Seahawks rebound from slow start to defeat Packers

SEATTLE — Needing a fourth-quarter scoring drive, the Seattle Seahawks delivered. Their defense did its part, too.

There was no white-knuckle, last-second drama Thursday night. Russell Wilson secured a game-winning, go-ahead score with five minutes to play, and Seattle’s defense closed out Aaron Rodgers and the Packers.

Wilson’s 15-yard touchdown strike to Ed Dickson with 5 minutes, 8 seconds to play gave the Seahawks the lead for good, giving Seattle a critical 27-24 prime-time win at CenturyLink Field.

“We’ve been through so much throughout the season, and it was just kind of time to get over the hump,” Seattle linebacker Bobby Wagner said. “We have been down, we have been up. We’ve had close games, and it was just time.”

The win keeps Seattle (5-5) in the thick of the NFC wild-card race and delivered a major blow to Green Bay’s playoff hopes in what some pegged as a must-win game for both teams.

Rodgers, who finished with 332 yards and two touchdowns, picked apart Seattle’s secondary in the first half, but the Seahawks only allowed three points in the final 30 minutes and finished with five sacks.

No stop was more important than a three-and-out Seattle forced with the Seahawks leading 27-24 and less than five minutes on the clock. Seattle’s offense rode running back Mike Davis to run the clock out from there.

“I think that was really good, especially for our confidence,” Wagner said. “We are a very young defense, and we have been through a lot. We’ve witnessed the other side (of close wins), and I think everyone feels that, and that is why I feel confident about us winning these next few games.”

Seattle again found success on the ground. Chris Carson ran for a game-high 83 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries, and rookie Rashaad Penny, who broke out last week, contributed 46 yards on eight attempts. The Seahawks finished with 173 rushing yards, giving Seattle seven consecutive games with 150 or more ground yards.

“We stayed consistent and battled throughout and found a way to win,” Seahawks tackle Duane Brown said. “That is the making of a great team right there. Defense against one of the best quarterbacks of all time, getting us a three-and-out to get us the ball back with four minutes left, and we found a way to stay on the field to finish it out. That’s the kind of killer mentality you got to have, and it was great to showcase it tonight.”

Wilson completed 21-of-31 passes for 225 yards and two touchdowns and threw his first touchdown of the year to veteran wideout Doug Baldwin, who caught a team-high seven passes for 52 yards.

Seattle got off to a disastrous start when Carson fumbled on the game’s first play. Clay Matthews knocked the ball loose, and three plays later Aaron Jones took a pitch around the right side for an 8-yard score. Just like that, the Packers led 7-0 less than two minutes in.

Seattle cut Green Bay’s lead to 7-3 with 6:00 left in the first quarter after Sebastian Janikowski hit a 39-yard field goal, concluding a drive that featured an electric 30-yard run by Penny.

Green Bay answered with a Rodgers 54-yard touchdown pass to tight end Robert Tonyan, extending the Packers’ lead to 14-3 with 3:10 left in the first quarter. Rodgers had all day to throw and heaved deep pass across his body toward the end zone. Bradley McDougald, who trailed Tonyan, couldn’t catch up to deflect the ball in time.

Baldwin’s first touchdown catch of the season trimmed Green Bay’s lead to 14-10 with 8:03 to play in the second quarter. Baldwin capped a 14-play, 77-yard drive hauling in a 6-yard touchdown from Russell Wilson in the back-left corner of the end zone on a corner route.

Seattle took its first lead, 17-14, after Carson plunged up the middle for a 1-yard touchdown run with 3:22 to play in the first half. The quick three-play scoring drive was set up by a 48-yard pass interference call on Tyler Lockett.

Green Bay took the lead right back, however. In five plays, Rodgers moved his offense 75 yards and finished a two-minute drill with a 24-yard touchdown pass to Jones, giving the Packers a 21-17 lead.

Janikowski cut Green Bay’s lead to 21-20 with a 43-yard field goal with 12:14 to play in the fourth. The score came on the end of a 13-play, 72-yard drive after Seattle opened the second half with consecutive three-and-outs.

Green Bay responded with a field goal of its own after Mason Crosby connected from 30 yards out to extend the Packers’ lead to 24-20 with 8:23 to play.

Wilson then marched Seattle on a seven-play, 75-yard scoring drive that ended with a 15-yard touchdown pass to Ed Dickson on a third-and-9. The score put the Seahawks in front 27-24 with 5:08 to go, setting up Seattle with its critical stop of Rodgers and the Green Bay offense.

IMPACT

The win moves Seattle (5-5) back to .500 with six games to play and keeps the Seahawks in the thick of the NFC wild card race. The Seahawks will enjoy a long week before traveling to play the Carolina Panthers. The Packers (4-5-1) next travel to Minnesota for a NFC North rivalry game.

TOP PERFORMERS

Davante Adams, Green Bay — Adams was the only Green Bay non-rookie wide receiver available to Rodgers, and the Packers quarterback frequently looked his favorite target’s way. All told, Adams finished with 10 receptions for 166 yards.

Chris Carson, Seattle — Carson returned from injury to lead Seattle’s backfield with 83 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries. He helped Seattle’s offense churn out 173 rush yards, good for a 4.9 per-carry average.

Seahawks defensive line — Seattle’s pass rush seemed to affect Rodgers in the second half. The Seahawks combined for five sacks. Frank Clark (2), Jacob Martin (1), Rasheem Green (1), Austin Calitro (0.5) and Jarran Reed (0.5) joined the sack party.

Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay — Rodgers was without key weapons, but he still made several impressive throws. He finished with 332 yards and two touchdowns.

Aaron Jones, Green Bay — Jones gave Rodgers a much-needing weapon outside ofAdams. The running back finished with 103 total yards and two touchdowns.

Russell Wilson, Seattle — Wilson threw for 225 yards and two touchdowns and finally delivered a fourth-quarter score to lift the Seahawks to a critical win.