SEATTLE – That first half Sunday night was close to as effectively and efficiently as the Packers can play.
On offense, four possessions for two touchdowns and two field goals – and Head Coach Matt LaFleur blamed himself for poor clock management at the end of the half that took away an opportunity for another TD.
On defense, a pair of third-down sacks to force a punt and a field goal, plus an interception in the end zone to thwart a potential scoring drive.
The result was a 17-point halftime lead against the NFC West-leading Seahawks at their place. It showed how dominant the Packers can be, even away from home – which will be their fate as a wild-card team in the playoffs – against another postseason contender.
But Green Bay left Seattle after its 30-13 victory still searching for that complete football game it'll need eventually next month.
While the defense mostly held up its end, only faltering after a Josh Jacobs fumble and allowing a fairly quick Seattle touchdown early in the fourth quarter, the offense let the Seahawks back into a game it shouldn't have.
"That's something we're going to have to clean up, having that consistency through four quarters, putting together that four-quarter battle," QB Jordan Love said. "We have to keep that foot on the gas and keep making those big-time plays we were making in the first half.
"We have to do a better job of playing a complete, four-quarter game."
LaFleur did credit Seattle's defense for its adjustments, but the Packers hurt themselves more than anything the Seahawks did.
Yes, a Seattle defender made a nice play punching the ball out of Jacobs' hands for the fumble, but Jacobs appeared to stumble on his own while trying to hit a big hole that likely would've put him over 100 rushing yards on the night had he stayed on his feet.
Love didn't miss many throws in going 20-of-27, but he fired high and behind Romeo Doubs when a play-action rollout opened up nicely downfield. That play preceded the Jacobs fumble.
Jayden Reed would've come wide open on an out route on third-and-2 in the fourth quarter, but he slipped and fell on his own. Luckily the defender was so far off that Love's pass with Reed lying on the ground wasn't intercepted, but the miss led to a fourth-and-2 failure that gave Seattle a whale of a chance at 23-13 to get within one score.
"It felt like we weren't getting much out of it," Love said of the offense in the second half. "We weren't executing at a high level, to have some of those drives stall out."
The Packers have to admit they caught a break when Seahawks QB Geno Smith left the game with an injury, because if he's playing in the fourth quarter and not backup Sam Howell, Seattle very well could've turned this one into a nailbiter.
The defense came through against the overmatched Howell, but the Packers would've much preferred for the offense to grind more clock and score more points, telling the defense earlier it had done its job for the night.
If there's a next step that still must be taken, that's it. The Packers took a significant step forward with how they started this game. That can't be overlooked.
But the self-inflicted miscues, which kept the opponent alive longer than it should've been, could prove costly as the games get bigger.
"That's the mindset we've always had here. I still think there's a lot to improve upon, myself included obviously," LaFleur said.
"How can we get better? We have to keep pushing that envelope and strive to reach our full potential."
They're almost there. They looked like they might reach it Sunday night, but not quite.
With three regular-season games left, two at home against sub-.500 clubs, the Packers at 10-4 are sitting just fine in the playoff chase. They stayed one game ahead of the Commanders (9-5) with the win, and right on the heels of the Vikings (11-2).
The one road game left, before they hit the road for the postseason, will be at Minnesota and a major measuring stick for how they'll head into January.
First things first, but a lot will be riding on that performance before the season's truly on the line.
"I think we're in a really good spot," Love said. "We have to do the same thing we've talked about all season, take one game at a time and finish this season off.
"I like where we're at. We have to keep figuring out ways to get better, keep pushing each other to get these wins to finish the season off. But I like where we're at."
