Packers start hot before cruising to 30-13 victory over Seahawks

Romeo Doubs’ two scores and another big game from Josh Jacobs led the way as the Packers won in Seattle for the first time since 2008.

On Sunday night, the Green Bay Packers finally exorcised some demons that they have been dealing with for the last 16 years. The Packers finally won in Seattle for the first time since 2008, beating the Seahawks 30-13 in a game that felt a lot closer than for a few minutes in the fourth quarter.

A fumble by Josh Jacobs and a touchdown by the Seahawks cut the Packers’ lead to 10 points early on in that frame. But rookie linebacker Edgerrin Cooper delivered a crucial interception and Romeo Doubs’ second touchdown reception of the game put it away late.

That all took place after the Packers jumped out to a comfortable early lead, holding a 14-point lead for most of the game. Green Bay scored a pair of touchdowns on their first two drives and never led by less than double digits afterwards. Defensively, the team forced a pair of clutch turnovers — Cooper’s pick and another by Carrington Valentine in the end zone — and recorded a total of seven sacks on quarterbacks Geno Smith and Sam Howell as they generally controlled the game.

To that end, Seattle gained just 208 total yards of offense in this game and went only 4-for-13 on third downs. The Packers, meanwhile, got yet another 100-yard game from Josh Jacobs in terms of total scrimmage yards, as he finished with 94 and a score on the ground and 42 yards as a receiver. Jordan Love, meanwhile, went 20-for-27 passing for 229 yards and two scores, and remains turnover free in his last four games.

This result gives the Packers a clear path to the postseason: win any of their final three games and they are in. That could happen as soon as next Monday night, when they host the reeling New Orleans Saints.

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The Packers opened with the football and rode Jacobs to an opening-series touchdown. Jacobs had nine touches on ten plays — seven carries and two pass receptions — as he picked up 44 yards. He finished the drive with a plunge into the end zone from a yard out for an early 7-0 Green Bay lead.

Green Bay’s defense forced an early stop on Seattle’s first drive. After a 12-yard throw from Geno Smith to DK Metcalf on the first play, the team forced a punt as Edgerrin Cooper sacked Smith on 3rd down. Jacobs kept going where he left off on the first drive, starting the next series off with a 21-yard reception. After pounding the football into the red zone, Jordan Love threw a slant to Romeo Doubs around the five-yard line, and Doubs muscled through two tacklers to push across the goal line for the Packers’ second score of the night and an early 14-0 lead.

Seattle got on the board on their second drive after a big play by Jaxon Smith-Njigba took advantage of a coverage bust by Evan Williams. But Jeff Hafley’s defense got a big stop with the Seahawks facing a 2nd-and-1, as Kingsley Enagbare got a tackle for loss on running back Zach Charbonnet and Rashan Gary cleaned up a Karl Brooks pressure for a sack on third down. That forced Seattle to settle for a 48-yard field goal from Jason Myers, only cutting the Packers’ lead to 14-3.

Green Bay responded with a field goal of their own to return their lead to fourteen points. They delivered the score after this incredible throw and catch from Love to Christian Watson that picked up 36 yards:

The game’s first turnover came on the next drive, with the Seahawks driving. Smith-Njigba was leading Seattle down the field and Keisean Nixon got flagged twice for holding on third downs to allow the chains to move, but his fellow cornerback Carrington Valentine came up with a takeaway. One play after he had a pass breakup — and dropped what looked like an easy interception — Valentine tracked Smith’s throw into the end zone and picked off that one, returning it to the 14-yard line.

Starting their drive just before the two-minute warning, Love caught the Seahawks offsides and heaved a free-play prayer to the middle of the field, where Tucker Kraft was waiting to make a contested catch for 26 yards. After running the clock most of the way down to halftime, Green Bay got a pass interference penalty at the three-yard line, but with just four seconds left. They elected to send Brandon McManus out for a second field goal instead of trying for a touchdown, heading to the locker room with a three-possession lead at 20-3.

After the break, the two teams traded punts to start the third quarter. The Seahawks’ second drive of the half saw Smith hit Tyler Lockett for a big gain to get into field goal range. On the next play, however, Smith’s feet got caught up in the turf as he was being hit by Edgerrin Cooper, and he had to leave the game with a knee injury. Sam Howell came on on relief, but the Packers forced another Seattle field goal to maintain a two-touchdown lead.

Once again the Packers extended their lead back to 17 points with a field goal, this time after a 39-yard pass interference penalty on a deep ball to Watson. Watson then brought in a nice catch for a third down conversion, but the Packers again settled for a short McManus kick after coming up a yard short of the sticks on a final 3rd-and-10.

Howell continued on in place of Geno Smith on the next series, but Kingsley Enagbare dominated the next set of downs. He sacked Howell on first and third downs and added a tackle on a short scramble in between, forcing a Seahawks punt. Seattle returned the favor however, with the Packers taking a delay of game after trying to force the Seahawks offside on 4th-and-3 from midfield.

Following another Seattle punt, the Packers took over near midfield, but Josh Jacobs fumbled the football and the Seahawks recovered. Four plays later, Zach Charbonnet rumbled up the right sideline and into the end zone from 24 yards out, pulling Seattle back to within ten points at 23-13.

Another pair of punts set up the Packers with the football, but not after a heart-pounding moment. Jayden Reed muffed the Seahawks’ punt, but he managed to keep the ball in front of him and recover it to spare the Packers another turnover. The offense finally got moving again, picking up first downs on three straight plays, first a throw to Dontayvion Wicks then an end-around to Reed and then a pop-pass sweep to Reed. But Seattle’s voodoo magic struck again on their side of the field, as Reed — wide open on an out route — slipped and fell on 3rd and 2. Jacobs then was stuffed on a run up the middle on 4th down, and the Seahawks took over at their own 39 with nearly six minutes remaining.

Then, Edgerrin Cooper saved the Packers.

Cooper dropped into coverage and picked off Howell on the second play of the Seahawks’ drive, setting up the Packers with a chance to run off the rest of the clock and put the game away. Instead, they had to make it weird. Love dropped back to throw on 3rd and 5 and found Romeo Doubs in the back of the end zone. Doubs made an incredible catch, got an elbow down in bounds, and put another touchdown on the board to give the Packers back a 17-point lead at 30-13.

That catch effectively put the game on ice, as backups came in and the remaining five minutes of the clock went off without much incident either way.

The Packers improve to 10-4 on the season and keep their slim hopes of an NFC North title alive. But most important is the ability to clinch a playoff spot: win any of their next three games and they are in the postseason.