The 10-4 Green Bay Packers played well in all phases on Sunday night, beating the Seattle Seahawks 30-13 on the road. However, the way Green Bay immediately set the tone was most impressive.
Green Bay has elected to receive the last five times they won the opening coin toss. Most teams defer and get the ball to start the second half. That way, they can set the tone for the rest of the game if they score. However, Matt LaFleur wasn’t too worried about the second half. He set the tone early, and the Packers benefitted from that.
They got the ball into Josh Jacobs’ hands as many times as they could as soon as they could. Whether it was handoffs or short tosses, they gave him full control of the first possession. On that 10-play drive, Jacobs got the ball nine times. The drive culminated in a touchdown.
Green Bay got the ball to Jacobs twice on their second drive and ran it four times. Even though he only touched it twice, he made two nice plays in the open field. He took a screen pass 21 yards and rushed again for 19 on the one carry.
They moved the ball 80 yards in under five minutes and scored again, increasing their lead to 14-0 after Romeo Doubs’ touchdown catch.
During Green Bay’s second drive, Cris Collinsworth made an interesting and informative statement.
“The running game can silence the crowd like nothing else, and the running game can embarrass the defense like nothing else,” Collinsworth stated. “You take the football, and drive it like this, methodically down the field with the running game, there are no answers for that.”
After the score, it felt like the Packers sucked the energy out of the Seattle crowd, and the momentum swung completely in Green Bay’s favor.
That momentum carried them throughout the rest of the game. By halftime, they extended their lead to 20- 3 and finished with a three-possession victory.
Green Bay won handily in a tough environment against an 8-5 team. They succeeded by controlling the game with the rushing attack, taking the Seattle crowd out of the game early. There were a lot of Packers fans in the crowd, but Seattle is always a loud and intimidating environment.
The Packers will almost certainly not win the NFC North this season. The Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions are 12-2 and will likely win it. With the lesser of the two taking the fifth seed in the playoffs, Green Bay will likely get the sixth seed, forcing them to go on the road.
That’s why the Seattle game is so important. Heading into the game, the Seahawks led a weaker NFC West, and Green Bay will play either the NFC West winner or South winner on the road in the Wild Card round.
Going on the road against a solid team, taking complete control of the game, and taking the crowd out of it will prepare the Packers for what they will face in the playoffs. They won’t feel intimidated by the atmosphere or the elements of a tough game in January. If they can run the ball effectively on the road in places like Seattle, they will take full control of the games.
