COACH HAS HAPPY HOLM-COMING : SEATTLE 27, GREEN BAY 7.

Byline: Thomas George The New York Times

There is a street near Lambeau Field called Mike Holmgren Way. It was named after Holmgren for his seven years of service as the Green Bay head coach in which he won a Super Bowl and helped restore the Packers' legend and luster.

Well, on Monday night Mike Holmgren had his way.

He brought his new team, the Seattle Seahawks, into this hallowed place and helped to place them in prime position to ridicule Packers quarterback Brett Favre, punch the Packers' defense and, in the end, torment the 59,869 Packers fans who arrived hoping Holmgren's homecoming would be a Packers feast.

But Holmgren and the Seahawks did the toasting, winning 27-7 in a game in which the Packers crumbled in a variety of ways, never getting in sync, spinning in their own mess, falling to 4-3 and being humbled by Holmgren, their coach from 1992 to 1998.

``It's a very emotional night for me,'' Holmgren said. ``To come in and play the Packers this way, it's hard to put into words. I'm happy for the guys in this locker room. They really earned it.''

Seattle (5-2) remained in a first-place tie with Kansas City for the AFC West lead. The Seahawks forced seven turnovers, got two touchdown passes from Jon Kitna and 125 yards rushing from Ricky Watters.

Green Bay suffered only its second loss in its past 35 games at Lambeau Field. By the end, Favre had four interceptions, two fumbles and a headache, not to mention a heavy heart. He left the game with 6:25 remaining, replaced by Matt Hasselbeck.

There appeared to be nothing wrong with Favre except for the burden of the night. Kitna outplayed Favre, making fewer mistakes and helping to keep Seattle poised.

Seattle led 14-7 at halftime and made the Packers look even more confused and dazed in the second half. Four events occurred in the third quarter that made the night a lost one for Green Bay:

At the start, Kitna and Watters drove the ball through the nucleus of the Green Bay defense, with Kitna completing a nine-play, 73-yard drive with a 2-yard scoring toss to receiver Sean Dawkins.

During the drive, Green Bay linebacker Brian Williams injured a knee and was lost for the game.

With 8:08 left, Green Bay offensive tackle Earl Dotson was ejected and slapped with two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties for fighting, forcing Green Bay to absorb 30 yards of penalties in one play.

In the closing seconds, with Green Bay trailing 21-7 and threatening at the Seattle 5, Favre fumbled when hit by Seattle tackle Cortez Kennedy. End Michael Sinclair returned the ball to the Seattle 36.

The few times the Packers appeared close to making it a game, they spent more time backpedaling, creating their own chaos. Favre's final numbers: 14 of 35 for 180 yards. It was only the second time in his career that he threw four interceptions in a game.

Seattle and Green Bay opened the game as if both were fighting for first place in their divisions, as if both were tense and uptight under the glow of Monday Night Football and as if both defenses were far better prepared than the offenses.

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PHOTO Seattle's Jon Kitna (7) and Derrick Mayes (87) celebrate a second-quarter touchdown Monday.

Andy Manis/Associated Press