Matt Hasselbeck threw three touchdown passes in the second half to lift the Seattle Seahawks past the Green Bay Packers 34-24 in a NFL game played in cold and snow.
A record crowd of 68,256 endured the tough conditions to watch the Seahawks improve to 7-4, stretching their NFC West division lead to two games, while the Packers slid to 4-7.
Brett Favre, who suffered a right elbow injury last week but made his 252nd consecutive start, connected with Donald Driver on a 48-yard touchdown pass just 2:21 into the third quarter to give Green Bay a 21-12 lead.
PHOTO: AP
But Hasselbeck threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to D.J. Hackett just 6:20 later. Then, just 49 seconds into the fourth quarter, Hasselbeck put the Seahawks ahead with a four-yard touchdown toss to Darrell Jackson.
Hasselbeck, back after missing the past four weeks with a sprained knee ligament, flipped a two-point conversion pass to Jerramy Stevens and Seattle stretched the margin to 27-21.
Green Bay kicker Dave Rayner booted a 34-yard field goal with 10:50 remaining to pull the Packers within three.
But Hasselbeck answered once more, connecting on a three-yard touchdown pass to Stevens over the middle for a touchdown that gave Seattle a 34-24 lead with 6:13 remaining.
Favre, the NFL's number two all-time passer, threw two of his three interceptions in the final minutes in failed bids to rally the Packers.
Favre won a record three NFL Most Valuable Player awards and a Super Bowl title when Mike Holmgren, now Seattle's head coach, guided Green Bay before departing after the 1998 season for an eight-year, US$32 million deal with the Seahawks.
Holmgren took the Seahawks to the Super Bowl last season, where Seattle lost to Pittsburgh with Hasselbeck, a former backup to Favre, leading the team. Favre fell to 3-2 in games against his former coach.
Seattle's Shaun Alexander, last season's NFL rushing champion, carried 40 times, a club record and the most by any NFL rusher this year, for 201 yards. Alexander returned last week after missing six games with a broken bone in his foot.
Ahman Green scored on a five-yard run to give the Packers a 7-0 lead just 2:18 into the game after Hasselbeck threw an interception.
The Seahawks answered with Josh Brown field goals of 45, 41 and 37 yards to give the hosts a 9-7 lead just 3:34 before half-time.
But the Packers jumped back ahead on Addul Hodge's 29-yard interception and return for a touchdown, giving the Packers a 14-9 lead with 1:51 remaining in the second quarter.
Brown's fourth field goal of the first half, a 28-yarder with 23 seconds remaining in the second quarter, pulled the Seahawks within 14-12 at the break.
Shohei Ohtani and his wife arrived in South Korea with his Los Angeles Dodgers teammates yesterday ahead of their season-opening games with the San Diego Padres next week. Ohtani, wearing a black training suit and a cap backwards, was the first Dodgers player who showed up at the arrival gate of Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul. His wife, Mamiko Tanaka, walked several steps behind him. As a crowd of fans, many wearing Dodgers jerseys, shouted his name and cheered slogans, Ohtani briefly waved his hand, but did not say anything before he entered a limousine bus with his wife. Fans held placards
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