had just three points through the first two quarters and Smith threw another red zone interception. Green Bay owned the line of scrimmage, converted on third downs and constantly pressured Smith, who left the game with a knee injury midway through the third quarter.
Seattle has fallen out of the NFC playoff picture and holds the eighth seed ahead of a home game against the Vikings (11-2) in Week 16. There’s enough time for Seattle to get back on track and reclaim first place in the division but that’s going to require a healthy Smith and a much better effort on both sides of the ball than the team put forth on Sunday night. —
Is defensive dip for Seattle cause for concern?
The Packers averaged 0.13 expected points added per play on first and second down, which, if maintained throughout the season, would make them the best offense in the league, according to TruMedia. Seattle allowed most of that damage to happen in the first half by being undisciplined against the run, missing tackles, committing penalties and allowing explosives.
Coach Mike Macdonald may find solace in the fact that his defense tightened up in the second half — Green Bay scored on just two of its eight possessions — but there’s still reason to be concerned that his unit came out so flat and disjointed in such a meaningful game.
Smith to undergo tests
The Seattle Seahawks are monitoring Geno Smith’s status after the quarterback exited Sunday night’s loss to the Green Bay Packers with a knee injury.
Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said his initial impression was that Smith did not sustain structural damage, but Smith will undergo testing on Monday to determine the extent of the injury and whether he’ll need to miss time.
“We’ll do all the tests tomorrow,” Macdonald said after Sunday’s 13-30 loss.
The injury occurred in the third quarter when Smith was hit in the lower leg by Packers linebacker Edgerrin Cooper. Smith attempted to limp off the field but fell to the ground in pain. On the sideline, he slammed his helmet in frustration.
Smith then exited to the locker room, where he was followed and hugged by wide receiver Tyler Lockett. Smith returned to the Seahawks’ sideline before the end of the third quarter, sporting a heavy limp, as backup quarterback Sam Howell was sacked to conclude a three-and-out.
Howell took the field to start Seattle’s next offensive drive. Smith, 34, was 15-of-19 passing for 149 yards with no touchdowns and one interception before exiting.
The 24-year-old Howell finished 5-of-14 passing for 24 yards with no touchdowns and one interception.
