“It felt like we didn’t get much out of it,” Love said of the second-half offense. “We weren’t performing at a high level, so some of those drives failed.”

The Packers have to admit they took a break when Seahawks QB Geno Smith left the game with an injury, because if he plays in the fourth quarter and doesn’t back up Sam Howell, Seattle could well have made this game a nail-biter can.

The defense prevailed against an overwhelmed Howell, but the Packers would have much preferred it if the offense had had more time and scored more points to tell the defense sooner that it had done its job for the evening.

If there is a next step that needs to be taken, this is it. The Packers took a significant step forward with the way they started this game. You can’t miss that.

But the self-inflicted errors that kept opponents alive longer than they should have could prove costly as the games drag on.

“That’s the attitude we’ve always had here. I still think there’s a lot to improve on, myself included of course,” LaFleur said.

“How can we get better? We must continue to push the limits and strive to reach our full potential.”

They’re almost there. They looked like they would get there Sunday night, but not quite.

With three regular season games remaining, including two at home against sub-.500 clubs, the Packers are well-positioned for the playoffs at 10-4. The win left them one game ahead of the Commanders (9-5) and hot on the heels of the Vikings (11-2).

The last remaining away game before they head into the postseason will be in Minnesota and will be an important benchmark for how they will start January.

First things first, but a lot will depend on this performance before the season really hangs in the balance.

“I think we’re in a really good spot,” Love said. “We have to do the same thing we’ve talked about all season, take it one game at a time and finish this season.”

“I like where we are. We have to keep finding ways to get better and push each other to get those wins to close out the season. But I like where we are.”