A Long Drive with Plenty to Think About and Most of It Bad

1-10-GB 35 (7:17) PENALTY on SEA-94-K.Vickerson, Encroachment, 5 yards, enforced at GB 35 - No Play.

Green Bay had Seattle guessing and hesitant anticipating the snap count. That is not a good sign for a team playing at home. The Packers do seem particularly unpredictable*.

1-5-GB 40 (6:40) 12-A.Rodgers pass short left to 88-J.Finley pushed ob at SEA 48 for 12 yards (54-W.Herring).

Play action right, boot motion left; Jermichael Finley bumps Nick Reed and loses him by pulling towards the left flat. Reed is caught in the backfield chasing a ghost. Aaron Rodgers tosses to Finley. Earl Thomas sprints from the third level but misses on a diving tackle attempt. Finley is eventually pushed out by a recovering Will Herring.

1-10-SEA 48 (6:04) 12-A.Rodgers pass incomplete deep left to 85-G.Jennings. SEA-21-K.Jennings was injured during the play. His return is Questionable. PENALTY on SEA-21-K.Jennings, Illegal Contact, 4 yards, enforced at SEA 48 - No Play. 4 Yrd penalty was result of where balll [sic] spotted

The penalty was not announced. Kelly Jennings smacked into Greg Jennings and committed an illegal contact penalty prior to ET's leaping, injury inducing attempt at the ball. If Thomas had intercepted the pass, it would have been undone by the penalty.

That makes the endeavor a bit less exciting. Not a ton, as it still broke up the pass and, if nothing else, flashed Thomas's range, but nevertheless. Thomas could not legally intercept the pass and he injured a teammate trying. It removes some of the payoff from an otherwise very cool play.

To the particulars:

Greg Jennings ran a muted post-corner and initiated contact on the post portion of the route.

Seattle blitzed five. That is a bit alarming. It's one thing when Seattle can not generate a lick of pressure with its front four, but if it's equally inept blitzing five, then the Seahawks are running out of options for creating pass rush. The blitz failed because the front four failed but mostly because Aaron Curry did something clueless even for Aaron Curry.

He edge rushed off right tackle and exploded free into the backfield and with a good angle to the quarterback. Green Bay ran play action, but by the time the running back was, you know, running without the football, the jig should be up. It should be clear the back is not in fact running. That detail escaped Curry. He started in position to close and pressure Rodgers and instead ran to the running back and initiated a wholly unnecessary faceoff. It was a WTF moment of epic proportions.

Blitz neutralized, Rodgers sets and fires and sends a well placed pass to Greg Jennings up the right sideline. He is wide open. He is single-covered by Kelly Jennings. At the critical moment, ball in the air, ball on the downside of its parabola, receiver watching and waiting to pull it down, Kelly begins to lose his feet and stumble into Greg. Kelly Jennings' "cover" is now reliant on how well his buffoonery can distract Greg Jennings. In past attempts, Jennings' pratfalls and antics have proved insufficient. Perhaps Jennings should don a red rubber nose and a Krusty wig. Couldn't hurt.

Thomas closes from out of nowhere and leaps over Kelly and interrupts if not intercepts the pass. Penalty or no, injury or no, Thomas's effort probably saved Seattle 40 yards.

1-10-SEA 44 (5:57) 25-R.Grant right end to SEA 44 for no gain (23-M.Trufant).

Red Bryant sets a very long edge by powering Mark Tauscher into the backfield. Marcus Trufant finishes the play with a sure open field tackle.

2-10-SEA 44 (5:13) 25-R.Grant up the middle to SEA 39 for 5 yards (36-L.Milloy).

Bryant is playing tackle. The line: Clemons, Bryant, Craig Terrill and Curry. Curry runs himself into the backfield and never recovers. Terrill is doubled then singled far, far away. Clemons is too far from the action. Bryant is busted back but able to wrestle his blocker towards the hole. That corrals Grant. Lawyer Milloy flies down to fill and hits Grant in the hole to end the play.

3-5-SEA 39 (4:33) (Shotgun) 12-A.Rodgers pass short middle to 88-J.Finley to SEA 27 for 12 yards (23-M.Trufant).

Another third down converted in routine fashion. Green Bay aligns three wide receivers on the left and Finley alone on the right. He threads through the zones of Clemons and Herring and in front of Trufant and catches Rodgers' pass on his back shoulder for the first.

I wouldn't say it was particularly easy because every play by the Packers offense looked easy. But it was easy. Very easy.

*Here's why: Green Bay does not snap on motion. The offense uses motion but does not snap once the player is set. Green Bay does not snap early. Rodgers will sometimes milk the clock and hard count a few times to induce players to betray a blitz or even commit encroachment. And Rodgers is pretty good at the hard count.