Jordan Love sparks the Packers, plus another monster performance from the Bills’ Josh Allen

On By Littum

The Green Bay Packers bounced back from a Week 14 loss with a win Sunday night, going on the road to defeat the Seattle Seahawks 30-13.

Jordan Love completed 20 of 27 passes for 229 yards and two touchdowns for the Packers, while Josh Jacobs ran for 94 yards and a score.

Geno Smith completed 15 of 19 passes for 149 yards and an interception for the Seahawks before leaving the game in the second half with a knee injury.

Green Bay dominated the game from its opening drive.

“SNF“ blog: Look back at how the game evolved

After electing to receive after the coin toss, the Packers marched 63 yards in 10 plays on the game’s opening possession, with Jacobs capping the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run. After the Seahawks punted just four plays later, Green Bay went 80 yards in just eight plays to extend its lead to 14-0.

The teams traded field goals on their next two drives. Then a Smith interception in the red zone set up another field goal for the Packers as the first half expired, giving Green Bay a 20-3 halftime lead.

The second half was sloppy with each team committing at least one turnover as well as the Packers turning the ball over on downs. The tenor of the game changed on the third drive of the third quarter when Smith had to leave after taking a hit to the legs on an incomplete pass. He was relieved by Sam Howell, who completed just five of his 14 attempts.

Both sides scored a field goal and a touchdown in the third and fourth quarters, respectively, when the game had already gotten out of hand.

Although the offense put up 30 points, Green Bay’s defense may have been the most impressive unit. The Packers had seven sacks and two interceptions, absolutely stymieing Seattle’s quarterbacks.

Green Bay improved to 10-4. After a 2-2 start, the Packers have won eight of their last 10 games, with their only two losses coming against divisional opponents. Green Bay’s four losses have come at the hands of the Detroit Lions (twice), the Minnesota Vikings and the Philadelphia Eagles — who have a combined record of 35-6.

The Packers next game is against the New Orleans Saints on December 23rd.

The Seahawks fell from first place in the NFC West to the outside of the playoffs. The Los Angeles Rams now lead the division thanks to a head-to-head tiebreaker.

All eyes will now turn to Smith’s availability as Seattle has a tough matchup against the 11-2 Vikings in Week 16.

Around the league

  • In a battle of Super Bowl favorites, the Buffalo Bills dominated the Lions in a 48-42 victory. Buffalo QB and MVP leader Josh Allen continued his recent dominance, passing for 362 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 68 yards and two scores. He is the first player in NFL history with two passing and two rushing touchdowns in consecutive games and the first ever with three such games in a season. Detroit QB Jared Goff threw for 494 yards and five touchdowns.
  • The Eagles defeated their in-state rival Pittsburgh Steelers 27-13 for their 10th straight win. Philadelphia QB Jalen Hurts, who had two separate 11-game hitting streaks in 2021-22 and 2022-23, is just the fifth quarterback since 1950 with three 10-game hitting streaks in his career. The Steelers, despite the loss, still clinched a playoff spot thanks to losses to Indianapolis and Miami in Week 15.
  • The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Cleveland Browns 21-7, but may be without star quarterback Patrick Mahomes for some time. The back-to-back Super Bowl champion suffered a high ankle sprain in the fourth quarter, according to reports, and is week-to-week. Kansas City (13-1), which plays on Christmas Day, has two games over the next 10 days.