Green Bay Packers Run Defense Passes Major Test vs. Seahawks, Marshawn Lynch

The unit had an inauspicious start to the season. In its Week 1 matchup against the Chicago Bears, the Green Bay Packers run defense allowed Bears halfback Matt Forte 141 yards on 24 carries, and Chicago rushers as a whole 189 yards on the ground. 

It was the result of missed tackles, blown coverages, misdiagnosis and general lack of execution by the players in defensive coordinator Dom Capers' scheme. 

Then, starting inside linebacker Sam Barrington left the game after re-aggravating an existing foot injury. On Sept. 15, ESPN's Adam Schefter confirmed the Packers placed Barrington on injured reserve, ending his season: 

So, fresh off allowing 189 rushing yards and down a starter in the middle, the Packers' run defense returned home in Week 2 for one of its biggest tests of the season: shut down Marshawn Lynch and the Seattle rushing offense. 

It was a tall order, considering Lynch had led a Seahawks attack that rushed for 124 total yards against the St. Louis Rams in Week 1, but there was a silver lining: No Seahawks rusher got into the end zone in that matchup. 

And, as it would turn out, none did Sunday night at Lambeau Field. 

Shutting down Seattle's ground attack is a good way to shut down Seattle's offense. Making it more one-dimensional and forcing the ball to Russell Wilson's average group of pass-catching weapons (even stud tight end Jimmy Graham has looked somewhat average with Seattle through two games) allows Green Bay's defensive plan to become a whole lot simpler. 

By the end of the night, the Packers had held Lynch to just 41 yards on 15 carries, for an average of 2.7 yards per carry and no touchdowns. It was his worst performance since Week 12 of the 2014 season, against the Arizona Cardinals, in which he rushed for only 39 yards and averaged 2.6 yards per attempt. 

Wilson did move around a bit, eventually scrambling or rushing for 78 yards to become the team's leading rusher on the night. However, he didn't have many breakout runs, and he didn't reach the end zone. 

Sunday night's success story was truly a group effort, but there were individual players who stepped up and set the tone for this unit. 

Mike Roemer/Associated Press

One surprisingly stout defender on the night? Linebacker Nick Perry.

The former first-round pick, who has struggled to live up to his draft position to the point where Green Bay declined to pick up his fifth-year option on his contract for 2016, was stout against the run, keeping multiple scores off the board for Seattle. 

Nose tackle B.J. Raji was another success story. Raji, who is on a one-year prove-it deal after sitting out the entire 2014 season with a torn biceps, returned to training camp leaner and, apparently, hungrier—not just because of his diet.

Raji had a strong showing against the Bears in Week 1 and followed it up Sunday night. He and Perry teamed up on a pair of tackles for loss that saw Lynch get minus-two yards on one play and led to a three-and-out for Seattle's offense early on. The team's official Twitter account highlighted the players' teamwork:

Seattle tried to get new acquisition Fred Jackson involved in the running game, but it turned disastrous as the Seahawks tried to mount their comeback drive.

With seconds left, former undrafted free-agent linebacker Jayrone Elliott, who had a one-handed interception earlier in the game while dropping back into coverage, punched the ball out of Jackson's hands and the Packers recovered, sealing the victory.  

"He played big," head coach Mike McCarthy said about Elliott after the game, per the Packers' Twitter account. "He made two huge plays in the game. It's exciting."

It certainly is.

The return of strong safety Morgan Burnett was also a boon to Green Bay's run defense. He was sorely missed in Week 1 against Chicago; after all, in 2014 Burnett graded out as the league's best safety against the run out of 87 qualifying players by Pro Football Focus. His presence near the line was a boost Sunday night. 

The Packers' challenges in terms of the run aren't close to being over. Just next week they take on Jamaal Charles of the Kansas City Chiefs, a back who is averaging 4.9 yards per carry this season and who has a touchdown under his belt. 

There's also Forte again on the docket, as well as Adrian Peterson twice. 

But Sunday night proved that Green Bay, despite some lack of depth within the front seven, appears to have the personnel in place to play stout against the run. If the players can continue to execute, the team may be able to turn a weakness into a strength.