Seahawks Jeremy Lane ejected in first quarter

Seahawks at Packers  (video)

With 9:41 left in the first quarter, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw an interception that was returned for an apparent touchdown by Seahawks defensive lineman Nazir Jones. However, there were two fouls behind the play that were both against Seattle, one which resulted in the ejection of Seahawks cornerback Jeremy Lane. While the interception was being returned, Lane and Packers receiver Davante Adams tangled up and brought each other to the ground. Lane was flagged and disqualified for throwing a punch. Replays did not capture the whole incident, but in the replays shown there did not appear to be a punch. Lane and Packers receiver Randall Cobb also exchanged words earlier in the drive, which resulted in an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Cobb. Adams and Lane could have both merited a penalty, as Adams had a handful of Lane’s facemask, which would have offset at the spot of the interception.

Also behind the play, Seahawks defensive end Cliff Avril was called for an illegal block in the back on Aaron Rodgers. Although there was contact to the back of Rodgers, the contact did not appear to be forcible enough to merit a penalty. Since the foul for throwing the punch would have been enforced from the succeeding spot, the foul for the block in the back has to be accepted in order to negate the score. The penalties negated what would have been the second pick-6 in Rodgers’ career. 

It will be interesting to see if Lane is fined for the infraction or not, which would give an indication if the league office sees a foul. Lane is the third player ejected this year after referee Ed Hochuli tossed two players in preseason.