Recap: Green Bay Packers Crush Seahawks 48-10, And Clinch Playoff Berth
by Brandon on Dec 28, 2009 7:00 AM CST
in Green Bay Packers Analysis
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PrintIt was a dominant win for the Green Bay Packers, and it secured them a playoff berth too. According to the Press-Gazette, the Packers would return to Arizona in two weeks if they lose next week to the Cardinals, and the Cowboys lose at home to the Eagles. The Packers hold the tiebreaker over either the Cowboys or the Eagles if they all reach 11 wins. So it's either at Arizona or at Dallas for the first playoff game.
Some other good news is that Mike McCarthy only reported two injuries: LG Daryn Colledge injured his ankle, but returned, and backup S Derrick Martin injured his ankle and he did not return. Martin's the only depth at safety on the roster besides rarely used S Matt Giordano. When the Packers pulled all their starters in the 4th quarter, CB Jarrett Bush moved to safety and SS Atari Bigby had to stay in the game.
One point commentator Brian Billick mentioned during the game that the Seahawks were trying to run a big play offense under new offensive coordinator Greg Knapp, but they didn't have any big play guys on offense. That was really the difference in the game: big plays. The Packers offense had 6 plays over 20 yards, plus they forced 1 pass interference penalty for over 20, and the defense forced 4 INTs. The Seahawks only had 1 play on offense of over 20 yards, and forced zero turnovers and only had 1 sack. All those big plays led to a lot of scoring opportunities, and the Packers only settled for a FG twice. Here's the complete Sports Network recap.
This all leads into a somewhat relaxing week for the Packers. Mike McCarthy said there are some things they can learn from (a.k.a. problem areas), and they'll game plan as usual for the Cardinals, but they'll certainly be loose next week. I'm not concerned about where they'll have to travel. All the possible opponents are good teams (with some weak areas) and the Packers can beat any of them. And all of them will be in good weather or domed locations, except in an unlikely scenario where they could wind up in Philadelphia. I'm expecting good weather would favor the Packers with their multiple receiver sets and QB Aaron Rodgers's accuracy. Just keep winning.
The complete play-by-play recap is after the jump.
Seahawks vs Packers coverage; Seahawks vs Packers recap; Seahawks vs Packers boxscore; Field Gulls
The play-by-play descriptions are from NFL.com:
First Quarter:
(9:02) 8-M.Hasselbeck pass short right INTERCEPTED by 50-A.Hawk at GB 36. 50-A.Hawk to SEA 35 for 29 yards (86-J.Owens; 33-J.Griffith).
The Seahawks got the game going well with a three-and-out on defense. Then they ran the ball well against the Packers great run defense (including two runs that converted on 3rd down). But then QB Matt Hasselbeck threw an INT that was so bad you have to see it to believe it. Nice catch and run by LB A.J. Hawk, but he didn't do anything special on the INT except stand in the empty space where Hass decided to throw it.
(6:41) (Shotgun) 12-A.Rodgers pass short middle to 32-B.Jackson for 13 yards, TOUCHDOWN [97-P.Kerney]. PENALTY on SEA-97-P.Kerney, Roughing the Passer, 15 yards, enforced between downs.
The TD pass to RB Brandon Jackson, his first TD of the season, was on a screen pass. Which is something that hasn't worked all season for the Packers. Just a sign of how bad things are for the Seahawks.
(5:42) (Shotgun) 8-M.Hasselbeck sacked at SEA 12 for -7 yards (56-N.Barnett).
Nice move by LB Nick Barnett to slip around the rookie center for the sack.
(5:00) (Shotgun) 12-A.Rodgers sacked at GB 10 for -9 yards (94-C.Redding). PENALTY on SEA-27-J.Babineaux, Illegal Contact, 5 yards, enforced at GB 19 - No Play.
This was the first of two Seahawk sacks that were wiped out by penalties. The Seahawks out-penalized the Packers by committing 8 penalties for 86 yards, and some of those were huge.
(4:02) (Shotgun) 12-A.Rodgers to GB 17 for -6 yards. FUMBLES, and recovers at GB 15. 12-A.Rodgers pass incomplete short right to 35-K.Hall. QB hit by SEA #97 (Kerney)
Fumbles are one area where Rodgers could improve. It was his 10th fumble, he's only lost 4, which is the same number as he had last season. By comparison, QB Peyton Manning has never had more than 7 fumbles in a season. Just a slight blemish on an outstanding season for Rodgers.
(1:37) (Shotgun) 12-A.Rodgers pass deep left to 85-G.Jennings ran ob at SEA 27 for 40 yards (21-K.Jennings).
(1:15) 12-A.Rodgers pass short right to 85-G.Jennings to SEA 3 for 24 yards (57-D.Hawthorne).
Back-to-back big plays set up a 3 yard TD run for Grant.
Second Quarter:
(14:39) 8-M.Hasselbeck pass deep right to 84-T.Houshmandzadeh pushed ob at GB 26 for 31 yards (36-N.Collins).
The Seahawks biggest play of the game. He beat CB Jarrett Bush, of course.
(12:10) (Shotgun) 8-M.Hasselbeck pass short middle intended for 84-T.Houshmandzadeh INTERCEPTED by 20-A.Bigby (97-J.Jolly) at GB -1. Touchback.
And their big play led to a 3rd and 6 at the Packers' 8 yard line that was picked off. It would have been a tight play, a tough pass between 3 defenders in coverage, but WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh slipped and the ball was tipped at the line for the INT.
(7:55) 22-J.Jones up the middle to GB 9 for -2 yards (97-J.Jolly).
This was a big stop on 3rd and 2 from the Packers' 7 yard line. Another good drive for the Seahawks, and this one had 4 plays over 10 yards. The Packers were getting run over early, but they did a much better starting midway through the 1st quarter. DE Johnny Jolly made a few plays in this game, and this one held the Seahawks to only a FG. Two consecutive drives into the Packers' red zone, and the Seahawks only came away with 3 points.
(5:46) 25-R.Grant left tackle for 56 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
This was like watching Grant v.2007. He got into the open field and he blew by FS Deon Grant around the 40 yard line.
(:15) (Shotgun) 12-A.Rodgers pass short middle to 88-J.Finley to SEA 1 for 14 yards (36-L.Milloy).
This was the first of TE Jermichael Finley's two almost-TD receptions. He had 2 big receptions (14 yards and 38 yards) on which he was tackled just short of the goal line.
(:08) 12-A.Rodgers pass short right to 41-S.Havner for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN NULLIFIED by Penalty. PENALTY on GB-41-S.Havner, Offensive Pass Interference, 10 yards, enforced at SEA 1 - No Play.
(:03) 2-M.Crosby 29 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-61-B.Goode, Holder-7-J.Kapinos.
It's too bad for TE Spencer Havner that his TD was nullified, the shove was cutoff on replay so I couldn't tell how legit it was, but it's good to see K Mason Crosby hit a FG.
Third Quarter:
(14:14) (Shotgun) 8-M.Hasselbeck pass short right intended for 84-T.Houshmandzadeh INTERCEPTED by 24-J.Bush [52-C.Matthews] at 50. 24-J.Bush to SEA 47 for 3 yards (84-T.Houshmandzadeh).
It was the first career INT for Bush. Of course it led to stories of his redemption after getting repeatedly burned by the Steelers last week, and nearly every other team he's faced in his career before that. Good for him, but he's still a weak link in the defense.
(10:19) 32-B.Jackson right end for 6 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
Nice cut back by Jackson. There was nothing to his left, but LB Will Herring didn't hold contain on the strong side, and Jackson cut back around him for the TD.
(9:26) (Shotgun) 8-M.Hasselbeck pass deep middle intended for 83-D.Branch INTERCEPTED by 20-A.Bigby at GB 38. 20-A.Bigby to GB 38 for no gain (83-D.Branch).
This looked like a frustration pass from Hasselbeck. There were two defenders next to WR Deion Branch, and another nearby. It would have been a miracle if it had worked.
(6:21) 12-A.Rodgers pass short right to 88-J.Finley to SEA 4 for 38 yards (54-W.Herring).
There's a lot wrong with the Seahawks all over the depth chart. The thread over at Field Gulls puts most of the blame on Hasselbeck, but he's not the only problem. There was a funny exchange, I don't know if it was in regard to this play, where Scruffy Lefty said "the slant" is their weakness, and someone replied you mean "the pass"?
(5:32) 32-B.Jackson right guard for 4 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
This was a funny play where Jackson crouched down in the huddle and tried to hide the fact that he was the fullback. Otherwise it might have been a tip off that he was getting the ball. I'm not sure the Seahawks could have stopped him even if they had known.
(:32) 8-M.Hasselbeck sacked at GB 29 for -7 yards (54-B.Chillar).
The Seahawks got another drive going by nickel-and-diming down the field. I'm sure the Packers were willing to give them the short stuff once they were up 38 to 3. And on 4th and 10, LB Brandon Chillar ran a nice delayed blitz for the sack.
Fourth Quarter:
(13:40) (Shotgun) 10-M.Flynn pass short right to 87-J.Nelson pushed ob at SEA 43 for 17 yards (57-D.Hawthorne).
Nice play by QB Matt Flynn. He escaped the collapsing pocket, rolled to his right, and found WR Jordy Nelson along the sidelines. It was the big play of this FG drive.
(8:58) 32-B.Jackson right tackle to SEA 49 for 2 yards (97-P.Kerney, 36-L.Milloy).
(6:32) (Shotgun) 8-M.Hasselbeck pass short left to 83-D.Branch to SEA 44 for -1 yards (33-B.Underwood).
At those points in the game, the Packers brought in all their backups, while the Seahawks kept their starters in. Each team managed one TD drive, and one stop, during those last 9 minutes.
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Giving Mason props.
After that 52-yarder in the 4th, I was glad to see Crosby get a standing O from the crowd and hugs from the big dogs on the team (Barnett, Driver, Rodgers, Jennings, etc). Yeah, the points were meaningless, and yeah, it was from the left hash and not the right-hash-of-doom, but I think he needed to make the kick and gain the confidence that he could make one over 50. Good for him.
Also, bravo to Matt Flynn for showing up Brian Brohm once again. Flynn leading two scoring drives while Brohm was looking lost in Buffalo made Ted Thompson look very smart in his roster moves.
Crosby
Great to see him get some confidence heading into the playoffs. And like you said with the big guys all staring on and celebrating with him on the sidelines has to even up his confidence even more knowing the “stars” are still behind him
by bizzle4 on Dec 28, 2009 4:06 PM CST up reply actions 1 recs
The Havner TD nullified by PI
I have no clue where the PI was. They both had their hands on each other, and the defender fell down when Havner broke to the right. Havner’s arms were already extended so the only “push” he might’ve gotten was from his… fingers? Not that it mattered, but a ticky tack call at best, and a pisspoor one at worst.
Win !
Danwood .. the P.I on Havner, was called because it was Havner who initiated the contact. An offensive player is not allowed to initiate contact beyond the LOS on a passing play, since that simulates a runblock, and thereby giveing the offense an extra advantage.
For the rest of the game, after a bit of a sluggish start, they finally got their act togetter and blew out an inferior opponent. This is something that’s been missing for most of the season. They have won games, but kept them much closer than they should have been.
Rodgers had some missques, on the sack, he had 6 seconds to get rid of the ball. (he had 4+ on the “sack” that got wiped out by a Seahawks ill. contact foul)
Other than that, he bounced back and played pretty well.
I really liked the way Matt Flynn played, and that could prove helpfull if Rodgers goes down. (but I don’t hope it comes to that of course)
The defense looked sharp again, sure, they gave up some yds, but that is insignificant when they get 4 picks, and doesn’t give up a TD until late in garbage time.
Mason Crosby may have gotten his confidence back, that’s important.
Now, after all, this was vs the Seahawks, they’re not very good this year, and they have played better. So there are still things to improve on before the playoffs.
It was a great help to the Packers that Hasselbeck played as crappy as he did !
Jarls...
Thanks for clearing up the Havner PI…seemed like a flop from the DB but I guess it worked! haha
We’ve had a few nice blowouts…26-0 over the Lions, 31-3 over the Browns. I guess I don’t agree completely but I do agree that its nice to see us blow the doors off of someone…especially after a tough loss the week before. I like that our offense seems to be clicking.
I worry a little about Rodgers getting off to slow starts lately. He looks real shakey in his first few drives now for the past 2 or 3 games games. I remember Favre used to start like that during big games (overthrowing guys and stuff like that). They need to calm him down or run a few scrimmage plays before the game starts or something.
I was happy seeing Flynn out there too…after seeing how bad Mannings backup looked it was nice to at least see Flynn get some reps against a pro team! I can’t figure out how the Seahawks fell off THIS far. They were a decent team last year and have ALL the same pieces in place.
Yea, they definitely need to fix that soon
Starting off slow against Seattle or Detroit is fine but that could be the thing that kills us in the playoffs against superior teams.
by Charlie Kelly on Dec 28, 2009 12:44 PM CST up reply actions
Does anyone else think
that it’s always better to play D on the opening series of the game and therefore open the second half with the ball?
I can’t really see any downside to letting the defense go out and establish an identity from the get-go. Even if they give up a score, the offense still has it’s shot and can reclaim that momentum. Furthermore, whether behind or ahead at the halftime break, it’s always nice for the O to take the ball at the open of the second half and rally or put the opposition further behind.
PS – I don’t think the Packers scoring a TD on their second offensive series really qualifies as a “sluggish start”, but I get what you guys are saying overall about feeling like the offense lurches a bit out of the gate of late.
It hasn't made a bit of difference whether the Packers get the ball in the 1st or 3rd quarter
If you bet that the first offensive series for the Pack in either quarter will end in a 3-and-out, your money would be quite safe. The only exception in recent memory was Grant breaking off a 62-yarder on 1st down vs. the Bears.
Why this is the case is something we can discuss to death – my pet theory is that Rodgers gets too amped up and it takes a couple of plays for him to get in sync with his receivers at game speed.
"Who ever heard of the Cubs losing a game they had to have?" -Frank Chance
"If [Ruth] had [called his shot], I would have knocked him down with the next pitch." -Charlie Root
Why this is the case is something we can discuss to death – my pet theory is that Rodgers gets too amped up and it takes a couple of plays for him to get in sync with his receivers at game speed.
It could be because of that but the past 3 weeks when he has gotten off to slow starts we have been playing in cold weather. In my experience playing Qb, it always took me a while to get warmed up and kind of in sync. It also doesn’t help that MM always seems to want to throw 3 straight passes to start the game off either. Maybe if they were just little 4-5 yard throws it would be ok, but when you start the game off trying to throw 10-15 yards down field it isn’t going to work most of the time in below freezing weather..
by packallday555 on Dec 29, 2009 12:57 AM CST up reply actions
Cold or no, we haven't helped ourselves on opening kickoffs all year
Here’s the short version:
3-and-out: 5 times.
Turnover: 2 times.
Punt: 2 times.
Missed FG: 2 times.
TD: 2 times.
FG: 2 times.
I can post the long version, but it won’t make you feel any better. When we get the ball first in a half, we squander the opportunity far more times than not, at an almost 3-1 clip.
"Who ever heard of the Cubs losing a game they had to have?" -Frank Chance
"If [Ruth] had [called his shot], I would have knocked him down with the next pitch." -Charlie Root
Oh I know, I’m not trying to say we don’t. Just saying why I feel we always squander our first possessions of the half.
by packallday555 on Dec 29, 2009 9:23 PM CST up reply actions
Clay Matthews
I know he didn’t have a monster game, but I can’t help but have a man-crush on him. He seems to draw numerous holding penalties per game and at times seems unblockable. Looks like Raji, Jones, and Matthews will be a mainstay in a potentially dominant defense for years to come.
Matthews had many hits on Hasslebeck, and blew by that LT nearly every play. The guy is an animal, and as an added bonus he can shed a block and stop the run as well. Jones had a sack, and was pretty assignment sure as always. Raji played well in the middle and made a couple big plays in the backfield. I can’t wait to see how good Raji is going to be after a full offseason and a full training camp :).
by packallday555 on Dec 28, 2009 2:40 PM CST up reply actions
I can’t remember a time when there were three rookies all on the same side of the ball playing at such a high level. This could go down as one of the better drafts in a long time for the Packers! Aside from the big three, TJ Lang has shown a lot of promise AND versitility which is a nice bonus. Still very interested to see how Q pans out as a FB…seems like he’s getting a little more PT lately. We won’t get to reap the benefits of Meredith which sucks but the fifth round STEAL could turn out to be a great player if he can get his act together. The others were not instant impacts but have potential…GREAT draft. WOW
Quinn was one of the players I was most excited about
A big FB who has said he prefers hitting people over scoring TD’s should do great things for our run game once he gets used to this level of play.
by Charlie Kelly on Dec 28, 2009 3:23 PM CST up reply actions
He was the reason Grant broke that long run yesterday as he absolutely flattened the MLB, and all Grant had to do was run on by. Even Underwood made a couple nice tackles when he was in their with our second string unit. Not too say he is on the level as Matthews, Raji, Jones, Lang, and Johnson but physically he has the tools to be a good player.
TT really drafted for need this draft as opposed to just drafting the best avaible player, and while getting the best guy is good I think drafting for need is better. I hope he continues this trend and we draft a boatload of OT’s and Cb’s.
by packallday555 on Dec 28, 2009 3:58 PM CST up reply actions
He drafted for need
but wound up with the best players anyways
by Donald Driver on Dec 28, 2009 5:44 PM CST up reply actions
Crosby's "Return"...
This is the week that i dropped crosby from my fantasy team and lo and behold, he has an awesome fantasy game (2 FG, 6 XP) and i lost my final by 3 points. His replacement that i picked up (Lawrence Tynes) had a single FG with no XP. Blah.
That first interception was unlike anything I had ever seen before.
I looked through the game thread at Field Gulls, and I could tell exactly when that play happened. Everyone there blamed Hasselbeck.
OT: Final score on Monday Night Football: Bears 36, Vikings 30, in overtime.
Bound for New York City: January 6-9! Can't wait!
by Vermont Cubs Fan on Dec 28, 2009 11:22 PM CST reply actions
This is like 2002 all over again for Favre
It looked like we would have a bye the entire way through the season and we blow it. The Vikings look like they’ll get a bye the entire way through the season, and now it’s looking like the Vikings could very well have to play wild card weekend.
Maybe in order to understand mankind, we have to look at the word itself: "Mankind". Basically, it's made up of two separate words—"mank" and "ind". What do these words mean? It's a mystery, and that's why so is mankind.
-Jack Handey
And this Vikings team
Is beginning to remind me of the 2000 Minnesota Vikings team, which started off very hot by winning 11 of its first 13 games. One of those losses was at Lambeau Field when Antonio Freeman made the bobbling catch and ran in for a touchdown in overtime.
Following this, the Vikings lost the last three games of the regular season, including a stunning 33-28 loss to the Packers at the Metrodome. In the playoffs, Minnesota beat the Saints before losing 41-0 at the New York Giants.
This Vikings team appears to be fading, and there are some striking similarities to the 2000 Minnesota Vikings team.
One fact: the Packers are the only NFC North team to sweep the Chicago Bears this season.
Bound for New York City: January 6-9! Can't wait!
by Vermont Cubs Fan on Dec 28, 2009 11:33 PM CST up reply actions
Oh man…that Giants game was SICK. Living here in MN I’ve seen a lot of my friends seasons end in crazy heartbreak as Viking fans.That one might have been even worse that Anderson missing that FG after not missing all year.
The memory of Randy Moss squirting his water bottle at the ref cuz he was so pissed is such a great memory. Of course the list of Vikings failures is a lengthy list so it takes some time to remember all of them.
Frye is honestly gotta be one of the top 10 3rd Stringers in all of the NFL right now--colbyb
2003?
My personal favorite.
Bound for New York City: January 6-9! Can't wait!
by Vermont Cubs Fan on Dec 29, 2009 11:33 PM CST up reply actions
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