Three takeaways from the Seahawks' win over the Packers

Alexis Mansanarez

•
Three takeaways from the Seahawks' win over the Packers image

The Packers and Seahawks have provided some of the most timeless NFL moments, which date back to the coin-flip guarantee in 2004 and more recently the 2014 NFC Championship game — and of course, the 2012 Fail Mary. 

All but one of those games featured quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson, two of the more accomplished play-callers in the NFL that have had mixed success against each other. Wilson has never won a game at Lambeau Field and similarly, Rodgers hasn't won a game in the Pacific Northwest since becoming a starter in 2008. 

So, with the contest taking place at CenturyLink Field in Seattle on Thursday, the Packers were facing a tough test — not to mention Green Bay has not won on the road at all this season. That certainly remained the case against the Seahawks, who used a late score in the fourth quarter to pull ahead 27-24.

Seattle is all too familiar with close games, as all five of its losses came by one score. But, now the narrow margin favored the Seahawks, who moved to 5-5 while the Packers slipped to 4-5-1.

Here are three takeaways from the Seahawks' win over the Packers.

Early efforts matter...but not Thursday

Both Rodgers and Wilson are known for their fourth-quarter comebacks, and against one another, Wilson definitely has the edge.

But, there's another statistic that is just an impressive and yet had no bearing in Thursday's contest. Since Wilson joined the league in 2012, the Seahawks have been a perfect 50-0 when leading by four or more points at the half.

However, against the Packers, the Seahawks make things a little more interesting.

Last time the Packers visited Seattle, during the 2014-15 season for the NFC Championship game, Green Bay was up 16-0 at the half and ended up losing. This time around, Green Bay led Seattle 21-17 at the half and again, ended up losing.

The Seahawks made some big adjustments on both sides of the ball, and held the Packers to three second half points while Seattle's offense put up 10. The defensive efforts complimented Wilson's, as the Packers had just three first downs in the second half compared to the nine the Seahawks had in the fourth quarter.

Wilson capped off comeback with this go-ahead score late in the game.

Three is always better than one

The Packers don't just have one star named Aaron, they have two. Running back Aaron Jones has a career best performance last week — rushing for 145 yards and two touchdowns — but followed that up with 40 yards and one touchdown on 11 carries against a tough Seattle defense. He also had a receiving touchdown.

But, the Seahawks also had a weapon in the backfield.

It's a stark contrast to an offense that has struggled with the run since the departure of Marshawn Lynch in 2015. The once dominant run game that powered Seattle to back-to-back Super Bowls had been stagnant the last two years with Wilson as the team's second-best rusher in 2016 and their leading rusher last season. 

However, the Seahawks seemed to find a replacement for Beast Mode and it wasn't with just one running back — it was with three.

The trio of Chris Carson, Mike Davis and rookie Rashaad Penny has provided Wilson with much need support and put Seattle back at the top of the league standings. For the first time since 2014, the Seahawks boast the No. 1 rushing offense in the NFL with 152.2 yards per game.

Thursday against Green Bay, Seattle out rushed the visiting Packers 173 yards to 48 with a number of highlights, including this run.

And this rushing score.

The Seahawks' efforts were led by Carson with 83 yards and one touchdown on 17 carries. Penny chipped in 46 yards on eight carries, and Davis had four touches for 26 yards.

It was a must win to keep playoff hopes alive

Both teams entered the season with high hopes, and now with more than half of their games played the Seahawks and Packers aren't where they would have liked to be. But, their postseason hopes aren't lost yet.

The Seahawks, if they can keep up their success, will have an easier route to the playoffs. Now at .500, Seattle will next face the 6-3 Panthers in Carolina for Week 12 action and then host the Vikings two weeks later. Minnesota also has its sights on the playoffs and sits at 5-3-1 and in second place of the NFC North. 

For Green Bay, however, things get a little more complicated.

Now below .500 with six games to go, the Packers will have a hard time trying to catch divisional opponents the Bears (6-3) and the Vikings. Chicago and Minnesota will face each other in primetime on this week with the winner of that game becoming the favorite in the NFC North. Unfortunately for the Packers, the loser of that game would still be ahead of Green Bay for the final wild-card spot.

 

 

Alexis Mansanarez