Offense sputters - and so do refs - as Seahawks fall to Packers, 17-9
GREEN BAY, Wisc. – There were plenty of fingers to be pointed, but in the end, the Seattle Seahawks had only themselves to blame.
In a game marred by two controversial decisions from the officiating crew, the Seahawks fell to the Green Bay Packers, 17-9, extending their Lambeau Field losing streak that dates back to 1999 to eight games.
The Seahawks offense struggled mightily for much of the day, failing to score a touchdown, gaining only 225 yards and losing the time of possession battle at 39:13-20:47.
The numbers tell the story. Russell Wilson was 14-of-27 passing for 158 yards and absorbed three sacks; tellingly, he was the Seahawks’ leading rusher with 40 yards. (Chris Carson was next-best with 39 yards on six carries).
Jimmy Graham? Three catches for eight yards on seven targets.
Eddie Lacy? Five carries for three yards (and certainly no Lambeau Leap).
In fact, you could make a strong argument that the Seahawks’ offense was also responsible for the Packers’ first touchdown.
Under heavy pressure less than five minutes into the second half, Wilson was stripped and the Packers’ recovered at the Seahawks’ 6-yard line. Ty Montgomery quickly ran in a 6-yard TD to put the Packers ahead 7-3.
Things were slow from the get-go. The Seahawks’ offense managed only 3 yards in the first quarter, and were stuck at 24 total yards with less than a minute to play in the first half.
Things sparked to life, if briefly, at that point.
A couple nice C.J. Prosise runs set up a memorable sequence for the Hawks, as Wilson hit Doug Baldwin for a 34-yard completion, then scrambled for 29 yards to set up Blair Walsh’s 33-yard field goal to give them a 3-0 halftime lead.
Seahawks fans will find some fingers to point outside of the team, as well, as two disputed calls took the wind out of the Seahawks’ sails at highly inopportune times.
The first came in the first quarter, the highlight of which was rookie Nazir Jones’ 24-yard interception that many thought should’ve been quite a bit more.
The play started as what appeared to be a 64-yard touchdown return, but Jeremy Lane was called for a penalty. The interception stood, but the TD was taken off the board and Lane was ejected - and Carroll would say after the game that the ejection was worse than losing the TD.
Then, in the third quarter, Jimmy Graham faced stiff opposition on an attempted reception in the end zone. Unable to move thanks to the two defenders draped all over him, he was unable to make a play on the ball for a potential-go ahead touchdown.
No pass interference was called, much to the anguish of many Seahawks fans on social media.
If you want some highlights, there absolutely were some. The defense ranged from solid to spectacular, sacking Aaron Rodgers three times and enjoying some diving play from Earl Thomas and the secondary, even as Michael Bennett, Sheldon Richardson and Cliff Avril all went down with minor injuries on the defensive line. All three returned to play.
And Blair Walsh was a perfect 3-for-3 on field goals, with a long of 41 yards.
There were even some bright spots on offense, as Doug Baldwin caught four passes for 63 yards and Paul Richardson had four catches of his own for 59 yards.
Seattle returns next Sunday with its first NFC West matchup, a 1:25 p.m. game against the San Francisco 49ers that will be broadcast on the home of the Seahawks, Q13 FOX.