NFC Divisional Playoff: Packers 42, Seahawks 20

Green Bay wins the toss, made by referee Mike Carey, who seems like a good choice for a playoff game. Not as sure about Fox doing the game with Kenny Albert, Moose and Goose. Really? That's the #2 crew? Huh.

You know, I'm sick of "We're taking the ball, and we're going to score," and I'm not remotely a Seahawk fan. That's going to be like Buckner booting the grounder in '86 till Seattle wins one.

Seattle kicks short to avoid apparently-dangerous drunk Koren, and Green Bay will start from their 18. It'll take a while to get going because Josh Scobey has to be carted off. That'll hurt Seattle on special teams.

WOW. How Not To Start A Playoff Game 101. Ryan Grant bobbles the screen pass, Leroy Hill punches it out, Lofa Tatupu returns the loose ball to the 1. TD, Shaun Alexander with 14:40 left in the first quarter.

Huh, coin toss, Seattle took the ball, they scored. Karma?

Tramond Williams slips outside and gets to the 35 on the kick return. Packers go right back to Grant, who gains 8 off left tackle. Packers run the next play out of an unusual set, go to Grant up the middle, he gets to midfield AND FUMBLES AGAIN, and it's Seattle's ball. Fumble forced by Brian Russell. Grant is making Ahman Green look like Marshall Faulk right now.

Seattle from the GB 49. Barnett blatantly blasts Burleson to the ground for a 6-yard DPI. Matt hits Burleson for 7 on a mirror of that play. 2nd-3. Alexander up the middle for 4 and a 1st. Pass outside to Hackett for 6-7. Deon Branch went down on the play like he'd been shot. Seahawks are getting great turnover luck but terrible injury luck so far. He at least walks off. Alexander tries to cut back a stretch handoff but gains nothing. 3rd-3. Ben Obamanu is left WIDE OPEN in the Packer zone and gets down to the Packer 11. Play action TD to Bobby Engram, who makes a nice catch between 3 Packers. Packers want to challenge, but I'm pretty sure Engram was ruled out by contact. Looked like a fine call to me, and Seattle is off to a FINE start, 14-to-0. Best news for Green Bay is there's still 55 minutes left to catch up, assuming Ryan Grant wants to stop handing Seattle the ball.

Williams returns across the 30, as Seattle continues to avoid Koren Robinson like MADD. Play action pass to Jennings for 14. From the 45, Grant gains 3, outside right, and WITHOUT FUMBLING! Snow starting to come down heavily at Lambeau. Favre scrambles right, has no one open, Hill hauls him down for no gain. 3rd-and-7, Seattle blitzes, probably unnecessarily, and Favre finds James Jones on a drag behind the MLB for a 31-yard gain. Seattle SCREWED themselves with the blitz there. Play-action, roll right pass to Donald Lee, who should have gotten credit for a 9-yard catch but only got 5. No matter, from the Sea15, Favre lobs one up for Jennings, who could have gotten an OPI but gets free of Jennings for a TD catch. That's Greg scoring on Kelly. Crosby PAT makes it 14-7. That blitz call by Seattle was really stupid; it put Green Bay right back in the game.

Seattle fans have got to love Fox playing Green Bay's TD song on the way to commercial.

The "frozen tundra" is now covered with a thin coat of snow. Burleson gingerly returns the kickoff to the 31. 1st down, Burleson's covered tightly by Hawk, pass incomplete. 2nd down, Hasselbeck and Engram were not on the same page; Engram pulled up, Matt threw downfield. 3rd-10. Hasselbeck frantically scrambles around trying to call an audible. The Seattle center moved at least twice but Green Bay got called for offside. 3rd-5, Cullen Jenkins stunted left around great surge from the DTs and dropped Hasselbeck for the sack. Pass, pass, sack... NOT the possession Seattle needed there. It's like they're doing everything they can to make sure the Packers still have hope. Hell, Green Bay may tie this thing up before the first quarter ends.

Packers from their 36. Quick hitch to Driver for 3. Peterson blitz forces a quick pass on 2nd, which soaps through Jennings' hands and should have been picked off by Babineaux. Timeout GB on 3rd-and-7. Bubble screen to Bubba Franks is stopped nicely by Hill and Tatupu, but Franks makes a sweet play to extend it across the line. Whether or not the yellow line is official, MOOSE, the spot of the ball is off by a good two feet. They spotted it like Franks never extended his arm. Green Bay does challenge the spot, at Favre's behest. Carey reviews and calls for a re-spot. They replace it almost exactly correctly - on the inside corner of the first "F" in "PLAYOFFS" - and Green Bay gets the 1st down by a nose. Grant for 7 off left tackle and into Seattle territory. Quick slant to Jennings for 5. 1st-10 at the Sea42. Grant pops up the middle behind a solid block from Franks, breaks a tackle upfield and gains 26. From the 16, he pops outside, hurdles Marcus Trufant and rolls down to the 2. 1st-and-goal, Hill SLAMS Grant for no gain. But on 2nd-goal, they switch directions and run left, and Grant goes in standing up. So they fall behind 14-0 and tie it back up before the first quarter even ends.

14-14, and Seattle better think about running the ball some their next possession. Burleson brings the kick out just to the 24. Seattle does start with a run, but Maurice Morris can only get 1 up the middle. Holding on Sims pulls back a Morris 7-yard run. 2nd-19 as the first quarter expires.

Who'd have thunk the Seahawks could take a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, and the quarter would still be a disaster for them?

======= Green Bay 14, Seattle 14 after 1 =======

Seahawks open the 2nd disastrously, a play-action screen to the rarely-used Marcus Pollard, who fumbles after a big hit from Atari Bigby. Packers take over inside the Seattle 20. Favre screens to Grant, who runs down to the 6. Grant is playing like his life is on the line after those two fumbles; good for him. First and goal. Grant off left tackle, out of that weird double-fullback formation, down to the 3. That formation needs a name but I don't have one. Seattle calls a timeout, possibly to try to slow Green Bay's momentum. Packers come out in a 4-WR set, Jennings is slot right, runs a fade to the right corner, and you know it's a TD as soon as Favre lays up the pretty pass.

21-14, Packers. Amazing response by them to the early adversity. Will Seattle now realize there's about 45 minutes left, still plenty of time? Or are they shell-shocked?

The snow is making the yard lines and numbers hard to see. Burleson returns the kick to the 27. They wouldn't mind some good play from Alexander, but he gets stuffed on 1st down. Seattle beats a 4-man rush on 2nd down and Matt hits Engram for 7. Engram gets CLOCKED at the end by Bigby. The snap on 3rd down is poor and Hasselbeck comes up just short of a 1st. 123-kick, NOT what they needed. A stupid Packer (Brandon Jackson) runs into Plackemeier on the punt, though, and while he tries for the Emmy acting hurt, Seattle will get the ball back. That was roughing, btw, and puts Seattle in Green Bay territory. Plackemeier wins the Emmy. Bubble screen to Alexander gains 3 to the GB44. Burleson breaks two tackles after a sideline catch to gain 23. Albert, who's usually lousy at spotting the yard line on a clear day, seems to be nailing his spots now that the field's snow-covered. Bigby breaks up a long pass for Pollard beautifully, but Engram picks up 12 with a quick hitch on 2nd down. 1st and 10 at the 13. Alexander spins at the end of a sweep right to gain 4. Idiot Moose says he's running well today. I think he may have 6 yards on 5 rushes. And he loses a yard the next play. Hackett hears Bigby coming on 3rd down and drops a pass at the first-down line. Bigby's the defensive player of the game so far, but Josh Brown strokes a 29-yarder to pull Seattle within 21-17.

Charo's doing Cadillac commercials?

Williams returns to the 30 as my TiVo wigs out, freezing with an image of Goose mid-screen puckering up. I just threw up in my mouth a little. Grant sweeps left for 7 and gains the first in the meantime. Jennings is open on a quick hook but drops the pass. 2nd-10. Grant over left tackle for 3. Jennings makes a sliding catch at the Seattle 45 for a 1st. Nice play. Again in the double-fullback alignment, GB runs Jackson up the middle 7. Quick hitch to Driver, who breaks a tackle and gains 11. 1st down from the Sea 27. The Rams NEVER have anyone that open on quick hitches. Four more on another quickie to Driver. Favre, in shotgun, pulls the ball down to dodge a Peterson blitz and throws it away into the endzone. Sure looked like Driver was held up. 3rd-6, Seattle rushes 4, Favre has plenty of time and hits Jones on a cross; he runs for 8 and a first. GB has first down at the Seattle 16 at the 2:00 warning.

I now have picture on the TiVo but no sound. Grant gains a couple as the Packers decide to burn a little clock. 2nd down pass is out of Jennings' reach at 1:19. Huge play here for Seattle.

OMG, Vintage Freaking Favre. He somehow spins out of a sack, stumbles to his right and pitches it underhand to Lee for the first down. Grant plunges in for the TD the next play, and as far as I'm concerned, this game is over. Brett just Favred them. 28-17 with 0:26 in the half.

Looks like DirecTV has lost all the St. Louis channels. Good thing the US government's allowing me to get by with rabbit ears for another year or so.

VERY short kick is fielded by Josh Wilson, who tries to reverse field but loses five-plus yards. You just KNOW that would have been returned for a TD against the Rams. Seattle falls on it to end the half. They opened with a 14-0 lead, and it has been nothing but a disaster for them ever since.

======= Green Bay 28 Seattle 17 at the half =======

Seattle's got to try to get the Packer running game under control in the 2nd half. Grant's running all over them and opening up the rest of the Packer offense. 91 yards, 2 TDs. They're in big trouble on offense, because they wouldn't be running well if it were a clear day outside, and their passing game isn't going to run very smoothly in the snow. But they're going to have to try to stretch the field if they can.

The weather has effectively neutralized Burleson, whose return to start the 3rd is only out to the 24. Quick slant pass is behind Engram and hits Woodson in the face mask. 2nd down. Woodson should have gotten the illegal contact, as Matt is complaining. He grabbed Engram's facemask. Another quick pass is only good for 3 thanks to a good open-field tackle. Hasselbeck steps out of trouble on 3rd down and goes deep for Burleson, but Al Harris knocks the jump ball away from him. 123-kick, again, NOT what Seattle needed. Williams gets schmeared at the 34 on the punt return.

Grant off left tackle for 6, to the 40. Off right tackle, Seattle finally shuts down a run, forcing 3rd-and-5. Under pressure from Peterson, Favre forces one down the sideline to Jennings for 23. From the Sea37, Grant gets a HUGE hole on counter left and advances it inside the Seahawk 15. Seattle shuts down a sweep left on 1st-10. Next play is just a little dumpoff to Brandon Jackson, but Hill loses him, misses a tackle, and this one is OVER, 35-17. Seattle's defense can't stop anything the Packers want to do right now.

Remember when the GSOE Rams used to get derided as being a "finesse team"? That's EXACTLY Seattle's problem today. When they're on defense, the Packers are just running it down their throats; their offense can't respond in kind, and they're getting outhit all over the field.

Burleson tries to weave across the field with the kickoff return but only gets out to the 21. Alexander busts up the middle for 6. That's what Seattle needs. Drop by Weaver on a circle route, 3rd-4. Hasselbeck hits Hackett for a first down and then hits Obamanu deep over the middle for 23. TWO holding penalties on Green Bay are turned down on that play. Screen to Burleson for 3, to the GB41. No, holding call on Engram pushes it back. First and 18. Draw to Alexander goes nowhere, but he gains 8 over the middle on a short pass to set up a 3rd-and-10. Seattle goes 5-wide, Green Bay rushes 3, Matt steps up and hits Engram for 19. Alexander gets 3 off right tackle to get inside the 20. The snow is coming down REALLY heavy now. Penalty on Green Bay for 12 men on the field. 1st-5 from the 17, Hasselbeck to Obamanu for 4. 3 up the middle for Weaver to set 1st-and-10 from just outside the 10. Morris gets stuffed for -2 in the middle. Pollard drops a very likely TD pass in the corner after Hasselbeck does a good job getting out of trouble. Short pass to Burleson doesn't gain much, and Seattle settles for a 27-yard FG from Brown. 35-20 Green Bay. 2nd time Seattle has had to settle for a FG thanks to a dropped pass.

Williams breaks a tackle and returns the kick to the 40? Hell if I know, if Albert won't say. The snow has intensified to the point where you can barely see the Seahawks in their mostly white uniforms.

THIS. IS. FOOTBALL.

Packers from their 35. Fox has had to go to sideline cameras because the snow is coming down so hard. Goose hilariously has some kind of dead animal on his head to keep it warm. No, I'm serious, a dead animal. A Jennings catch and a Grant run get us to 3rd-and-4, and Grant is almost gone on 3rd down, steaming around the left corner with no Seahawk there to great him. Only a diving tackle by Babineaux saves a TD on the 41-yard run up the sideline. Jackson breaks a bunch of tackles for 10 and Green Bay is inside the 5 as the third quarter ends.

=======Green Bay 35, Seattle 20 after 3=======

Seahawks stuff Grant off left tackle on 1st down. Favre's pass on 2nd down is incomplete, but Hill gets called for roughing him on a play where he wasn't even knocked to the ground. Sure, the hit was late, because Hill put his head down and didn't look to see if Favre threw it, but come on. Grant's in in a couple of tries to put this one away at 42-20. Seattle's not scoring three TDs in this mess.

I hate snow, but I sure like watching football games played in it. Instead of moving any more regular season games to Europe, let's move a few a year to Alaska.

Seattle's 3-and-out after Williams makes a nice pass deflection 1-on-1 against Engram up the sideline on 3rd-and-2.

I guess it's OK to call that double-fullback formation a "T", though that's not the way a T formation traditionally sets up. Grant cuts back for a 20+yard gain; nearly broke it all the way. They only gain five yards on 3 rushes after that run, and punt.

That was the first drive Green Bay didn't score on since the first quarter. The punt was their first of the day. Seattle crossed midfield on a 20-yarder to Obamanu up the sideline and a questionable 15-yard (s/h/b 5) facemask on Green Bay, but Pollard lets ANOTHER pass go through his hands on 4th-and-10 to turn the ball back over to the Packers.

Green Bay runs twice and punts after an incomplete sideline bomb. Seattle takes over at their 20.

5:26 left. Jenkins and KGB smoke Hasselbeck for a huge loss. KGB stuffs the run on 2nd-22. Now it's 3rd-and-25. Um, Not. Where. Seattle. Wanted. To Be. Quick slant to Engram for 10, and Seattle might as well go for it, even from here, but they're punting. There's no next week, fellas.

This game has been over ever since Seattle blitzed on that 3rd-and-7 in the 1st quarter and James Jones got loose for 31. Green Bay went on to score and cut the Seattle lead to 14-7 and pretty much showed that they were only going to stop themselves today; Seattle wasn't going to do it.

While acknowledging Favre, Greg Jennings, and Atari Bigby's contributions, and the great run blocking of the Packer offensive line, Player of the Game goes to Ryan Grant, who ran for over 200 yards and scored 3 TDs, after fumbling twice to give Seattle their two TDs.

As for the Seahawks, they've got enough to win the pathetically weak NFC West, but they're clearly not built to be a championship team. They've got to improve up the middle on the lines and they've got to get an RB who can power run when they need it. If that team's smart, they'll remake their running game in the offseason, and if the rest of the league is unlucky, somebody like Kevin Smith slips to them in the first round of this year's draft, and we're all looking up at Seattle again next year and beyond.

Final score: Packers 42, Seahawks 20