The countdown to #1 is on as we enter the top three on our countdown of the Top Plays of the Green Bay Packers’ 2024 season, as voted on by APC staff. Today, we take a look at Romeo Doubs’ sensational touchdown catch against the Seahawks.
The Game
The Packers entered this one at 9-4, all but knocked out of the NFC North title race but hanging onto a wild card spot. Ten days earlier, they had suffered a second defeat in four weeks to the NFC-leading Lions, crushing their hopes at a bye and derailing a three-game winning streak. If there were ever a game to right the ship and prove they had more in the chamber, it was a Sunday night bout at Lumen Field vs. the 8-5 Seattle Seahawks.
While Jordan Love was finding his stride, posting a league-leading 10.3 YPA and a 3rd-ranked 118.9 passer rating the previous month, the Packers’ pass defense was lighting itself on fire. A week prior, in the Packers’ loss to the Detroit Lions, Jared Goff completed his final 13 passes and owned the fourth quarter on the way to the W. A week before THAT, the Packers held a 27-3 lead on the Miami Dolphins before things got strange and Tua Tagovailoa carved up the middle of the field to the tune of 365 yards and 2 touchdowns.
For their part, the Seahawks came out of their bye week hot, dispatching three mediocre teams (San Francisco 49ers, New York Jets, and the Arizona Cardinals twice) and salvaging a disappointing 4-5 start to the year.
After the month’s previous performances, the Green Bay defense had its work cut out for them against the burgeoning connection between Geno Smith and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. It was time to put up or shut up.
The Situation
The Packers started hot in prime time with two first quarter touchdowns. From there, they never looked back. Geno Smith was unable to get anything going through the air, throwing an early interception and eventually leaving the game with a knee injury in the third quarter. Down 23-13 with 5:50 left in the game, the Seahawks were on their last legs. Backup Sam Howell didn’t have what it takes to perform a miracle, throwing a game-sealing interception to Edgerrin Cooper, who rumbled his way to the Seahawks’ 27 yard line.
Surely the Packers would just attempt to run out the clock and not do anything strange. Right?
The Play
Wrong. Things started out simple enough. Two Josh Jacobs runs up the middle forced Seattle to use two timeouts and brought us to the 5:05 mark. On 3rd and 5, Jordan Love dropped back and had his sights set firmly on a big play. Romeo Doubs delivered. It seemed like a routine pick play to free up Christian Watson on the outside, but Doubs had other plans. He appeared from the stack with Devon Witherspoon just a step behind, and Love, facing a six man pressure, threw one up to the back of the end zone.
Doubs made a miraculous finger tip catch as he fell to the turf and got his right elbow down to secure the touchdown. 30-13 Packers, game over. This was the FIRST touchdown Devon Witherspoon allowed all season as the nearest defender in coverage.
“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,” said Jordan Love. “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.”
The Packers shut the door on any hope of a comeback after a late Josh Jacobs fumble re-opened many Seahawks-induced wounds. Geno Smith’s knee injury was too much for Seattle to overcome, and the Packers walked away with their first victory in Lumen Field since 2008.
With this win, the Packers put themselves in front of the NFC wild card race, ensuring that just one win over their final three games would lock up a playoff spot.