The Seattle Seahawks have had slow starts multiple times this season, but they hadn’t been dealt a scenario where the comeback must be made without starting quarterback Geno Smith — until Sunday.

After falling behind 14-0 in the first quarter, the Seahawks narrowed their deficit to 10 points in the fourth quarter of the primetime loss to the Green Bay Packers. But with Sam Howell in at quarterback and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb refusing the run the football, it was too tall a climb for Seattle.

The Seahawks fell to 8-6, snapping their four-game win streak, and fell out of first place in the NFC West (Los Angeles Rams have head to head tiebreaker).

Green Bay’s first four drives all resulted in points. Then the Seahawks buckled down and stopped the Packers on seven of their nine possessions in the second half, opening the door for Seattle to get back in the game.

A forced fumble by Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones IV early in the fourth quarter led to running back Zach Charbonnet’s 24-yard touchdown run to bring Green Bay’s lead to 23-13. Charbonnet didn’t carry the ball the rest of the game, and the Packers eventually scored again with 4:59 left to push the game out of reach.

It was no surprise, with how the offense played, Seattle finished with a season-low 208 total yards, including just 93 in the second half. That was the lowest total by the offense in a game since their 37-3 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 9 of last season.

The offense continues to take two steps forward and one step back. Following their dominant 30-18 win over the Arizona Cardinals in Week 14 that included a season-high 176 team rishing yards, it appeared the offense turned a corner.

Now, the Seahawks are coming off their worst offensive performance of the season after posting their best. Having Smith back at quarterback will be critical to the unit’s success in Week 16 against a red-hot Minnesota Vikings team (11-2).

Head coach Mike Macdonald’s second-half adjustments on defense have been fruitful this season. The offense hasn’t followed a similar script, and a quarterback change will only amplify the unit’s issues.

It was a disappointing finish to Seattle’s second primetime game of the season, and was supposed to be a test to gauge whether the Seahawks belong in the postseason conversation. Even if they return to their previous effectiveness during the four-game win streak, a loss versus the Vikings would plummet their playoff chances.

Check out the video above to see closing thoughts on Seattle’s Week 15 loss to the Packers from Seahawks on SI’s Corbin K. Smith and Connor Benintendi.

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Seattle has long been an imposing place for opposing teams to play, but the Packers were able to make themselves at home on Sunday night.

While the crowd at Lumen Field may have featured more Seahawks fans than Packers fans overall, the Packers fans that did turn out made sure that their presence was felt. It did not feel like a hostile environment for the road team during their 30-13 win and head coach Matt LaFleur made sure to take a moment to highlight the Packers partisans when he spoke to reporters after the game.

“Big shout-out to our fans,” LaFleur said, via the team’s website. “I definitely was not expecting that many Packer fans in the stands. 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. It definitely made a difference for us.”

The Packers gave their fans plenty to cheer about over the course of the evening and they should get a warm welcome back to Lambeau Field as they work to nail down a playoff spot in Week 16 against the Saints.

It’s hard to believe the Green Bay Packers are the third-best team in their own division.

The Packers are 10-4 and each of their losses have come against an elite team. And on Sunday night they looked like one of the best teams in football, even if their ceiling is probably the No. 6 seed in the NFC playoffs.

The Packers throttled a Seattle Seahawks team that had taken over first place in the NFC West after a hot streak, winning 30-13 on Sunday night. The Seahawks lost Geno Smith to a knee injury in the second half, but they were getting blown out before that injury occurred. Seattle wasn’t in the same league as Green Bay on either side of the ball.

The Packers have the bad luck of being in the NFC North with the 12-2 Detroit Lions and the 11-2 Minnesota Vikings, who play on Monday night. They’d run away with a few other divisions. Based on what we saw Sunday night, the NFC West is likely one of them.

Packers have a great 1st half

Seattle is not an easy place to play. Especially with the Seahawks coming in with a four-game winning streak since their bye.

The Packers were unfazed. They weren’t perfect in the first half, but they scored on all four first-half possessions. Josh Jacobs scored on a 1-yard touchdown run on Green Bay’s first drive, then Romeo Doubs caught a 13-yard touchdown to push the lead to 14-0. The Packers got two more field goals before the end of the half. They led 20-0 at halftime.

The defense was just as good. The Packers put a lot of pressure on Smith. Corey Valentine almost picked off Smith deep in Packers territory, then on the next play Smith threw one up wildly to the end zone and Valentine picked him off. That came with the Seahawks trailing 17-3 and killed any momentum they might have been gaining.

Seattle had played well to rally and take over first place of the NFC West. Then, at home in prime time, the Seahawks looked like they belonged on a much lower tier than the Packers.

Geno Smith injured for Seahawks

The Seahawks had to turn to Sam Howell at quarterback in the second half. Smith injured his knee when he landed on a hit. He slammed his helmet in frustration as he came out of the game, then slowly walked back to the locker room to get further evaluation.

Howell is a mistake-prone quarterback but he can make plays. He led a scoring drive that ended with a Zach Charbonnet 24-yard touchdown run, which cut Green Bay’s lead to 23-13. The Seahawks got a three-and-out after that, but after they got the ball back they made the questionable decision to punt on fourth-and-5, which made it very tough for them to get back in the game.

Seattle got a stop on fourth-and-2 later in the fourth quarter but Howell threw an interception right after that, which practically sealed the Packers’ win. Doubs’ second touchdown of the game a few plays later, a fantastic catch in the end zone right before the ball hit the ground, put the final nail in it.

The Packers will be a dangerous team in the playoffs. Jordan Love is getting healthier and playing well. Jacobs has given them a dangerous run game. The defense is capable of playing at a high level. It might be one of the best third-place teams the NFL has ever seen.