Love, Packers cruise to victory over Seahawks; Smith injured

SEATTLE (AP) — Romeo Doubs improbably pulled in his second touchdown catch of the night from Jordan Love, sealing a decisive victory for the Packers and moving them closer to the postseason.

Love threw for 229 yards and the two TDs to Doubs, and Green Bay ended the Seattle Seahawks' four-game winning streak with a 30-13 victory Sunday night.

It was the second touchdown, which Doubs caught as he was falling to the turf while tightly covered by Seattle's Devon Witherspoon with 4:59 left, that had opposing fans at Lumen Field loudly chanting “Go Pack Go!”

“The couple drives before that, we just felt like we weren’t getting much out of it, you know, we weren’t executing at that high level and making those plays we were making,” Love said. “To kind of have some of those drives stall out and then to put a drive down the field and finish with that touchdown out there — Romeo making a great catch — definitely helps you be able to breathe a little bit better.”

Josh Jacobs ran for 94 yards and a touchdown for the Packers (10-4), who have won eight of 10. Brandon McManus kicked three field goals.

The Seahawks (8-6) lost quarterback Geno Smith to a knee injury in the third quarter.

Smith was hit low by Packers linebacker Edgerrin Cooper and threw his helmet to the ground after he limped off the field. He was replaced by Sam Howell, who had just one previous snap for Seattle.

Smith completed 15 of 19 passes for 149 yards with an interception, and Howell went 5 of 14 for 24 yards and a pick.

The Packers' two losses over their last 10 have come to NFC North-leading Detroit, including a 34-31 defeat on Dec. 5, meaning the division title is likely out of reach. Green Bay has yet to clinch a playoff spot, but the team is getting close to where it wants to be.

“I like where we’re at,” Love said. “We’ve just got to keep figuring out ways to get better, to keep pushing each other and find ways to get these wins to end the season off. But I like where we’re at.”

The Seahawks fell into a first-place tie with the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC West, and Smith's injury could impact their chances of winning the division. He will undergo scans on Monday, but coach Mike Macdonald said the knee appeared structurally sound.

“We know what type of team we are. We know what the goal is, what we’re trying to accomplish. Playoff ball is just putting the emphasis on what we said early in the year that we wanted to get done,” Seattle linebacker Ernest Jones IV said. “That’s win the division, go into the playoffs, get a home playoff game, one or two, or whatever the case may be.”

Love finished 20 of 27, and Doubs, who missed the last two games in the concussion protocol, had three catches for 40 yards.

Smith was intercepted in the end zone in the first half and the Seahawks trailed 20-3 at the break. Green Bay scored on all four of its first-half possessions.

An unnecessary roughness penalty on Seattle's Riq Woolen put the Packers on the Seattle 28 on their initial possession. Jacobs' 1-yard TD run capped the drive.

The Packers went up 14-0 on Love's 13-yard pass to Doubs, who dragged two defenders with him into the end zone before waving at a television camera.

The Seahawks closed the gap on Jason Myers' 48-yard field goal, but McManus answered with a 38-yarder for the Packers.

The Seahawks drove to the Green Bay 12, but Smith's pass intended for Noah Fant was intercepted by in the end zone by Carrington Valentine, the first career pick for the second-year defensive back.

It was Smith's 13th interception this season and fourth in the end zone.

Woolen was flagged for pass interference on Doubs on Green Bay's final series of the half, but the Packers settled for McManus' 21-yard field goal.

The Seahawks showed life early in the fourth quarter on Zach Charbonnet's 24-yard touchdown run that made it 23-13. Three plays later, Doubs put it away with his pretty 22-yard throw to Doubs, who got his elbow down in the back of the end zone.

Traveling Pack

Green Bay, making its first trip to Lumen Field since 2018, had not won at Seattle since 2008. Coach Matt LaFleur and Love said they were surprised by the number of Packers fans — and how loud they were.

“This is a tough place to play, it’s extremely loud, and I was shocked when our defense was on the field and I could hear our Packer fans. I definitely think that made a difference for us,” LaFleur said.

Injuries

Packers: LB Quay Walker (ankle) left in the first half and did not return. All-Pro CB Jaire Alexander (knee) was inactive for a fourth straight game.

Seahawks: RB Kenneth Walker III did not play. C Olu Oluwatimi injured his right knee in the first half.

Up next

Packers: Host New Orleans on Monday, Dec. 23.

Seahawks: Host Minnesota next Sunday. The Vikings, who host Chicago Monday night, clinched a playoff spot with Seattle's loss.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL