The Green Bay Packers used four total touchdowns from Davante Adams and Aaron Jones and four sacks from Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith to beat the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Divisional Round playoff on Sunday night at Lambeau Field.
A few observations from the 28-23 win:
1. Graham comes up big: The veteran tight end produced three huge plays. He beat safety Bradley McDougald inside (with help from a clearout route by Geronimo Allison) for 13 yards on 3rd-and-8 to extend the Packers’ first scoring drive of the game, got down the seam and behind K.J. Wright for a 27-yard catch (on a beautiful throw from Aaron Rodgers) on 3rd-and-6 to extend the Packers’ first scoring drive of the second half and then daggered the Seahawks’ season with a stumbling 9-yard catch over the middle on 3rd-and-9 to pick up the game-sealing first down under two minutes. He made the most out of every opportunity Sunday night.
2. Third-down assassin: Rodgers was nothing short of incredible on third down. He completed seven different passes on the money down, and six of the seven converted first downs. Three gained over 20 yards, and three came in the fourth quarter. He even pulled off a quarterback sneak for an eighth first down on third down. Throws to Jimmy Graham for 27 yards and Davante Adams for 32 yards in the second half were sublime. It was a masterful performance in high-leverage situations from the two-time MVP.
3. Dominant up front: The Packers’ overwhelming advantage at the line of scrimmage on defense played out on the field all night. Preston and Za’Darius Smith combined for four sacks and eight quarterback hits. Throw in Kenny Clark and the three produced 25 total pressures of Russell Wilson, per Pro Football Focus. Wilson took five sacks but was slippery in the second half and probably avoided another five on his own. The Packers also held Marshawn Lynch and Travis Homer to 39 rushing yards on 15 attempts. Clark produced arguably the most impressive play of the game when he pressured Wilson up into the pocket and then chased him down from behind for a sack, while Preston Smith delivered the defensive play of the game when he bolted off the edge and sacked Wilson on third down late in the fourth quarter.
4. Ervin’s impact: Tyler Ervin continues to make an impact for the Packers offense and special teams. He produced 25 rushing yards on two carries, including an 18-yarder on an end around toss that helped set up a first-half touchdown. He was too fast and too quick around the corner for the Seahawks defense. He also brings an ability to threaten on the jet motion, which continues to be a part of how the Packers dress-up plays before the snap. It’s something they didn’t have the last time they went to San Francisco. Also, the Seahawks feared him on kickoff returns and frequently kicked it away from him. Ervin has been a vital addition.
5. Coverage credit: All night, the Seahawks attempted to create explosive plays down the field off run fakes, but the Packers had an answer to just about every deep shot dialed up by coordinator Brian Schottenheimer. Cornerbacks Jaire Alexander and Kevin King and safeties Adrian Amos and Darnell Savage did a terrific job of getting depth and bracketing the vertical routes. Wilson bought time and created a few big plays outside of structure in the second half, but rarely did he have opportunities to attack within the framework of the original play. The Packers weren’t going to let Wilson uncork the deep shots that helped the Seahawks beat the Eagles in the wildcard round.
6. Gold zone goodies: The Packers made three trips into the “gold zone,” their word for the red zone, and came away with three touchdowns. A strength of the offense all season carried over into the playoffs. Rodgers and Adams made magic on the 20-yard touchdown on the opening drive, and Matt LaFleur stayed committed to Aaron Jones inside the 10-yard line later in the first half. Jones scored his 20th and 21st touchdowns of the season on short runs. In the NFC title game in 2014, Mike McCarthy’s Packers settled for short field goals and it killed them late. This time around, they scored touchdowns and gave themselves a big enough cushion to survive more Russell Wilson magic.
7. Veldheer steps up: Pass protection was set to be one of the Packers’ biggest advantages going into Sunday. That could have changed when veteran Bryan Bulaga couldn’t go while battling an illness. Instead, Jared Veldheer started at right tackle and played a terrific game in pass protection. He isn’t going to win much in the run game, but he held down the right edge, and the Packers passing game didn’t miss a beat. Credit Veldheer, who retired in May and wasn’t even on the active roster a month ago. And credit Brian Gutekunst, who scooped up a starting-quality offensive tackle on the waiver wire. It was a huge addition, and it paid off in a big way Sunday night.