Three Overreactions From Packers’ Victory Over Seahawks

The Green Bay Packers crushed the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night, a convincing victory over what had been one of the hottest teams in the NFL. Here are three big takeaways from the 10th win of the season.

Green Bay Packers linebacker Edgerrin Cooper (56) runs back an interception against the Seattle Seahawks. / Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

GREEN BAY, Wis. – For those waiting for a big-time win, the Green Bay Packers delivered on Sunday night.

Even while the offense took a nap for most of the second half, the Packers overwhelmed the Seattle Seahawks 30-13.

Here are this week’s Overreactions

1. Packers Are Super Bowl Contenders

Let’s not overreact too much to the big-picture meaning of this game.

The Seahawks are not at the same level as the NFC’s juggernauts, the Detroit Lions, Philadelphia Eagles and Minnesota Vikings – who the Packers will play with a one-day rest disadvantage in Minneapolis in two weeks.

Nonetheless, this was a real win that answered a bit of a nagging question about the team’s legitimacy.

The Packers have three wins over opponents with winning records, but this is the first without an asterisk.

The first was against the Los Angeles Rams, who played without star receivers Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua as well as tight end Tyler Higbee. The second was against the Houston Texans, who played without receiver Nico Collins, who is second in yards per game, and four starting defenders.

The Seahawks, on the other hand, were mostly healthy. They had won four consecutive games because their pass defense had emerged as one of the best in the NFL and Geno Smith had gotten on a roll. Smith and his high-profile receivers against Green Bay’s depleted secondary looked like a mismatch.

But the Packers dominated from the first play. They didn’t need a late stop, like against the Rams. Or a walk-off field goal, like against the Texans.

This was a wire-to-wire blowout of a good team in a challenging venue. It was 23-6 when Smith suffered a knee injury in the third quarter.

No, the Packers didn’t beat the Lions last week. And there are no moral victories. But going toe-to-toe with the Lions showed the Packers could compete with anyone.

With the way they played on Sunday night, they showed they can beat anyone.

With the injuries continuing to pile up in Detroit, the door is open for the Packers. It won’t be easy, especially with the Eagles’ dominance, but the locker room should be energized by the opportunity that’s at hand.

2. Edgerrin Cooper Is a Star

After linebacker De’Vondre Campbell’s surprise All-Pro season in 2021, the Packers re-signed him to a five-year, $50 million contract in free agency.

About a month-and-a-half later, the Packers used their first-round pick on linebacker Quay Walker.

The Packers hoped they had two stud linebackers. As it turns out, they didn’t have any.

Now, they do with rookie Edgerrin Cooper.

Don’t take my word for it.

“He's special, man,” defensive end Kingsley Enagbare said. “I feel like he's a future Hall of Famer. From the stat line, you can see he can do everything – make tackles, make interceptions, get the sacks. There's literally nothing he's physically not able to do. The sky's the limit for him. He's going to be a hell of a player one day –  or continue to be a hell of a player.”

The Packers used a second-round pick on Cooper. After an All-American final season at Texas A&M, he was the first linebacker selected this year.

Because he didn’t play much early in the season and because he just missed the last three games with an injured hamstring, Cooper has played only 35.9 percent of the defensive snaps.

Still, he is sixth on the team with 52 tackles, fourth with 3.5 sacks, second with seven tackles for losses, fourth with four passes defensed and tied for second with three turnover plays (one interception, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery).

“He’s just a hell of a player,” coach Matt LaFleur said. “It’s been fun to watch and witness his growth.”

Back in the lineup at Seattle, he had a third-down sack to start the game and a fourth-quarter interception to essentially end the game.

With big-time speed, a motor that runs hot and impressive physicality, Cooper is the only rookie with at least 30 tackles, one sack and one interception. He is third in the rookie class with seven tackles for losses.

He is the first rookie this season with a sack and an interception in the same game. Moreover, he is the first rookie off-the-ball linebacker with at least one sack, one interception and two tackles for losses in a game since Kyle Emanuel for the San Diego Chargers in 2015. He is the first Packers defender at any position to do it in at least three decades.

“It was a great feeling,” he said of the sack. “First play back in, be able to go out there and make a play like that. Our defense, the capability we have is to the roof. I’m really looking forward to seeing what we got going next.”

3. Less Should Be More With Josh Jacobs

It was definitely a tale of two halves for Josh Jacobs.

Again.

In the first half against Seattle, Jacobs had 14 carries for 73 yards, a robust 5.21-yard average. With two catches to start the game and six consecutive runs, he got the ball on the first eight plays before punching it in from the 1 on the ninth touch of a 10-play series.

“I always want to set the tone,” Jacobs said. “It felt good but I’m not going to lie: I was tired. At the end of it, I looked up. I’m like bro, how long have we had the ball? I’m one of them players where it don’t matter if I’m dead tired. I felt like if it’s an important play or anything, I’m going to stay on the field. So, I just grinded it out.”

In the second half, however, Jacobs had 12 carries for 21 yards, a paltry 1.75-yard average.

This isn’t just a one-game thing.

Over the last four games, Jacobs has averaged 4.64 yards per carry in the first half but just 1.75 in the second half. In the first half during that span, he is first in carries and rushing yards. In the second half, he is tied for sixth in carries but is 44th in yards.

It’s not Jacobs’ fault. Against the Seahawks, 80 of his 94 rushing yards came after contact, according to Pro Football Focus.

Either the blocking hasn’t been good enough or the Packers have gotten too predictable.

“They were bringing more people in the box. They were flowing downhill a little bit more,” Jacobs said.

Whatever the reason, it’s time to unleash Jordan Love. Let Jacobs deliver a bunch of body blows, then send in Love for the knockout. Plus, a lighter load in December should pay dividends in January.

Love is in a big-time groove reminiscent of last year’s dominant stretch run. During the second halves of the last four games, he is fourth with a 121.4 passer rating and third with 10.3 yards per attempt.

It’s time to turn him loose.

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Judging by the snap counts, the #Packers do have a No. 1 receiver.

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— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) December 16, 2024

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