"Merry Christmas, Green Bay!" Love, Matt H.

I like Matt Hasselbeck. I think he's a good guy. And he is very familiar to Packer fans, both from his early days on the Green Bay roster and from his several trips back to Lambeau in a Seahawk uniform.

Lambeau has not been friendly confines for Matt. The most famous interception, of course, was the overtime pick-six in the playoffs several years ago. But he was generous with the ball again today. Really, I felt bad for the guy.

The first INT was the most significant, in my judgment. The Packer offense had done nothing in their opening drive, except show an early inability to run the ball or protect the quarterback. Then, by contrast, the Seahawks took the ball on their opening drive and moved very smartly down the field. Really, it was textbook. They ran effectively against us, and that set up the pass for them. They kept making first downs, and it looked like they were going to grab the early lead -- as well as the momentum in the cold. They faced a third-and-short, which they probably could have converted by running straight ahead. Instead, they ran a rollout passing play, which the GB defense pursued well. And then came the inexplicable pass. That put momentum back on Green Bay's side, and we never gave it back.

The rest of the game was a thing of beauty. I liked Brandon Jackson's breakout performance -- one more thing for future opponents to think about. I liked our kick coverage not giving back momentum after a Packer score. I liked the aggressive, ball-hawking defense. I liked Rodgers' unemotional efficiency. I liked going for it on 4th-and-goal at the 1 (even though a penalty cost us the TD). I like Jermichael Finley -- what a weapon. I liked the early insertion of Matt Flynn. I liked the rewarding final score for the faithful, frozen sellout crowd at Lambeau. And I liked that Mason Crosby didn't screw up any kicks.

And, a thousand miles to the east, I liked the Panthers' remarkable performance in the Meadowlands. More on that next time.