GREEN BAY—With Russell Wilson returning to the lineup, the Seahawks went to Lambeau Field hoping to end a streak of nine consecutive road losses to the Packers, but instead they once again leave Green Bay disappointed.
Despite a great performance from the defense for three-plus quarters, the Seahawks lost 17-0 on a day when not much went well for Wilson and the offense. It was Seattle's first shutout since a loss at Pittsburgh in Week 2 of the 2011 season, and game that drops the Seahawks' record to 3-6 heading into next week's NFC West showdown with the Cardinals.
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Here are five rapid reactions to Sunday's loss:
1. The offense couldn't get going in Russell Wilson's return to action, and the Seahawks were shut out for the first time in a decade.
The Seahawks were hoping the return of Russell Wilson following a three-game absence would provide a spark against a tough opponent and in a stadium where the team hasn't won a game since 1999, but Sunday's game proved to be a challenging one for Wilson and the entire offense.
Most notably, the Seahawks were shut out for the first time since Wilson arrive in Seattle—the last shutout was at Pittsburgh in Week 2 of the 2011 season—and the Seahawks were held to just 208 yards and 15 first downs.
Wilson, who was coming back from finger surgery after a three-game absence, has struggled at Lambeau Field in the past, and it was tough going for him on Sunday. Wilson completing just 20 of 40 pass attempts for 161 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions, giving him a passer rating of 39.7, the fourth worst of his career.
Seattle's inability to stay on the field and sustain drives also took a toll on a defense that played very well for three-plus quarters, but eventually gave up two touchdowns drives late in a game in which the Packers had a time of possession advantage of 39:09 to 20:51.
2. The Seahawks defense played well enough for Seattle to win.
While the Packers were able to take control of the game late with two fourth-quarter touchdowns, it's hard to place much if any blame on a defense that kept reigning MVP Aaron Rodgers and the Packers offense out of the end zone for three-plus quarters.
Seattle's defense has been playing well for several weeks, but this game looked to be something of a litmus test considering the caliber of opposing quarterback and offense, and even in a loss, Seattle's defense showed that the recent turnaround is real.
Prior to taking control of the game with two late touchdowns, the Packers started the game with a missed field goal, the punted twice, kicked a field goal, turned the ball over on downs, punted, then had a drive end on a Jamal Adams interception in the end zone. Regardless of what happened after that, holding a quarterback like Rodgers to three points on its first seven possessions is a very good performance by Seattle's defense.
3. Jamal Adams had his most productive game of the season.
Like the entire defense, Sunday was a good day for Jamal Adams, who had arguably his best and most productive day of the 2021 season.
As mentioned earlier, Adams intercepted Rodgers in the end zone for his first interception as a Seahawk, and it was also Rodgers' first red zone interception at home since 2019. Adams also had two quarterback hits and 11 tackles.
4. Linebacker Jordyn Brooks also had a big game, and Bobby Wagner hit a big milestone.
Seahawks coach Pete Carroll recently mentioned that second-year linebacker Jordyn Brooks has been playing well in recent weeks, and the former first-round pick showed that again on Sunday, recording a team-high 12 tackles, including one tackle for loss that was an impressive third-down stuff of Packers running back A.J. Dillion, leading to a Packers punt.
And while he didn't put up as big of numbers on Sunday, veteran linebacker Bobby Wagner hit a significant milestone in the loss, recording eight tackles to get to 101 this season. Wagner has now eclipsed 100 tackles in each of his 10 NFL seasons, the second longest streak of 100-tackle season this century behind London Fletcher's streak of 14 seasons from 2000 to 2013.
5. Michael Dickson helped keep the Seahawks in the game.
While the defense did great work to keep the Seahawks in the game despite the offense's struggles, punter Michael Dickson also deserves credit for his role in keep the Packers offense in check. Dickson averaged a modest 45.7 yards per punt on six punts, but four of those were downed inside the 20, including two inside the 10.
The Seattle Seahawks take on the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on November 14, 2021. This album will be updated throughout the game. Game Action photos are presented by Washington's Lottery.