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Rodgers, Packers dominate second half to top Seahawks

Oct 13, 2008 - 1:34 AM SEATTLE (Ticker) -- Aaron Rodgers' sore right shoulder seems to be healing just in time.

Rodgers threw two touchdown passes and ran for another as the Green Bay Packers snapped a three-game losing streak with a 27-17 victory over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.

Limited in practice this week with a sprained right shoulder that he suffered in Week Four against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Rodgers responded with one of his best performances of the year - and just in time.

The Packers' losing streak had dropped them from preseason favorite for the NFC North crown to potential also-ran.

"We haven't won a game in a month," Packers head coach Mike McCarthy said. "We knew that it was going to be a big challenge because of the territory you're walking into here. It's important to win this game, no doubt."

Rodgers avoided the mistakes that cost him the last two weeks and orchestrated the team's most efficient offensive effort since Week Two's 48-point performance against the Detroit Lions.

Green Bay got off to a sluggish start but started to turn the momentum late in the second quarter. Rodgers manufactured a 14-play, 66-yard drive that took more than seven minutes off the clock, finishing things off with a 1-yard dive on a quarterback sneak to tie the game at 10-10.

"It felt better than last week," Rodgers said of his shoulder. "It felt like it loosened up as the game wore on, actually."

The Packers (3-3) went ahead for good in the third quarter. Taking advantage of good field position, they needed just three plays to reach the end zone as Rodgers found a streaking Greg Jennings for a 45-yard strike down the middle of the field for a 17-10 lead.

"(Marcus) Trufant was pressed up on me. The safety was deep, (in the) middle. I was able to stick him inside, and he jumped inside," Jennings said. "I was able to get over the top of him, and Aaron threw a perfect ball."

Jennings, who leads the NFL with 653 receiving yards, hauled in five passes for 84 yards. The touchdown was his third of the season.

Rodgers put together another long scoring drive to bridge the third and fourth quarters as the Packers took firm control. This time, they marched 84 yards on 15 plays and ate up 7:52 before Rodgers found backup running back John Kuhn for a 1-yard score to make it 24-10 with just over 11 minutes left.

It was Kuhn's first career touchdown - and just his fourth career catch - in three seasons. Rodgers had a 16-yard scamper and tossed an eight-yard strike to Donald Driver to keep the drive alive.

"We didn't have a lot of explosive gains, over 12-yard runs, but we stuck to the game, we pounded it out and we converted on third downs," Rodgers said. "That keeps drives alive, that keeps the ball in your hand (and) that keeps the clock running."

Rodgers completed 21-of-30 passes for 208 yards for the Packers, who handed the Seahawks (1-4) their second straight loss.

The Seahawks were forced to go with third-string quarterback Charlie Frye, who started in place of Matt Hasselbeck.

Hasselbeck suffered a hyperextended and bruised right knee during the Seahawks' 44-6 loss to the New York Giants last week. With backup Seneca Wallace nursing a calf injury, Frye got the call.

"I pretty much in my head prepared all week, taking all the reps," Frye said. "In my head I told myself that I was going to play. It didn't take me by surprise."

The fourth-year veteran gave Seattle the lead in the second quarter with a 6-yard touchdown pass to rookie tight end John Carlson, but struggled for most of the afternoon against the stout Green Bay defense. He completed 12-of-23 passes for 83 yards and was intercepted twice.

"I did an OK job," Frye said. "I can obviously do better. The more you get to do it, the faster you can do it."