Game Recap: Packers Beat Seahawks 17-0

Sarah Kelliher recaps the Packers’ week ten win against the Seahawks.  

It wasn’t sexy but it was a win. In a snowy November matchup at Lambeau Feld, the Green Bay Packers (8-2, 2-0 NFC North) shutout the Seattle Seahawks (3-6, 1-1 NFC West) 17-0 to secure the number one seed in the NFC and bounce back after a loss in Kansas City.

The Packers were the first to get things rolling on Sunday and got a big play early from wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling after a 41-yard reception on 3rd and 7. However, the excitement was short lived after an offensive holding penalty on 2nd and 7 pushed Green Bay back 10 yards and they couldn’t recover. As a result, the Packers looked to kicker Mason Crosby for a 42-yard field goal, but his attempt flew wide right and was no good.

After a strong showing at Arrowhead last week, Green Bay’s defense picked up right where they left off and came out strong against Seattle. On their first drive, they let their presence be known and forced a three and out. On 3rd and 8, Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson scrambled, and the officials originally gave him the first down. However, they later ruled he was short, and the Seahawks had to punt.

Just as they typically do on their second offensive drive, Green Bay looked to running back AJ Dillon to get things rolling in the back field. He started off great with an 11-yard rush on first down but was later stuffed at the line of scrimmage on 3rd and 1 and the Packers were forced to punt in just under three minutes.

With the ball back in their hands, the Seahawks tried to make something of this 0-0 matchup. They started to find a bit of momentum after Wilson connected with tight end Gerald Everett for 12 yards on 1st and 10. Then, Green Bay cornerback Chandon Sullivan gifted Seattle 24 yards after a defensive pass interference penalty. From there, running back Alex Collins started to cook and moved the chains for a first down after rushing for 10 yards on 1st and 10. But, later in the drive on 2nd and 4, the Seahawks got a little too cute on a pass play to tight end Will Dissly and Packers’ linebacker De’Vondre Campbell wasn’t fooled and came up with a stop for a loss of 6 yards. On the very next play, linebacker Whitney Mercilus saw right through what Seattle was doing and got to Wilson for a 7-yard sack, forcing the Seahawks to punt.

Then, more of nothing—both Green Bay and Seattle went three and out on their next offensive drives as the first quarter ticked away.

With a fresh set of downs to start the second quarter, the Packers once again looked to Dillon to try and make something happen. On 2nd and 10, they got what they were looking for after the second year running back showed off his hands with a 12-yard reception and a first down. Then, on 2nd and 5, veteran wide receiver Randall Cobb got involved and moved the chains for the Packers after a 6-yard reception. From there, quarterback Aaron Rodgers connected with WR1 Davante Adams for a massive 34-yard reception to move Green Bay just outside the edge of the red zone. However, just as they have all season, the Packers struggled to convert in the red zone (sigh, I miss the gold zone) and had to settle for a field goal attempt. This time, Crosby’s 27-yard attempt was good, and the Packers took a 3-0 lead with about nine minutes remaining in the half.

Desperate to try and put points on the board, Seattle got a big play out of Dissly after a short pass from Wilson turned into a 28-yard reception. But, Green Bay’s self-proclaimed “d-train” continued to show up and forced Seattle to punt just three plays later thanks to a 7-yard sack by linebacker Rashan Gary.

With seven minutes left in the half, Green Bay put it all on the line to try and extend their lead. As a result, they embarked on a 6:02 drive that stretched 49 yards and 11 plays (ESPN stats). They still couldn’t convert. With just over one minute remaining in the half, the Packers went for it on 4th and 2 but wide receiver Allen Lazard couldn’t hold onto the ball for what would’ve been a first down and the green and yellow turned it over on downs.

The Seahawks attempted to throw a Hail Mary with four seconds left after an offensive holding penalty pushed them out of field goal range, but Wilson’s pass was incomplete, and the Packers held onto their 3-0 lead heading into halftime.

To open the second half, the Seahawks still failed to put any points on the board. After a 5-yard rush from Collins on 2nd and 5 to move the chains, Wilson struggled to connect in the pass game and a great PBU by Packers’ safety Darnell Savage Jr. on 3rd and 9 forced Seattle to punt.

However, the excitement after Savage’s big play was short lived. Once again, the Packers offense went three and out.

With a lot of ball game still left in this one, the Seahawks went on their most productive drive of the day which lasted 3:90 and consisted of 11 plays for 50 yards (ESPN stats). Seattle finally got wide receiver DK Metcalf involved and he came up big with an 18-yard reception on 2nd and 3. Then, Collins continued to find some gaps in Green Bay’s defense and rushed up the middle for another first down on 3rd and 2. From there, Wilson continued to find something on third down and, on 3rd and 3, connected with running back Travis Homer for 6 yards and a first down. But, the Seahawks’ momentum was quickly killed after Packers’ cornerback Kevin King (yes, Kevin King!) picked off Wilson in the end zone and kept Seattle off the scoreboard.

The Packers responded with another clock-eating drive (this time lasting 5:15 (ESPN stats)) and thanks to running back Aaron Jones, found themselves in the red zone in a blink. On the first play of the drive, Jones moved the chains with a 23-yard reception. Then, on 2nd and 6, he got involved in the passing game again with a 24-yard reception. But, on 3rd and 6, Rodgers was under a ton of pressure and lobbed one up into the end zone and it was picked off by safety Jamal Adams.

The bad news? Rodgers was intercepted. The good news? Adams was so excited that he decided to mock the belt MULTIPLE times in the end zone. Any Packers fan that’s been around long enough knew that it was pretty much safe to say Green Bay was walking away with a win after seeing that. Afterall, history has a way of repeating itself.  

On Seattle’s next drive, the defense forced yet another three and out and Green Bay cornerback Rasul Douglas came up with back-to-back stops on second and third down to help the defense continue to put on a masterful performance.

On the Packers’ next drive, Jones went down with a knee injury on the first play and did not return to the game. Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Packers think he suffered a sprained MCL but he will undergo further testing. It isn’t a good outcome for Jones, but it’s not the worst-case scenario either.

After the game, Dillon told the press that Jones told him to “get the job done” and he certainly delivered for his teammate. After a first down pickup from Cobb and Seahawks defensive end Carlos Dunlap gifting the Packers 15 yards and a first down after he hurled a Packers’ players shoe down field to open the fourth quarter, Dillon just took over. He ran hard and strong for the Packers and picked up two first downs to put them deep in Seahawks’ territory and then decided to finish the job himself. On 3rd and goal, Dillon rushed into the endzone for a 3-yard touchdown to extend the Packers’ lead to 10-0.  

With just over 10 minutes remaining in the game, Green Bay’s defense did not take their foot off the gas. Just when it looked like Seattle might break through after Wilson scrambled for 12 yards and a first down and Homer converted for a first down on a direct snap on 3rd and 1, Green Bay safety Adrian Amos  had other plans. On 1st and 10 at the Packers’ 43, Wilson threw a deep pass into the end zone intended for wide receiver Tyler Lockett and Amos was there to pick it off. The only negative of the drive was that Gary’s arm appeared to get caught and twisted under the pile on Homer’s third down conversion and he left the game and did not return with an elbow injury.

After the AJ Dillon Show on the Packers’ last drive, they decided to run it back again and the results were glorious. On 2nd and 6, Dillon caught a short pass from Rodgers and turned it into a 50-yard sideline run for the Packers. From there, Dillon continued to just dominate and rushed for 2 yards on 3rd and 1 to move the chains for the Packers. Then, with Jones out, running back Patrick Taylor got involved and also moved the chains for the Packers to bring them within the Seahawks’ 5-yard line. From there, Dillon finished the job and rushed 2-yards for his second touchdown of the day to give us our final score of 17-0 Packers.

Wilson and the Seahawks had one final opportunity to prevent a shutout, but the Packers’ defense continued to frustrate them. Specifically, Metcalf appeared frustrated and was ejected from the game after grabbing multiple Packers’ players by the face mask and throwing a punch at one of their helmets.

To close the game, Amos continued to show why Chicago should’ve never let him go and came up with two major PBUs. And, with just 22 seconds left, linebacker Preston Smith got to Wilson and sacked him for a 14-yard loss to close this one out for the Packers.  

Moral of the story: don’t mock the belt. Maybe one day they will finally learn.

 

What we learned: The offense needs to re-sync

Oy vey. I had a feeling the Packers’ offense might look a little sluggish with Rodgers just returning to the facility on Saturday but man they looked really rusty.

From dropped passes to poor decision making, it was a bit all over the place for Green Bay offensively on Sunday. However, they still did what they needed to, to get a win and that’s all that matters. I’m sure a week of practice with Rodgers back in the building will go a long way this next week.

 

What went right: Defense

If you aren’t having fun watching the Packers play defense right now, then what are you doing? If you would have told me a year ago that the Green Bay defense would outshine the offense for two weeks in a row, I would’ve thought you were pranking me.

Kudos to Joe Barry and his crew for turning this ship around. The Packers look like they have a championship-level defense right now.

Their shutout against the Seahawks Sunday was historic too. According to NFL Network’s Andrew Siciliano, this was the first time in Wilson’s 150 career regular season starts that Seattle was shut out.  

 

What went wrong: Injuries  

I am once again asking the injury bug to go far, far away from the Packers.

As if Jones and Gary going down with what looked like pretty serious injuries wasn’t bad enough, Whitney Mercilus was ruled out with a bicep injury really quickly and also did not return for the Packers.

Green Bay has seen so many key players get injured this season and truly cannot catch a break.  

 

Offensive MVP: AJ Dillon

Well alright, AJ Dillon.

It seems like every week he just keeps getting better and better and that’s great news for the Packers since they have several home games coming up and I’m sure it’s damn near impossible to tackle him in freezing cold weather.

Dillon led the Packers in rushing on Sunday with 21 carries for 66 yards and 2 TDs and was the next-best receiver on paper behind Adams with 2 receptions for 62 yards (ESPN stats).

 

Defensive MVP: Adrian Amos

Adrian Amos had one hell of a game on Sunday. He was literally running around all over the secondary and making play, after play, after play.

With the late-game interception and multiple key PBUs he was a standout for the defense and continues to be a reliable player in the secondary. Amos finished the day with 4 tackles, 3 of which were solo, and 3 pass deflections (ESPN stats).

 

Up next, the Green Bay Packers travel to U.S. Bank Stadium for an NFC North matchup with the Minnesota Vikings. Kickoff is set for Sunday, November 21 at 1 p.m. EST.

 

 

PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO OUR CHEESEHEAD NATION WEEKLY NEWSLETTER HERE.

__________________________

Sarah Kelliher is a contributor for CheeseheadTV and a podcaster with Pack-A-Day Podcast. She can be found via Twitter @sarahkelliher4

 

18 points
 

Comments (16)

Fan-Friendly This filter will hide comments which have ratio of 5 to 1 down-vote to up-vote.
Bure9620's picture

November 14, 2021 at 08:14 pm

Mercilus AND Gary going down is an issue. Hopefully Z is able to return soon. This team is very scrappy but you can only lose so many guys.....If Bahk, Z, Jaire and Jones can get healthy in December we will be fine...I think it is incredible how well this defense is playing without 2 All pro guys...Amos and Savage have been terrific too.

6 points
6
0
NitschkeFan's picture

November 14, 2021 at 10:01 pm

Great win and lets celebrate tonight!

Tomorrow can we find out if there is any news about Zee, Alexander, and how about Josh Meyers?

It looks like we will be missing A. Jones, R. Gary and probably Whitney Mercilus for the next 4 or 5 weeks.

Every NFL season is a season of attrition and the team that is healthy going into the playoffs has an edge. If the Pack doesn't get back at least a few of those mentioned above it is tough seeing a road to the SB.

But damn it has been a wild and fun ride so far!

2 points
2
0
packer132's picture

November 15, 2021 at 01:16 pm

I agree, as its been a wild and fun ride so far in 2021. The only good news this week will be Bakhtiari should be cleared to play against the Vikings. Myers had knee surgery and should be out 6-8 more weeks, Zee maybe 4-6 weeks, and Alexander 7-8 weeks which get him back for playoffs. The Packers medical team is very conservative, and in July, people thought Bakhtiara would start week #1, and as time went on said week#3 or #4. This will be week #10 and he has yet to play. We can't have any more injuries please.

1 points
2
1
dblbogey's picture

November 14, 2021 at 11:09 pm

It's still only been 10 months and a week since his surgery. That would be a quick comeback for a big guy. Hope he's ready, we can move Jenkins to center and get Newman on the bench.

0 points
2
2
Bure9620's picture

November 15, 2021 at 07:23 am

I would not be surprised to see them hold out Bahktiari until after the bye

2 points
2
0
mbpacker's picture

November 14, 2021 at 08:16 pm

Thanks for the recap! Our depth is continually being tested. Like the toughness, both mentally and physically, this team shows.

5 points
5
0
murf7777's picture

November 14, 2021 at 08:26 pm

This reminds me of the 2010 defense. Their opportunistic, physical (when’s the last time we said that), with an ILB who makes plays beyond just tackling after the LOS. Barry has done a great job with Scheme and getting his players ready to play week to week. Like this team, the 2010 team had a lot of injuries, when the next man up was a good or better than the prior. This is a fun team to watch. With Arod and a top 5 D we have the best chance to get to the SB.

4 points
4
0
LeotisHarris's picture

November 14, 2021 at 08:34 pm

Another enjoyable read, Sarah, and I watched the game. You truly paint a vibrant picture of what transpired. Thank you.

I wonder how much the Bears are paying Pettine as a consultant or whatever the heck they think he's doing down there.

5 points
6
1
HawkPacker's picture

November 15, 2021 at 05:29 am

Hey don't knock the bears. They did not lose this week~;-))

1 points
1
0
Cwoodson21's picture

November 14, 2021 at 08:37 pm

The injuries are really concerning. Am really glad that we have Joe Barry.

4 points
4
0
MITM's picture

November 15, 2021 at 07:36 am

Amazing how much of a difference a scheme makes. I think some people owe Blake Martinez an apology for being scapegoated in Pettine's shit scheme that left ILBs uncovered and exposed

0 points
1
1
BuckyBadger's picture

November 14, 2021 at 09:15 pm

Sarah has the best recap I see on any Packer site. Will be hoping for good news on the injuries this week but they don't look good.

7 points
7
0
packer132's picture

November 14, 2021 at 09:16 pm

I read that it would take time with a new defensive coordinator, and Packer fans were not happy after the first game. Players have been learning the scheme and play calls, and it is paying off. The defense is playing great, especially with two all pros out most of the year injured. We all hope the injuries today are short term, and two more games until the bye week. Great shutout victory, which is very rare in the NFL.

4 points
4
0
LayingTheLawe's picture

November 14, 2021 at 10:05 pm

Fun to see and will have to just not worry about all the injuries until tomorrow

1 points
1
0
ejr450's picture

November 14, 2021 at 11:12 pm

I enjoy how I can read this and hear it in Sarah’s voice. Great write up!

0 points
1
1
Spock's picture

November 15, 2021 at 06:29 am

AJ Dillion's 50 yard sideline dance was my favorite play of the game. Glad he got to finally get Lambeau leaps into an end zone with actual fans! GPG! Onward to the Vikings. We have a DEFENSE!!!!!

2 points
3
1