Packers take the breaks, make some of their own in 27-17 win over Seahawks

A broken play and a spirit-breaking play.

Those were pivotal moments Sunday night in Green Bay’s 27-17 victory over Seattle in a rematch of the 2014 NFC title game.

Both plays came in the fourth quarter, and they paved the path to victory for the Packers, who improved to 2-0 with an emotional win before a packed house at Lambeau Field.

The broken play was a go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter, a five-yard pass from Aaron Rodgers to tight end Richard Rodgers.

Aaron Rodgers said center Corey Linsley snapped the ball early, too soon for the quarterback to audible and tell his receivers the routes they should run.

“That was one of those that we’ll laugh about when we watch the film,” the quarterback said.

They’ll laugh because Richard Rodgers was able to shake his defender and make the touchdown catch — and reel in a two-point conversion catch moments later — to give the Packers a 24-17 lead they wouldn’t relinquish.

Less than three minutes later came the spirit breaker. Seattle had a first down on its 42-yard line and, with 6:50 on the clock, appeared to be gathering momentum.

Russell Wilson dropped back and tossed the ball over the middle in the direction of running back Marshawn Lynch. But Green Bay outside linebacker Jayrone Elliott, a third-stringer, reached out with one hand and snatched the football before it reached its target.

“Russell was dropping back kind of casual, and he kind of waited until the last second and just flicked it,” Elliott said. “I was just in position. I was trying to rush the quarterback and fell back into it.”

On the next play, Seattle’s frustration boiled over, not surprising for a team that was on its way to an 0-2 start and had blown fourth-quarter leads in three consecutive games, dating to the Super Bowl loss to New England. Linebacker K.J. Wright tussled on the ground with several Packers and wound up getting ejected.

It was a tough night for Seattle, which sleepwalked through the first half, scoring only a field goal, then came alive in the second behind quarterback Russell Wilson’s bootlegs and keepers.

Green Bay’s offense was uneven and spotty for much of the game, too, with Aaron Rodgers opening the game with a brilliant, across-the-body touchdown pass to James Jones but failing to throw another until the one to Richard Rodgers midway through the fourth.

A pair of third-quarter touchdown passes by Wilson — five yards to Fred Jackson and 13 yards to Doug Baldwin — gave the visitors a 17-13 lead, but the Packers would gradually chip away at that.

Green Bay’s Mason Crosby kicked field goals of 54, 18, 44 and 21 yards, one in each quarter, to keep the Packers in the game when their offense had stalled.

Although NFL history says teams that start 0-2 have a low likelihood of making the playoffs, and the 2-0 Arizona Cardinals have looked like the NFC West’s dominant team, it’s probably too early for the Seahawks to panic. They have lost road games to St. Louis and Green Bay, and Sunday will face the 0-2 Chicago Bears in Seattle.

“Everybody in this locker room is still very positive,” Wilson said.

Particularly impressive was that Green Bay was able to regroup without two banged-up starters. Running back Eddie Lacy and receiver Davante Adams missed most of the game with injuries.

“There were a lot of moving parts, and our guys just kept playing,” Packers Coach Mike McCarthy said. “That’s what good football teams do.”

sam.farmer@latimes.com