The Packers did not earn many style points Sunday at Seattle's Qwest Field.

Of course, they aren't really in a position to worry about aesthetics. All that matters in Green Bay is that a 27-17 victory over the depleted, defeated Seahawks left Green Bay in a tie for first place with Chicago, which lost a heartbreaker in Atlanta, and Minnesota, which won a coyote ugly game against woeful Detroit.

Here are some observations from the game:

Mr. Rodgers' Neighborhood: Does Aaron Rodgers look like a guy who has started six games in the NFL?

Didn't think so.

The guy has 11 touchdown passes, four interceptions, three rushing touchdowns and he's played the past two weeks with a sore shoulder. His primary flaw -- and it cost the Packers Sunday -- is that he sometimes holds the ball too long in the pocket. He had DeShawn Wynn open in the flat, but fidgeted around the pocket long enough for Julian Peterson to sack him and pop the all loose. Rocky Bernard recovered and the Seahawks turned the gift into a touchdown and a 10-3 lead.

That flaw aside, you had to be impressed by Rodger's overall performance (21 for 30, 208 yards, two touchdowns, zero interceptions, 111.5 passer rating), his long touchdown pass to Greg Jennings and his ability to absorb hits.

On second thought... Why is Rodgers plunging into the line on short-yardage plays? Doesn't the guy have a bad shoulder? How dumb do the coaches look if he gets hurt on one of those plays?

Stepping in, stepping up: Packers cornerback Tramon Williams is capitalizing on his opportunity. With Al Harris out with a spleen injury, Williams jumped from nickel back to starter and has been outstanding. He snatched his third interception Sunday.

Williams would have been tied for the team lead, but veteran Charles Woodson grabbed his fourth of the season on the previous series.

The Packers have 11 interceptions in six games. They had 19 last season.

Redemption song: Packers punter Derrick Frost, who struggled the previous week, planted two kicks inside the 20. He needed a good game; he was facing the man he replaced, Jon Ryan, whose biceps are to punters what Ed Hochuli's are to officials.

Getting a leg up: Given the problems some teams are having with placekickers, the Packers should feel pretty good about Mason Crosby. The NFL's leading scorer a year ago, Crosby drilled a 51-yarder with room to spare.

Fantasy fizzle: You could hear fantasy football general managers across the country groan when John Kuhn caught a touchdown pass from Rodgers. John Kuhn?

Take it back: Speaking of fantasy owners ... there had to be some frustration when Seahawks running back Julius Jones barreled through the defense for 51 yards, only to see the play called back because of a holding call by Mike Wahle.

When Brett Favre headed to New York, it seemed as though Donald Driver would take over as the "face" of the Packers. Driver continues to play hard, but it's clear that Greg Jennings is the team's go-to receiver and star. Driver had six catches for 53 yards. He doesn't make as many plays, but he's still tough as nails and capable of making clutch catches in traffic.

Telling time: The Packers won the time of possession battle by nearly 15 minutes. That's a tribute to their defense generating some "three and out" situations, which have been lacking in recent weeks.

The key to the defense was a resurgent pass rush, which made life difficult for third-string quarterback Charlie Frye. Aaron Kampman's motor was running high again and Colin Cole created some pressure. The only guy missing was Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila.

Countdown: Seahawks fans embrace their role as "12th man" and now keep track of opponents' false start penalties on a rotating banner. The Packers jumped offside twice, pushing the total to 75 since the tally began.

Bottom line: The Packers needed a victory badly. The fact that the Seahawks stink won't inspire a lot of confidence.  Green Bay still needs to establish a running game in order to be considered an upper-echelon team.