Returning to Lambeau Field and getting the reigning MVP back under center proved to be the exact prescription the Green Bay Packers needed on Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks. The offense struggled at times but eventually put the nail in the coffin. On the flip side, the defense was phenomenal throughout.
Here are five numbers that summed up the afternoon at Lambeau Field.
0
For the first time in 150 career starts, a team shut out Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson.
Joe Barry’s defense revealed another masterpiece, and this one was perhaps their most impressive. Green Bay pressured Wilson often, and he often tucked the ball and took off running even when he wasn’t because everything downfield was locked up.
Shutting out a team in today’s NFL is no joke.
Seattle only pieced together one solid drive, which came early in the third quarter, with Green Bay clinging to a 3-0 lead. The Seahawks could get into the red zone, but Packers cornerback Kevin King caped up and played the role by ending the drive with an interception in the end zone.
This defense is legitimate.
50%
Green Bay’s offense was 7 for 14 on third downs, finishing the evening at 50%. There were huge third-down conversions on all three Packers scoring drives. Both touchdowns were scored on third-down plays. On the field goal drive, Aaron Rodgers moved the sticks on a big third-down by running past the chains.
It wasn’t the most efficient performance for the offense by any stretch of the imagination. But it sure helped that the Packers could convert on half of their third downs against a pretty stout Seattle defense. Those conversions helped seal the deal for Green Bay in a game that hung in the balance for three-and-a-half quarters.
15
The Packers were about to face a 3rd and 3 after a two-yard run by A.J. Dillon. That was until Carlos Dunlap decided to launch Billy Turner‘s shoe.
Via the skycam angle of the replay, the shoe went at least 15 yards. It’s somewhat ironic because that’s exactly how much penalty yardage was enforced against Dunlap. Instead of 3rd and 3, it was 1st and 10 for the Packers. They scored their first touchdown of the game on that drive to take a 10-0 lead in the fourth quarter.
4-0
The Packers moved to 8-2 on the season and improved to 4-0 at home. They are one of only two teams, along with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, that have not lost at home yet this year.
The home-field advantage at Lambeau Field has long become a big problem for opposing teams later in the year as the temperature drops. The Packers have seven games left and will have four of them from the comforts of home. It has proven to be a significant factor and will again provide a considerable challenge to opposing teams.
19
Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network is a damn good reporter. He’s also reported some nonsense that even he had to think was over the top.
Apparently, Wilson was routinely rehabbing for 19 hours a day after his finger injury to get back onto the field. Do the math yourselves; it’s impossible to imagine that actually being the case. Fortunately for Wilson, the 19 hours a day he was spending rehabbing really paid off on Sunday.
Seattle’s QB1 was a whopping 20 for 40 through the air for an amazing 161 yards, ZERO touchdowns, and two interceptions. The grueling 19-hour rehab days to get back onto the field really showed as Wilson led the Seahawks on exactly zero scoring drives.
All those hours, on top of running mock huddles with literally nobody — which is super normal — have clearly proved to be effective. It’s just refreshing to know that Wilson does this stuff strictly because he knows it works and makes him better and certainly not because the cameras are on him.
After this A+ performance, maybe Wilson can tone it down a bit to 17 hours a day so he can get at least seven hours of sleep. Speaking of sleep, he should sleep well after this MVP-caliber performance against Green Bay.
