Packers End Three-Game Slide with Win Over Sinking Seahawks

With his counterpart sitting out because of an injury, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers could have been tempted to rest his ailing shoulder and join the Seahawks' Matt Hasselbeck on the sidelines.

But Rodgers had no such plans Sunday, and again showed the type of grit that his esteemed predecessor was so famous for, helping the Packers end their three-game skid with a 27-17 win over Seattle.

The Packers' hurting quarterback admirably shook off his shoulder injury, then inflicted some pain of his own on the hapless Seahawk defense. Rodgers threw for two touchdowns and ran for another in a game that looked closer than the final tally would indicate. Even the humble Rodgers was impressed with how he played.

"Everybody plays with injuries in this league. But to not practice for two weeks, to not throw the ball at all, I'm proud the way I was able to play today," Rodgers said.

The Seahawks (1-4), however, seem to be only a shell of their former selves, and it was on full display in front of a sell-out crowd at Qwest Field. Seattle only mustered 177 yards of total offense, and backup quarterback Charlie Frye only managed 83 yards through the air against a depleted Packers' secondary.

“Well, it’s tough right now,” Seattle coach Mike Holmgren said. “My message to the team when I called them together is one that they have heard before from me. But it is very important that they hear me now. We are certainly not used to losing game at home, and we are not used to being in the position we’re in. It’s been a long time, but here we are. So how do we deal with it as players and coaches?  It is very, very important that they answer that question."

The Seahawks had no answer for Rodgers, who completed 21-of-30 passes for 208 yards and on numerous occasions kept drives alive on third down with big conversions.

“It’s not even that they made big plays,” said Seahawks linebacker Lofa Tatupu. “It’s 3rd-and-7 and they got eight yards; 3rd-and-9, they got 10 yards. I don’t think we did a good job of situational defense. At times, we played our butts off. Other times, I don’t want to use the word 'relaxed,' but I don’t think we were too sharp–not mentally focused enough. There were definitely too many times we should have been off the field and we didn’t get it done.”

Seattle took an early lead 10-3 when Frye hooked up with rookie tight end John Carlson for a six-yard touchdown. But Green Bay proceeded to rip off 24 straight points to possibly put an end to the Seahawks' season just five games in.

Rodgers started the comeback with a quarterback sneak at the end of the first half, then hooked up with the NFL's leading receiver Greg Jennings for a 45-yard touchdown to give the Packers a lead that would not be relinquished.

While Green Bay's defense continued to shut down Frye, the Packers took full control over the game with a 15-play, 84-yard drive that culminated in a touchdown pass to fullback John Kuhn. Packers' corner back Charles Woodson then picked off Frye, setting up a Mason Crosby field goal that put Green Bay up 27-10 mid-way through the forth.

Many of the disgruntled Seattle supporters exited after the interception, and for good reason. It has been a nightmarish start for Holmgren's last season in coaching.

"It's been a while since it's been like this. It's just a shock," Seahawks defensive tackle Rocky Bernard said.

The Packers (3-3), however, find themselves back on top of the NFC North after Chicago lost to Atlanta. With everything Green Bay has been through so far, just getting a win was good enough.

"It was nice to get back into the win column," McCarthy said. "This team has been through a lot, with injuries and everything, and it felt good to get back into the flow of things. We really stepped it up in all phases of the game today."

Notes: The Seahawks had a 51-yard run by Julius Jones negated by a holding call by G Mike Wahle. The Seahawks were forced to punt two plays later...Packers' RB Ryan Grant had a career high 33 carries...For only the second game this season, the Packers held the Seahawks without a 100-yard rusher...McCarthy was unable to comment on injuries to S Aaron Rouse and DT Ryan Pickett, who both left the game early.