GREEN BAY, Wisc. — While forcing fumbles on two of his first three touches might not have been the Seattle Seahawks’ game plan for stopping Ryan Grant, it did the job early in Saturday’s playoff game at Lambeau Field.
It was what the Green Bay Packers’ young running back did over his next 25 carries that ruined the Seahawks’ afternoon.
A run defense that had not allowed a 100-yard rusher since Week 5 of the regular season saw the wheels come off at the worst possible time. By the time Saturday’s 42-20 route was over, Grant had franchise records of 201 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
Those were playoff records for the Packers, and against the Seahawks.
“Ryan Grant, he’s a real good player,” Seahawks linebacker Leroy Hill said of a 25-year-old running back who spent the past two seasons on the New York Giants’ practice squad and injured reserve. “He’s got the most yards in the league since the middle of the season. They just came out and clicked.”
Running through huge holes that were generated by a zone-blocking scheme, Grant broke off four carries of 15 yards or more, including a 43-yarder. He averaged 7.4 yards per carry Saturday for his sixth game of more than 100 yards in the past 11 games.
“He had a big, big day (Saturday), and that had a lot to do with them winning the football game,” Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren said.
Seattle’s typically stout run defense had holes all over the place, due in large part to the Green Bay scheme. The zone style of blocking calls for offensive linemen to push the defenders toward their pursuit angles, instead of away from them, to leave cutback lanes in overaggressive defenses.
“It’s hard to feel because they get the defense going lateral rather than penetrating,” Seahawks defensive back Jordan Babineaux said. “As an offensive lineman, that’s exactly what you want: for the defensive lineman to turn his shoulders so it will be easier to move him.
“It’s definitely a nice running style, and we just didn’t do enough to capitalize on it.”
Added Hill: “They used our speed against us.”
Hill got the Seattle defense off to a perfect start by forcing Grant to fumble on the opening offensive play. Grant caught a Brett Favre pass in the flat before getting drilled by Hill. Seahawks linebacker Lofa Tatupu scooped up the loose ball and returned it to the Green Bay 1-yard line to set up a touchdown.
Grant broke loose for eight yards on the Packers’ next offensive play, then added a six-yard run that resulted in another fumble. Safety Brian Russell caused that fumble, which set up another score, and the Seahawks were ahead 14-0.
But Packers coach Mike McCarthy wasn’t ready to bench his emerging star.
“He was a big part of our game plan,” McCarthy said. “I know in the past I’ve pulled players for turnovers, but he was a big part of the way we approached this game.”
Grant rebounded from his early struggles and went on to have the most productive postseason game in the 88 years of Packers football.
“It’s unfortunate what happened,” Grant said of the early fumbles, “but I really appreciate everybody backing me. From the training staff to the coaches to the players, everybody just said: ‘Stay with it. You know what you’ve got to do. Let it go.’
“We knew we could move the ball, and everybody up front did a great job.”
Seattle’s run defense had been doing a great job for most of the season, but everything came apart in Saturday’s loss.
“We’re going to see this film and probably be sick to our stomachs,” the Seahawks’ Russell said. “I know I made some mistakes. I’m going to be frustrated with the way I played, and I think the whole defense is going to say that. And the whole team overall is not going to be happy with what went down.
“We didn’t play good football (Saturday).”
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