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Packers fall on Hail Mary, 14-12

SEATTLE—The Seahawks scored on the final play of the game on a 24-yard, Hail Mary pass from Russell Wilson to Golden Tate, to beat the Packers on Monday Night Football, 14-12.

Mike McCarthy had scored a significant coach’s challenge victory and Cedric Benson scored on a 1-yard touchdown run with 8:44 to play in the game, as the Packers completed a second-half rally that lifted them to a 12-7 lead over the Seahawks.

Aaron Rodgers was ruled to have been stopped inches short of a first down on a third-down play near the 1-yard line. Kicker Mason Crosby was on the field for a potential go-ahead field goal when McCarthy challenged the spot of the ball.

The challenge win and Benson’s touchdown run capped an 81-yard, 16-play touchdown drive in which Rodgers was at his best, converting two critical third-and-10 plays with razor-sharp completions to Jermichael Finley and James Jones. A 9-yard pass to Greg Jennings carried to the Seattle 2-yard line.

Green Bay trailed at halftime, 7-0, following a first half in which the Packers were completely ineffective and Rodgers was sacked eight times and Benson gained only four yards on two rushing attempts.

Jerron McMillian’s interception immediately following Benson’s touchdown was nullified by a roughing-the-passer penalty on Erik Walden. That forced the Packers into a final-drive stand to win the game, and the defense delivered, but not before the Seahawks drove to the Packers 7-yard line. On fourth-and-three at the 2-minute warning, Wilson threw incomplete in the end zone.

One more time the defense would have to hold, after Seattle took possession at the Green Bay 46 with :46 left on the clock. The game came down to one play with :08 left on the clock and Golden Tate was ruled to have caught the pass, though it appeared as though M.D. Jennings had intercepted it.

Tate caught a 41-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Russell Wilson with 6:22 remaining in the first half. It was the only pass of significance Wilson completed in the half.

Packers trail at halftime, 7-0

SEATTLE—The Packers trailed the Seahawks, 7-0, at halftime of Monday night’s game at CenturyLink Field.

Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was sacked a stunning eight times by a Seattle defense that had sacked the quarterback only twice through the first two weeks of the season. A big part of the pass-protection problem for the Packers was its inability to present any kind of rushing threat.

Cedric Benson carried the ball only twice for four yards in the first half. The failure to run the ball left the Seahawks to focus on the pass.

Seattle’s young and talented secondary blanketed the Packers’ receivers, leaving Rodgers to throw for only 86 yards. Most of his 12 completions (15 attempts) were of a short-yardage variety.

Other than for the touchdown pass to Tate, the Packers defense played superbly. Wilson completed only five of 10 passes for 69 yards. On the touchdown to Tate, it appeared a play-action fake helped Tate get behind cornerback Tramon Williams and safety Charles Woodson.

Running back Marshawn Lynch, the Seahawks’ main offensive threat, rushed 16 times for 71 yards. Wilson bought time with his scrambling ability and was not sacked.

The Packers were shut out in the first half of only one game last season, a loss to Kansas City.

Pregame photos from Seattle’s CenturyLink Field

CenturyLink Field

WR Donald Driver

Team huddle

K Mason Crosby and P Tim Masthay

FB John Kuhn and QB Aaron Rodgers

Crowd at CenturyLink Field

Players running onto the field

ESPN’s Monday Night Football cameras

Jennings will play; Packers-Seahawks gameday inactives

The following players have been declared as inactive for tonight’s Packers-Seahawks game. Packers WR Greg Jennings, who was listed as questionable on the injury report with a groin injury, will play.

Green Bay Packers
11 WR Jarrett Boykin
28 S Sean Richardson
31 CB Davon House
44 RB James Starks
56 LB Terrell Manning
57 LB Jamari Lattimore
83 TE Tom Crabtree

Seattle Seahawks
27 SS Winston Guy
36 CB Danny Gorrer
41 CB Byron Maxwell
61 G/C Lemuel Jeanpierre
77 G James Carpenter
89 WR Doug Baldwin
94 DT Jaye Howard

Listen to the Seattle Seahawks’ conference calls

Seattle Seahawks Head Coach Pete Carroll and QB Russell Wilson were made available to the media via conference call Thursday afternoon. To listen to Carroll and Wilson talk about Monday night’s game in Seattle, click on the links below.

- Seahawks Head Coach Pete Carroll

- Seahawks QB Russell Wilson

Where to watch Monday’s Packers-Seahawks game

- If you’re looking for a bar to watch the game at, try www.packerseverywhere.com. Packers Everywhere was created to let you know where you can gather with other Packers fans to watch games and have all kinds of other Packers-related fun. We know that the only thing you like more than watching Packers games is watching them with your fellow fans.

- ESPN is in its seventh season as host of the most successful series in sports television history, Monday Night Football. Play-by-play man Mike Tirico is joined by analyst Jon Gruden for the 43rd season of MNF broadcasts, with Lisa Salters reporting from the sidelines.

- The contest also will air as a simulcast locally on WBAY (ABC, Ch. 2) in Green Bay and WISN (ABC, Ch. 12) in Milwaukee.

- ESPN Deportes will also broadcast the game with Spanish commentary and graphics. Alvaro Martin (play-by-play) and Raul Allegre (analyst) will call the action with John Sutcliffe reporting from the sidelines.

- Milwaukee’s WTMJ (620 AM), airing Green Bay games since 1929, heads up the 53-station Packers Radio Network, with Wayne Larrivee (play-by-play) and two-time Packers Pro Bowler Larry McCarren (color) calling the action. The duo enters its 14th season of broadcasts together across the Packers Radio Network, which covers 44 markets in six states.

- Dial Global Sports radio will air the game across the country. Kevin Harlan (play-by-play) and Dan Fouts (analyst) will call the action with Mark Malone reporting from the sidelines.

- The broadcast is also available on Sirius Satellite Radio (Channel 92, WTMJ feed) as part of the network’s NFL Sunday Drive.

- Listen to live radio broadcasts online in premium sound quality with NFL Audio Pass.

- For international fans: Watch NFL games, including the playoffs and Super Bowl, live or on-demand online in HD with NFL Game Pass. Not available in US, Mexico, US Territories. Blacked out in Canada for this game.

The information above is contained within this week’s Dope Sheet. For even more information on Monday night’s game, check out the Dope Sheet.

Seahawks with a bit of a shocker

The Seahawks at No. 15 have taken LB Bruce Irvin from West Virginia, a stunning move with OLB Melvin Ingram from South Carolina still on the board.  That’s Ted Thompson’s former right-hand man, John Schneider, making that pick as GM in Seattle.

Big surprise there.  Analysts will say Schneider could have traded out of the first round and gotten Irvin in the second.  Seahawks must have really, really liked him.  That’s the first real wave-making move in the first round.

Will Ingram get past the Jets at 16?  Seems doubtful, but at this point, who knows.

Update: The Jets have taken North Carolina DE Quinton Coples, leaving Ingram STILL on the board as we hit pick 17.