Green Bay Packers fans can finally rest easy. After three horrendous and miserable losses in a row to the dreaded Seattle Seahawks the Green Bay Packers were finally winners on Sunday night at Lambeau Field. The 27-17 victory over their “arch enemy” was nothing short of sweet revenge, but it didn’t come easy.
Given it was a road trip for Seattle, it was assumed that the Seahawks left their “12th Man” back in “The Emerald City.” However, on the very first drive of the game, Packers fans learned that Seattle did in fact bring their 12th Man to the game after all. But, instead of being up in the stands trying to outdo the decibel level of Packers fans, the 12th man was on the sidelines.
On that opening drive Aaron Rodgers went into a “hurry up-no huddle mode” and caught the Seahawks off guard. After Mike McCarthy threw the red challenge flag, it was determined by the officials that Seattle indeed had 12 men on the field—and this challenge, which resulted in a penalty against Seattle, would keep the opening drive alive for Green Bay.
A play later Aaron Rodgers hit Randall Cobb over the middle for a nice gain. Shortly after Cobb’s reception the Packers would go on to score a TD when James Jones caught a bullet from future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers on another “free play.” This was a “free play, because” Seahawks DE Michael Bennett jumped off sides thanks to Aaron Rodger’s intonation when barking out an audible and cadence. He is a master at this craft and one of the best at doing this in a game.
Interestingly enough the 12th man would appear again on the field when Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson had to call a timeout during their first possession of the game. This time the “12th Man” was visible in Seattle’s offensive huddle and this penalty set Seattle back a bit as they had to punt the ball away giving Green Bay early momentum.
Packers’ linebacker Nick Perry played extremely well during the first half of the game. He played with determination and moxie, making solid tackles and containing the Seahawks Marshawn Lynch when he ran his way. Perry finally played like a first round pick out of USC and was a difference maker in the game.
Not only did Nick Perry play well, but the entire Packers run “D” was also stupendous. Marshawn Lynch was held in check rushing for only 41 yards on 15 carries for a 2.7 yard average. This dauntless and determined defensive team effort shut down the Skittles Eating Monster, a chore not easy to accomplish in the past—and it made all the difference in the world on Sunday night.
Even though only the second game of the regular season, this was a significant game for the Green Bay Packers. It is always better to beat a playoff contender than to lose to one during the regular season. Think home field advantage throughout the playoffs. Not only is this a huge win, but believe it or not, it also has major playoff implications.
Speaking of “huge,” Jayrone Elliott made the two biggest defensive plays of the night. Both were momentum changers and allowed Green Bay to not only win the game, but to win the turnover battle as well. During the preseason the thought was that Elliott would become a great special team’s contributor. On the other hand, playing defense also seems to be an area of strength and Green Bay should utilize him more when on “D.”
Ty Montgomery is a stud. His athletic ability is clearly evident on kickoff returns. As equally impressive is his physique. Montgomery looks like he could bench press a VW Bug. He is a great addition to the special teams unit and will be a difference maker this year for the Packers with his excellent returns. More importantly he had four really nice catches and could also be used in the backfield when the time comes. This tactical formation could create nightmares for an opposing defense.
Heading into week #3 Green Bay will have to work on pass protection. Packer offensive tackles Don Barclay and David Bakhtiari had difficulty blocking Seattle’s speedy edge rushers. This has to improve, if the Packers want to keep Rodgers off the turf and healthy.
The only real downer of the game is the injuries. Eddie Lacy and Josh Boyd both left with ankle injuries and Davante Adams returned back to the game with a heavily taped ankle, but he wasn’t quite the same. Hopefully these nagging little things clear up and go away by the time Green Bay takes on the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night Football during week 3.
Until then…Go Pack Go and lets shoot for 6-0 straight out of the gate!
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Todd Stelzel, a loyal Packers fan since 1966, is a contributing writer with PackersTalk.com. You can follow him on Twitter at @ToddStelzel for more Packer news.
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4 responses to “Week #2: Green Bay Packers vs. Seattle Seahawks Odds-N-Ends”
An incredible game. All I have to say to the Packers, “do better if possible, and it’s always possible”. My hat goes off to Zook who has improved special teams and not just marginally.
The only team I would be wary about now are the Arizona Cardinals and, perhaps, san Diego. I don’t see anybody else beating Green Bay. The gods were indeed, with Green Bay, though as the saying goes, “God helps those that help themselves”. I love Aaron drinking grape crush during his interviews. What an enormous “air” of irony.
Peter,
Very well said. AZ looks very good, especially on “D.” A healthy Carson Palmer doesn’t hurt either. Naturally, the NFL landscape changes week to week, but GB and AZ look like the teams to beat in the NFC.
I must admit that I did not trust Zook at first, but to be honest, he has done a really nice job preparing his teams to play and I now have confidence in the coach.
Special teams and containing the run are keys.
Next team up…KC on MNF. Go Pack Go!
Hopefully, Lacy is ready to go. I missed seeing his power runs on Sunday. Will Guion make a diffence once he’s back, I wonder?
I heard that Lacy is out for one game. I guess that’s better than three games.
Guion will make a difference, if he’s in shape. Raji has played like his old self, thus Guion will have to earn his job back.
Regardless of who starts, the Packers will have a great one-two punch at NT when Guion does return.