3 Up, 3 Down: Winners, Losers From Seahawks Divisional Round Loss vs. Packers

Which Seahawks shined and which ones struggled in a season-ending playoff loss to the Packers at Lambeau Field?

Following a 28-23 road loss to the Packers, the Seahawks have officially been eliminated from the playoffs as their 20-plus year drought at Lambeau Field extends to nine straight defeats. 

After being outscored 21-3 in the first half, Seattle faced with an uphill battle during the second half in hopes of continuing their season. Unfortunately for the 12s, their team wasn't able to complete the comeback against Aaron Rodgers and Green Bay.

Throughout the Seahawks defeat, their defense failed to generate stops on third down, allowing the Packers to convert on nine of their 14 opportunities, with two of those first-down conversions coming on their final drive of the game allowing them to bleed out the rest of the clock.

While the Seahawks would have certainly preferred to end their season with a victory in Miami, they were at least able to reach the second round of the playoffs, a successful campaign given the injuries the team had endured in the second half.

Let's dive into our three big winners and three losers from the Divisional Round matchup.

Three Up

Russell Wilson

After a stagnant first-half performance where their offense scored just three points, Wilson attempted to lead Seattle to another late-game comeback as he did multiple times during the regular season. Despite losing to the Packers, the eighth-year quarterback provided his team with an excellent performance after halftime, throwing a seven-yard touchdown to Tyler Lockett and leading three straight touchdown drives to open the second half.

In a losing effort, Wilson completed 21 of his 31 pass attempts for 277 yards along with his seven carries for a team-leading 64 rushing yards. For the second straight game, the Wisconsin product led Seattle in rushing yards as he attempted to spark the offense and used his legs to extend plays as a passer. However, the Seahawks' first-half 18-point deficit was just too much for even Wilson to overcome and a late sack thwarted their final possession.

Tyler Lockett

While Green Bay did a good job locking up Seattle's other receivers for the most part, Lockett served as one of the only bright spots on offense. The fifth-year receiver caught nine of his 10 targets for 136 yards along with his seven-yard touchdown catch coming late in the third quarter. With the Seahawks trailing 28-10, Lockett capped off an impressive 12-play drive with his ninth touchdown of the season after Wilson rolled out to his right.

Despite recording just three receptions in the first half, Lockett produced 73 yards from those catches and ultimately set up the Seahawks for both of their field goal attempts in the first two quarters. The former Kansas State standout also converted on a critical fourth down play coming out of halftime and nearly surged into the end zone for his second touchdown.

Bobby Wagner

Without Wagner’s outstanding performance against the Packers,the Seahawks may not have been in a position to win late in the fourth quarter. Along with his five tackles, the eighth-year linebacker produced a key third down pass deflection in the fourth quarter and nearly jumped the route for a pick six, which provided Seattle with another opportunity to further trim Green Bay’s 28-17 lead.

Wagner also filled a wide-open gap at the goal line and prevented Aaron Jones from initially rushing into the end zone during the second quarter. If not for a neutral zone infraction penalty on third and goal by Jadeveon Clowney, the Seahawks may have been able to hold Green Bay to just a field goal on that drive.

Three Down

Jacob Hollister

While the third-year tight end caught five of his six targets for 47 yards, Hollister struggled to perform during key moments of the game. Starting early in the first quarter, Hollister fumbled the football after completing an 11-yard catch and would have given possession over to Green Bay if not for an inconclusive replay review. 

Later in the first quarter, Hollister ended Seattle's drive in the second quarter with an inexcusable drop on third down, forcing the offense to settle for a 45-yard field goal from Jason Myers. Furthermore, the undersized tight end failed to hold his block on Preston Smith on the Seahawks' final drive of the game, which led to a third down sack on Wilson and the decision to punt on 4th and 11.

Tre Flowers

Unfortunately for the Seahawks, their defense had no answers for two-time Pro Bowler Davante Adams. While Seattle’s entire secondary struggled mightily attempting to cover Adams amid a shaky defensive game plan, Flowers was the one exploited the most, allowing him to score a pair of easy touchdowns on third down.

Rodgers went after CB Ugo Amadi on the play, who had been on the field for 7 plays prior. Rodgers had success when targeting Amadi & Tre Flowers, less so against Shaquill Griffin.

Flowers: 4 tgts, 3 rec, 65 yds, TD
Amadi: 2 tgts, 2 rec, 52 yds, TD
Griffin: 4 tgts, 2 rec, 18 yds

— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) January 13, 2020

During a third and long situation in the first quarter, the second-year corner endured a communication miscue in coverage with Ugo Amadi, leaving Adams wide open in the end zone to give the Packers a 7-0 lead. After cutting Green Bay’s lead to 21-10 early in the third quarter, Flowers lost Adams in man coverage and couldn't make a tackle in open field, leading to a 40-yard touchdown reception that extended the advantage back to 18 points.

Marshawn Lynch

Coming into this divisional round matchup against the Packers, the Seahawks planned to utilize “Beast Mode” significantly more in the running game compared to his previous two games. While Lynch matched his wild card round total of six carries in the first half, the legendary back averaged just 2.6 yards per rush during that span, proving to be no less productive overall than his first two games out of retirement.

Overall, the 13-year veteran rushed 12 times for just 26 yards. Despite producing two more rushing touchdowns in Seattle's rapid comeback attempt, Lynch failed to do much else on the ground against Green Bay's defense behind an injury-riddled offensive line. If this indeed is the final time Lynch sports a Seahawks' jersey, he at least went out on good terms by finding the end zone four times in three games.