| Packers fans may be outraged at the refs' TD call at the end of Monday night's loss to Seattle, but the team put itself in a position to lose by making too many mistakes. (AP) |
Lost in the national uproar over the controversial touchdown ruling in the Packers’ 14-12 loss to the Seahawks in Seattle on Monday night is the fact that it never should’ve come down to that final play.
Green Bay, a three-point favorite entering the game, had plenty of chances to put upstart Seattle and its deafening crowd to bed throughout the game. The offense was inept in the first half, the defense gave up big plays and committed a few costly -- if questionable -- penalties, and the coaching adjustments that were made weren’t made quickly enough.
In the first half, the Packers had no answer for the Seahawks’ pass rush. QB Aaron Rodgers was sacked eight times, which tied his career high from 2009, and he wasn’t able to get his vaunted offense going. Rodgers was under constant pressure, but he also appeared to hold onto the ball too long at times, taking sacks where apparently he had no passing options.
Both outside linemen, LT Marshall Newhouse and RT Bryan Bulaga, were overmatched, responsible for at least four of the sacks. Bulaga was especially tormented, twice getting trashed by Seahawks rookie Bruce Irvin. On one second-quarter play, Seahawks DE Chris Clemons, who finished with a career-high four sacks, ran right past Newhouse, who even had help on the play from LG T.J. Lang. But Lang got there late, Clemons was already through and Newhouse and Lang ran into each other.
It was that kind of half for the Packers and their offensive line.
"It's definitely embarrassing to give up eight sacks in one half," Lang said. "Some were miscommunications, others were one-on-one matchups and guys getting beat."
The pressure resulted in Rodgers being unable to stand in the pocket and develop any kind of tempo in the passing game. Beyond the trenches, the Seahawks’ standout secondary -- arguably the best in the league with three Pro Bowlers, but inarguably the tallest with three players standing at least 6-foot-3 -- shut down the Packers’ talented receivers. The top deep threat, WR Jordy Nelson, finished with just two catches for 19 yards.
“[It was] frustrating,” Rodgers said. “[We] couldn’t get in a rhythm.”
Literally, all they did in the first half was punt. Five possessions, five punts in the first 30 minutes of action. They gained just 87 total yards on 27 pass plays and just three runs. RB Cedric Benson caught a few check-downs out of the backfield but rushed just twice. Without the threat of a running game, the Seahawks could sit back and cover comfortably in the secondary and pass-rush at will.
Afterward, coach Mike McCarthy took responsibility.
"The offense didn't do out part in the first half," McCarthy said. "I should have adjusted plans earlier. I'll take responsibility for that.”
Indeed, coming out of halftime with the ball to start the third quarter, McCarthy changed course and decided to pound the ball. In the first seven plays of the second half, Benson ran five times for 32 yards. The Packers inserted multiple tight ends to improve the blocking.
The game plan switch worked. The Packers scored on their next three drives -- field goal, field goal, touchdown -- eating up almost 18 minutes of the game in the process.
“We started running the ball and stopped letting them set the tempo to us,” C Jeff Saturday said. “The first half, they were pinning their ears back and bringing as much pressure as they could, and we just weren’t standing up to it and really just got outplayed up front. We made adjustments and played much better in the second half.”
But on their final offensive series, with a 12-7 lead and less than two minutes remaining, the Packers couldn’t finish off the Seahawks. One of the reasons they signed Benson in training camp was to have a reliable, power runner to close out games late in the fourth quarter. But on his first carry of the drive, from the Packers’ 7-yard line, he fumbled. Luckily, Saturday recovered it, but two more fruitless rushes and Green Bay had to punt, giving Seattle the ball back with less than a minute to play.
The defense surrendered one 22-yard completion to Seahawks WR Sidney Rice, who’d beaten CB Tramon Williams on the pass deep down the right side. Two incompletions later brought up fourth down, and on the fateful last play QB Russell Wilson bought time and heaved what was ruled the game-winning touchdown to WR Golden Tate.
Correct call or not, Rodgers admitted the game shouldn’t have come to that play.
“We shouldn’t have been in that position.”
Follow Packers reporter James Carlton on Twitter: @CBSPackers and @jimmycarlton88.