The Seahawks face a fellow playoff contender this Sunday in the Detroit Lions. But it isn’t easy to get a read on who the Lions are.
Like the Seahawks, the Lions come into this contest at 3-3 after losing their first two games of the season. Detroit has a pair of impressive home wins over the New England Patriots and division rival Green Bay Packers. They also got crushed in the season opener by the New York Jets, committing five turnovers in a 48-17 annihilation. So which team will Seattle face Sunday?
For starters, I wouldn’t put too much hope in Detroit turning in a repeat of that opening stinker. Quarterback Matthew Stafford had one of his worst days as a pro as he tossed four interceptions. He’s only thrown one pick since then. Then again, the Seahawks have picked off nine passes in six games, and have at least one takeaway in every game so far. I think the trend will continue for the ballhawking (sorry, I couldn’t resist) Seattle defenders, and they’ll get at least one crucial pick from Stafford.
While their quarterback play has been very consistent after that first debacle, the Lions running game has been anything but. They’ve been held under 100 total yards rushing three times since that opening loss. Detroit posted a miserable 39 yards in game one, by the way.
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On the other hand, they did rack up 159 yards on the ground against the Patriots. That was just a preview of last week’s effort, though. Led by rookie Kerryon Johnson, the Lions piled up 248 yards versus the Dolphins. I’ll note that Miami had already surrendered 175 and 168 yards in a couple previous games, so they aren’t exactly stout against the run. Regardless, Johnson can make the Lions ground game a legitimate threat.
Looking back, though, Detroit is still a pretty inconsistent team. They beat the Packers, but in large part because kicker Mason Crosby missed four field goals in an eight point loss. He’s missed one other attempt the entire season, so that win was as much luck as good play by Detroit. And beating Miami with their backup quarterback and bad run defense isn’t exactly earth-shattering, either.
I feel good about the Seahawks chances for another reason. After Sunday, Detroit has to go on the road against division rivals Minnesota and Chicago. Then they’ll face the resurgent Panthers at home, followed by the Bears again and the Rams. I’m not thrilled to give the Seahawks this label, but this a classic trap game if there ever was one. The Lions just aren’t good enough to look past Seattle,especially with so many key players returning.
Detroit isn’t the terrible self-destructive unit that was crushed by the Jets, but it isn’t really the team that smoked the Patriots, either. Remember, they’ve only had two good games on the ground themselves out of six. They’ve given up over 160 yards rushing in half their games. The Seahawks are a bad matchup for Detroit, and the Lions inconsistency will cost them Sunday.