Matt Hasselbeck led a Seattle Seahawks revival in freezing conditions as he threw three touchdown passes to get his side over the Green Bay Packers on Monday night.
A resilient record home crowd of 68,256 endured the snow to watch the Seahawks improve to 7-4, stretching their NFC West division lead to two games, while the Packers slid to 4-7.
Veteran Packers quarter back 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.
But Hasselbeck responded with a 23-yard touchdown pass to D.J. Hackett and put the Seahawks ahead just 49 seconds into the fourth quarter with a four-yard touchdown toss to Darrell Jackson.
Returning from a four week lay off with knee ligament damage Hasselbeck flipped a two-point conversion pass to Jerramy Stevens and Seattle stretched the margin to 27-21.
But Green Bay weren't finished as kicker Dave Rayner booted a 34-yard field goal with 10:50 remaining to pull the Packers within three.
Hasselbeck though was up to the challenge and a 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 his record three NFL Most Valuable Player awards and a Super Bowl title when Seattle coach Mike Holmgren guided Green Bay before departing after the 1998 season for an eight-year, $32 million deal with the Seahawks.
Holmgren took the Seahawks to the Super Bowl last season, Seattle losing to Pittsburgh last February 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, was also in the thick of the action as he carried 40 times, a club record and the most by any NFL rusher this year, for 201 yards.
Kicker punted
Meanwhile in Dallas, Mike Vanderjagt, the most accurate kicker in National Football League history, was released by the Dallas Cowboys here Monday after coach Bill Parcells said he was concerned about the 36 year old.
The kicker made 13-of-18 field goals this season but missed two against Indianapolis in a 21-14 victory on November 19 that knocked the Colts from the ranks of the unbeaten.