It’s awfully hard to pitch a shutout in the National Football League. There have been only four this season. The Buffalo Bills with the league’s top ranked defense have two, the Denver Broncos got one and Sunday, the Green Bay Packers delivered number four with a 17-0 victory over the Seattle Seahawks at Lambeau Field in front of 78,235 fans who had to shovel their driveways before leaving for the game and enjoyed the snow globe stadium at the finish. How rare are scoreless games? It was the first time in Russell Wilson’s 10 year career he wasn’t able to produce a single point.
A marvelous effort by the Pack stole the thunder from the pre-game storyline of two quarterbacks returning to the huddle. Aaron Rodgers spent ten days in quarantine, missing last week’s Kansas City game after testing positive for COVID-19. He was brought back to the active roster 24 hours before kickoff after clearing the last of the necessary medical protocols. Wilson returned after missing three and a half games with a broken middle finger on his throwing hand. Which star quarterback would produce a memorable reunion was the talk of the league heading into the matchup.
Both signal callers were rusty. Rodgers missed several throws and he made a dreadful decision in the third quarter when getting hit, lofted a ball into the end zone for Josiah Deguara only to have Jamal Adams pull down the interception. While Rodgers made one mistake, Wilson made two. On the run to his left, he tried to force a ball to D.K. Metcalf in the third quarter but Kevin King turned on it and cradled the ball just long enough for a takeaway in the end zone. In the 4th quarter, Wilson heaved a long pass down the middle for Tyler Lockett but Adrian Amos was waiting there too and gathered in turnover number two.
Aaron Rodgers via zoom post game.
Rodgers conducted his post-game media session via zoom, to avoid having to don a mask in front of reporters in the media auditorium. That of course was an issue in the vaccination status controversy that raged throughout his time away from the team. Speaking in soft, measured tones, Rodgers admitted he was tired, and it was an emotional return to football, so much so, he said he got misty walking off the field with Preston Smith, one of many teammates who constantly checked on his health and well being while he was away:
Rodgers finished 23 of 37 for 292 yards, without a touchdown and the interception for a passer rating of 75.5.
Wilson’s numbers were even rustier, 20 of 40 for just 161 yards and two picks, with three sacks and a rating of only 39.7.
Points were hard to come by for both teams as Mason Crosby’s misery continued when he pushed a 42 yard try wide right on the game’s opening possession. The scoring chance was set up by a Rodgers to Marquez Valdes-Scantling 41 yard pass. Crosby atoned by hitting a 27 yard boot in the second quarter but those would be the only 3 points until the final period.
That’s when A.J. Dillon stepped to the fore. Aaron Jones suffered a knee injury, reportedly an MCL sprain, after gaining 25 yards on the ground and other 61 on screen passes. The second year pro from Boston College felt badly for Aaron but he also knew he had to become the lead dog:
Dillon’s first statement came on the first touchdown when he literally carried All Pro linebacker Bobby Wagner into the end zone on a smashing three yard scoring run to make it a 10-0 lead with 10:37 to play. Dillon then took a swing pass up the left sideline, breaking two tackles along the way for a 50 yard excursion, the longest offensive play of the contest. He capped the drive with a two yard hammer just inside the 2 minute warning to seal the victory.
But the defense still had to finish the shutout.
With Wilson limited to only a couple, cautious snaps under center to protect his hand, he lined up in shotgun nearly every snap. That gave the front seven a better chance to get upfield to slow down the ground game. The Seahawks managed just 75 yards total. Alex Collins gained 41 but his long run was 10. Wilson picked up 32 on 5 scrambles. Linebackers De’Vondre Campbell and Krys Barnes were able to chase down the ball if the front four didn’t and that resulted in plenty of third and medium to long opportunities for the rush to tee off and the secondary to blanket the receivers. Keeping both safeties deep to prevent big plays, the corners locked down on Metcalf and Lockett, holding them to five catches for 45 yards combined. Seattle punted six times, had two turnovers and ended each half on downs. The defense allowed 208 yards total in posting their first shutout since a 22-0 beatdown of the Buffalo Bills in September of 2018.
Head Coach Matt LaFleur had to piece together an offensive game plan for Rodgers despite not having him take a snap on the practice field, and entrusted the defensive plan to coordinator Joe Barry who got his surging unit to deliver a thorough performance. After having to play four of their last five games on the road, getting done at home made it even sweeter.
So while the Packers won one more, they lost three more players. Aside from Jones, who may miss the next several weeks, two edge rushers also went down. Whitney Mercilus, who recorded his first sack as a Packer, left with a biceps injury. Rashan Gary collected his career best 5th and a half sack, suffered an elbow injury that will be examined again on Monday.
Left tackle David Bakhtiari who was listed as doubtful going in, was among the inactive players, his 2021 debut is still on hold. The other inactive players were Vernon Scott, Equanimeous St. Brown, Dominique Dafney and Kingsley Keke.
The win improves the Packer record to 8-2 and with Carolina knocking off Arizona, moves Green Bay back into the number one seed position in the NFC. They go back on the road this week to face the Minnesota Vikings, 27-20 winners over the Chargers in Los Angeles on Sunday. Minnesota stands second in the North at 4-5 and they know this might be their last hope to close the gap in the division race. But they’ll be playing a Packer team that has put the QB COVID controversy behind them and with a defense that just might be playing the best football in the league of late.
