Instant Reaction: 710 ESPN Seattle voices on Seahawks’ loss to Packers

We have collected the thoughts of 710 ESPN Seattle’s hosts for their instant reactions to the Seahawks’ 17-9 loss to the Green Bay Packers in Sunday’s season opener. Here’s what they had to say.

Brock Huard of Brock and Salk

Plenty of positives to dig into in reaction to this game, starting with a rookie corner that was outstanding (Shaquill Griffin) and a defensive line that will be a formidable presence all season. But ultimately the inability to function at the line of scrimmage, an overthrown missed touchdown and an enormous drop by Jimmy Graham in the second half zapped any opportunity to win on the road in Green Bay. Oh, and two failures by the zebras knocked Jeremy Lane out of the game and 10 points off the scoreboard. Disappointing loss, by no means disheartening (other than the offensive line) and plenty to correct and build on.

Bob Stelton of Bob, Groz and Tom

Some things that stood out to me in the Seahawks 1st game of the season: First the good, Earl Thomas was all over the place and made some great tackles and big hits. He looked as though he never suffered the leg injury at all. Same ol’ Earl! Tyler Lockett looked very good on his returns and showed no lack of burst and no hesitation at all after recovering from a very severe leg injury. The Seahawks defense came up with four sacks of Aaron Rodgers in the first half although they couldn’t get to him at all in the second half. Unfortunately we saw a lot of punter Jon Ryan, but fortunately he was great! He set up a long field for the Packers multiple times. Kicker Blair Walsh was a perfect 3 for 3 on the day. Great to see a guy that many worried about (for good reason) get off to a solid start. The bad is that the Seahawks “new” offensive line looked a lot like the old offensive line. Russell Wilson was under constant pressure, and Luke Joeckel whiffed on a block inside their own 10 yard line resulting in a forced fumble by Green Bay. No holes were being opened up to establish any kind of running attack at all. The offense provided little to nothing for the majority of the game. They only had one drive all afternoon that lasted longer than 2:24, which definitely added to the time of possession disparity, although the defense played a big part in that. They allowed the Packers to eat up over 10 minutes combined on their first two drives of the game – before we could say fatigue was an issue. And the officials in this game were atrocious! Jeremy Lane was ejected from the game for a punch he didn’t throw. Terrible call after a Rodgers interception that took a TD off of the board for Seattle. Sprinkle in a few other phantom penalties that were called on Seattle that made a bad day even worse.

Gee Scott

The defense contained Aaron Rodgers as long as they could before a fumble inside the Seahawks’ 10 yard line opened the game up for Green Bay. Green Bay seemed to catch a rhythm later in the third quarter. Time of possession is a big part of the story considering Green Bay won that. The Seahawks’ offense at this time has some question marks and will need to be answered soon. Will Eddie Lacy be a factor this season? Will there ever come a time that we feel good about how Jimmy Graham is being used? It’s one game. I believe the Seahawks get 15 more. They will be fine.

Mike Salk of Brock and Salk

I watched some of nearly every game this weekend and I don’t think I saw a single position group struggle as badly as the Seahawks’ offensive line. There will be plenty of hand-wringing in Seattle over an offensive line that somehow looked worse than last year’s porous edition. There will be some complaining about a brutal non-call in the end zone and a questionable expulsion of Jeremy Lane. But the Seahawks’ defense held Aaron Rodgers and his offense to just 17 points, seven of which came after a fumble just five yards away from the end zone. I saw a defensive line that harassed the quarterback, dominated the running game, and allowed its secondary chances to keep the Packers in check. The Seahawks can (and should) do even better against lesser competition. But 17 points should be enough to win, and in this case it wasn’t really that close. Tom Cable better get to work forging a statue out of what looks right now like a block of dull stone on the O-line.

Jim Moore of Danny, Dave and Moore

Before you get too down on the Seahawks, remember that oddsmakers thought they were going to lose this game before it even started, making Green Bay a three-point favorite. And for as bad as the offense was, the defense played well against one of the best quarterbacks and most powerful offenses in the NFL.

The Seahawks’ defense basically allowed 10 points to the Packers. Green Bay scored one of its touchdowns after Russell Wilson fumbled it away at the Seahawks’ 6-yard line. And it’s fair to wonder if Green Bay would have even scored its second touchdown were it not for a free play when Terence Garvin did not get off the field in time, causing the Seahawks to be penalized for 12 men on the field. Rodgers, as you saw, took advantage of that by throwing a strike to wide receiver Jordy Nelson across the middle for six

The defense did get worn down in the second half, but all in all on that side of the ball there was nothing to truly complain about with the D-line pressuring Rodgers all game long and limiting the Packers to short gainers on the ground.

I wonder if the game had played out differently if the officials hadn’t screwed up on what should have been a pick six by Nazair Jones in the first quarter. Cliff Avril was called for a block-in-the-back on Rodgers on Jones’ return, and it was the definition of ticky-tack. And Jeremy Lane was somehow called for a personal foul and ejected for roughing up Davante Adams. I don’t know what he did to warrant an ejection or a personal foul for that matter.

Wilson’s fumble was the biggest play in the game, and it was the biggest head-scratcher too. He somehow lost control of the ball on his own. Maybe he was trying to switch hands while being rushed, but no one touched it, yet the ball squirted free, the Packers pounced on it and after then it was pretty much Green Bay the rest of the way.

If I were a Seahawks fan, my biggest concern would be the O-line going into the San Francisco game, and I would wonder if Pete Carroll should go to a hurry-up offense all game long since the Seahawks seemed to be more effective moving the ball without huddling at the end of the first half and end of the game.

It helps to know two things: the Seahawks were defeated by one of the best teams in the NFL, and the Packers were playing at home. Plus next Sunday the Seahawks face a 49ers team that was flattened by Carolina and look to be the perfect opponent for the home opener with a great chance to bounce back.

More reaction from Danny O’Neil here