GREEN BAY – The Packers stayed very much alive in the NFC North and the playoff chase in general on Sunday, blowing out the Seahawks, 38-10, at Lambeau Field in by far their most impressive performance of the season.
Green Bay won its third straight to improve to 7-6, remaining two games behind first-place Detroit (9-4) in the division and tied with Minnesota.
If the Packers win their next two games against the Bears and Vikings, and if the Lions lose one of two to either the Giants or Cowboys, the Green Bay-Detroit clash in Week 17 at Ford Field would be for the division title.
The Packers have now won three in a row since QB Aaron Rodgers proclaimed he felt Green Bay could "run the table" following a four-game losing streak. Rodgers played big in this one, completing 18-of-23 for 246 yards with three touchdowns for a near-perfect 150.8 passer rating. He was removed in the fourth quarter with the game in hand.
WR Davante Adams had four catches for 104 yards and a TD, while WR Jordy Nelson added six grabs for 41 yards and two scores. WR Ty Montgomery had 86 yards from scrimmage (41 rushing, 45 receiving) and his first career rushing TD.
Green Bay's defense intercepted Seahawks QB Russell Wilson five times. Wilson finished 22-of-39 for 240 yards and one touchdown. His passer rating was 43.7.
Seahawks RB Thomas Rawls had 12 carries for 67 yards. No receiver for Seattle reached the 50-yard mark.
Here's a quarter-by-quarter recap of the action.
Fourth quarter:
After the Packers began the final period with a punt, the defense got the Seahawks into third-and-long with a sack by LB Jayrone Elliott. After a completion to WR Tyler Lockett, Seattle went for it on fourth-and-3, but Wilson's pass sailed way high to the sideline, and the Packers took over.
Brett Hundley took over for Rodgers at quarterback on the next series, and the Packers got into scoring range after a personal foul on Seattle DE Cliff Avril. Hundley threw two incomplete passes, and K Mason Crosby was good on a 38-yard field goal to push Green Bay's lead to 31-3 with 10:31 left.
The Seahawks got their first touchdown of the game on a 21-yard completion to WR Tanner McEvoy. TE Jimmy Graham's first catch of the game, good for 16 yards, was part of the drive. Lockett had 13 yards rushing and 12 on two receptions, and RB Alex Collins gained 13 on a screen pass. K Steven Hauschka's PAT made it 31-10 Packers with 8:21 left.
Packers TE Richard Rodgers recovered the ensuing onside kick, and the Packers took over on the Seattle 44. Green Bay went for it on fourth-and-1 from the 35 and RB Christine Michael was stopped for a loss.
On the very next play, though, Wilson's swing pass bounced off the hands of RB Troymaine Pope, and Packers DB Micah Hyde picked it off for Green Bay's fifth interception of the game. Hyde returned it to the Seattle 19.
It took the Packers just one play to score. WR Jeff Janis took a pitch on an end-around and ran untouched to the end zone. Green Bay's lead became 38-10 with 5:43 left.
On Seattle's final drive, a fumble was recovered by Packers S Kentrell Brice, the Seahawks' sixth turnover of the day.
Third quarter:
The Packers' defense snagged two more interceptions, and Green Bay extended its lead over the Seahawks to 28-3 after three quarters on Sunday at Lambeau Field.
The Seahawks looked like they'd be cutting into the lead right away in the third quarter, as RB Thomas Rawls carried three times for 27 yards and caught a 7-yard pass. But on second-and-10 from the Green Bay 20, QB Russell Wilson's pass for WR Jermaine Kearse bounced off the back of Packers CB LaDarius Gunter and into the hands of CB Quinten Rollins in the end zone, and Green Bay thwarted the drive.
The Packers got one first down on a facemask penalty on Seattle, but went nowhere after that. A low punt gave the Seahawks the ball back on their own 33.
Green Bay intercepted Wilson for the third time in three drives on the next series. WR Doug Baldwin had a perfect pass near the sideline bounce off his hands, and it deflected right to Randall. He returned it to the Seattle 32-yard line. It was Wilson's fourth interception of the game.
The Packers got into the red zone on passes of 4 and 8 yards to WR Davante Adams, and a 6-yard run by WR Ty Montgomery. On third-and-4, QB Aaron Rodgers hit TE Richard Rodgers for an 8-yard gain, and LB K.J. Wright was flagged for roughness on a high hit to the pass-catcher. On the next snap, Rodgers found WR Jordy Nelson for a 3-yard TD. K Mason Crosby's PAT put the Packers up, 28-3, with 4:24 left in the third.
The TD pass from Rodgers to Nelson was the 57th for the duo, tying the franchise record held by QB Brett Favre and WR Antonio Freeman.
Green Bay's defense recorded another three-and-out, with the help of a sack by DE Datone Jones, a delay-of-game penalty on the Seahawks, and a dropped pass by WR Tyler Lockett.
Second quarter:
The Packers' offense started clicking again and the defense intercepted two passes as Green Bay extended its lead over the Seahawks to 21-3 at halftime on Sunday at Lambeau Field.
The Packers began the second quarter getting to midfield on a 25-yard completion to WR Randall Cobb but stalled there and had to punt.
Green Bay got the ball right back, though. One play after a personal foul on DE Datone Jones gave the Seahawks a first down, S Morgan Burnett cut in front of TE Jimmy Graham and intercepted QB Russell Wilson's pass, returning it 19 yards to the Seattle 26.
The Packers took advantage. A 15-yard pass to TE Jared Cook made it first-and-goal, and a 7-yard completion to WR Jordy Nelson put the ball on the 1. WR Ty Montgomery then recorded the first rushing touchdown of his career, and the Packers led, 14-3, with 9:36 left in the half.
Green Bay's defense got another three-and-out, this one helped by a third-down sack by rookie DE Dean Lowry, his second career sack and second in as many games. Seattle P Jon Ryan's punt wobbled out of bounds at the Seattle 48-yard line, giving the Packers good field position.
The Packers again took advantage. An 11-yard pass to Nelson preceded a 24-yard catch-and-run by Montgomery on third-and-6. On the next snap, QB Aaron Rodgers found Nelson for a 9-yard TD, and Green Bay's lead grew to 21-3 with 5:15 left in the half.
On their next possession, the Seahawks got across midfield on a 14-yard pass to WR Tyler Lockett and a 5-yard slant to WR Tanner McEvoy on third-and-2. But on third-and-6, Wilson's pass for WR Doug Baldwin was low to the outside, and the Seahawks had to punt.
The Packers got moving again, as WR Davante Adams beat CB DeShawn Shead down the sideline for a 26-yard gain. Rodgers went after Shead again on the next two snaps, trying deep for Cook, but it was incomplete despite the fans' protestations for an interference flag. Another deep shot for Adams vs. Shead was barely overthrown, and the Packers punted with just over a minute left in the half.
Wilson then hit Baldwin for 9 yards and FB Marcel Reece for 31 yards down the sideline to the Green Bay 45, getting out of bounds with 40 seconds left. But CB Damarious Randall intercepted Wilson's deep throw for Baldwin at the goal line with 22 seconds left.
First quarter:
The Packers scored quickly but failed to add to their lead, taking a 7-3 advantage over the Seahawks into the second quarter on Sunday at Lambeau Field.
The Packers wasted no time getting on the board. On the third play from scrimmage, QB Aaron Rodgers went deep to WR Davante Adams, who got behind Seahawks CB Jeremy Lane and hauled in a 66-yard touchdown pass. The Packers were up, 7-0, just 90 seconds into the game.
The 66-yarder was the Packers' longest play from scrimmage this season, and the longest reception of Adams' career.
The Seahawks answered with a field goal, driving 64 yards 13 plays. Seattle converted third-and-shorts with a 13-yard run by RB Thomas Rawls (the longest play of the drive) and a 5-yard scramble by QB Russell Wilson. But on third-and-1 from the Green Bay 9, Rawls was stopped for a 1-yard loss by LBs Jayrone Elliott and Jake Ryan. Seattle settled for a 28-yard field goal by K Steven Haschka to make it 7-3 with 6:16 left in the quarter.
The Packers were looking to add to the lead but blew a scoring chance. Runs of 7 and 17 yards by WR Ty Montgomery and 10 yards by RB Christine Michael got the Packers into scoring range, but on third-and-2 from the Seattle 31, it appeared Michael went the wrong way in the backfield on a run call, and Rodgers had to take a 3-yard loss. K Mason Crosby then missed from 51 yards out, and the score remained 7-3.
The Packers' defense responded with a three-and-out. Wilson overthrew a wide-open TE Jimmy Graham on first down, and on third-and-7, his pass was complete to WR Doug Baldwin but was a yard short. CB Damarious Randall made the tackle, and the Seahawks punted.
