The contributions of rookie pass rushers Rasheem Green and Jacob Martin, who each collected their first NFL sacks, were even more important, considering that defensive end Dion Jordan was ruled inactive before the game.
Fourth-year Seahawks defensive end Frank Clark finished with two sacks on Thursday.
That is not a surprise.
After all, the 25-year-old defensive end has been both productive and consistent in a contract year, racking up 10 sacks in his team’s first 10 games.
The Seahawks’ pleasant surprises, however, came in the form of rookie pass-rushers Jacob Martin and Rasheem Green, both of whom claimed the first sack of their careers in a 27-24 win over the Packers.
Their contributions were even more important, considering that defensive end Dion Jordan (knee) was ruled inactive before the game.
“It was important for us to get to the quarterback. That was stressed all week,” Martin said. “It being a short week, coming off playing on Sunday to play again on Thursday, it was a huge stress for us to have our rush plan down and be on top of our film and understand how these guys set and understand our plan to rush as a unit.
“That was the only way we were going to get there, and that’s how we have to be all through the rest of the year. We have to be on the same page with everything, make sure we’re communicating.”
That preparation certainly paid off on Thursday, as the Seahawks sacked Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers five times in a narrow win. They also held Rodgers and Co. to a single field goal in the second half.
“To me, it just showed that we played sound defense. We played together,” said Green, who finished with two tackles and a sack in the win. “That was the main thing, just to play together. When we as a unit play together it’s hard to stop us.”
The Packers’ offensive line — which had allowed 27 sacks entering the game, ranked 19th in the NFL — failed to stop the Seahawks’ pass-rushers in the second half.
That included a pair of rookies. Neither will forget the first time they dragged down Aaron Rodgers.
“It’s just a great feeling to say that my first sack was on him,” Green said. “That’s pretty dope.”