5 takeaways from the Packers’ win over the Seahawks

5 takeaways from the Packers’ win over the Seahawks

SEATTLE – The Packers earned their first win in Seattle in 16 years on Sunday night at Lumen Field by a score of 30-13, improving to 10-4 on the season.

Here are five takeaways from the big road win:

  1. A quick start goes a long way in this building.

The Packers performed like gangbusters, scoring touchdowns on their first two drives of the game, sandwiched around a defensive stop that included a third-down sack – one of seven sacks by the defense on the night.

Running back Josh Jacobs was the workhorse at the start and got the ball on nine of the eleven plays of the first TD drive via run or screen pass, which he finished with a short jump. He was on pace to total 136 yards from scrimmage, including more than 80 in the first quarter.

Then receiver Romeo Doubs, returning from two games due to a concussion and wearing a Guardian cap over his helmet for extra protection, ended the second drive by catching a slant and dragging two defenders into the end zone.

“That was great,” QB Jordan Love said. “That’s something we really haven’t seen in Rome, running over guys and putting the team on their backs. It shows how much he loves it and is willing to fight to get the extra yards and the touchdown.”

The Packers were up 14-0 and in complete control.

“I like the confidence of our guys,” head coach Matt LaFleur said. “We came out and started fast. We knew that would be the key to the game, to get the crowd out as much as possible.”

Green Bay hadn’t scored two touchdowns on its first two possessions since a late November win over Kansas City last year, and it was the polar opposite of the punt-punt-fumble start in the Week 14 loss at Detroit the Thursday night before .

“This is definitely something we’ve been focused on all week, we’ve talked about all week, it’s starting quickly,” Love said. “Then it’s best for us to start quickly, win the ball, score points and then move on.”

  1. Some key players returned to the lineup and made their presence known.

The first was Doubs, who also scored the final touchdown of the game with a diving catch in the back of the end zone. He had three receptions for 40 yards and both of Love’s TD throws, as the QB went an efficient 20 of 27 for 229 yards and a passer rating of 123.8.

“How about that catch, that second touchdown catch?” LaFleur said, referring to Doubs. “That was a great game. I love the way Rome works. He’s been pretty consistent for us and comes through. It was cool to have him back out there.”

The other was rookie linebacker Edgerrin Cooper, who had missed the last three games with a hamstring injury but excelled all night as a pass rusher and in coverage.

Cooper finished the game with five tackles, one sack, two QB hits and two passes defended, with his first career interception coming in the fourth quarter and preceding Doubs’ second TD that tied the game. Cooper’s performance was also timely, as the Packers lost fellow linebacker Quay Walker to an ankle injury during the game.

“He’s just a great player,” LaFleur said of Cooper, but also praised defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley for how he uses Cooper and position coach Anthony Campanile for how he coached him and all the linebackers. “It was fun to watch and experience his development.

“Coop is a great athlete, man, and he’s just scratching the surface of what he can be in this league.”

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