Seahawks vs Lions: A look at Seattle's week 8 opponent

The Seahawks (3-3) are coming off their bye with some key weapons back as they travel to Detroit to take on the Lions (3-3). Both teams are looking for a win to get their seasons back on track.

The Detroit Lions have notoriously been a bad football team for the past twenty years. As of late, the Lions, with a high-powered offense and an improving defense under Matt Patricia, have looked like a playoff team. They have wins on the Patriots, the Packers, and a Dolphins team that is tough to beat in Miami on their resume. The Seahawks have their work cut out for them.

The Lions are also home to a few former Seahawks. Deshawn Shead, Luke Willson, and Golden Tate are all play-makers for Detroit that were a part of the 2013 Super Bowl win for Seattle. Align them with Matthew Stafford, a good young defense, and a resurgent run game led by rookie Kerryon Johnson – and the Lions look like a playoff contender this season.

Key additions:

C Wesley Johnson
TE Levine Toilolo
DT Sylvester Williams
TE Luke Willson
RB LeGarrette Blount
RB Kerryon Johnson
CB Deshawn Shead
DT Damon Harrison

Key departures:

DT Haloti Ngata
TE Eric Ebron
LB Tahir Whitehead

Detroit players to watch on Sunday:

WR Golden Tate

Tate started his career with the Seahawks and was a very productive wide receiver and return man that helped Seattle win their first ever super bowl. Tate will likely be lining up against nickel corner Justin Coleman in the slot, which could be a problem. Coleman does a great job of not getting beat long, but gives up a lot of underneath balls and struggles to make tackles in open field. Tate is very slippery in open field and he has a chance to make some explosive plays on Sunday.

DT Damon Harrison

Seattle has gotten the run game going early and often this season, and that is a big reason why they have won the games they have won. Damon ‘snacks’ Harrison may thwart that plan. Harrison is a huge human being who specializes in eating running backs. Harrison was just traded for earlier this week from the Giants, but he will play and he will look to stuff the Seahawks run game.

Match ups to watch for on Sunday:

I seem to say this every week. The Seahawks have to stuff the run in order to win this game. Kerryon Johnson ran for 158 yards last week – the Lions run game has been insane at times this year. Forcing the Lions to become one dimensional would be a huge win for the Seattle defense, but stopping the two-headed monster of Johnson and downfield-runner LeGarrette Blount may be a tough task for the Seahawks defensive line.

The aforementioned ‘Snacks’ Harrison may force Seattle to be one dimensional as well. This means Russell Wilson may have to win this game for the Seahawks. Seattle will rely on Russ to get the ball to his pass catchers to score at Ford Field. Tyler Lockett, Doug Baldwin, and the surprising David Moore will need to get separation on a strong Detroit secondary to give Seattle a chance. The play-action may be the right tool to use Sunday. Coordinator Brian Schottenheimer has had great success in the play-action pass this season. It allows our speedy receivers to get separation on the defensive backs, and they will need it more than ever come Sunday.

Injury report:

Both teams should be relatively healthy for Sunday’s game. The Lions will be without running back Theo Riddick, but with the emergence of Johnson in the backfield, that should not be a problem for the team. Both Ezekiel Ansah and Jarrad Davis remain questionable to play.

The Seahawks likely will not have backup cornerback and special teamer Neiko Thorpe, or reserve guard Jordan Simmons, but those seem to be the only two listed as ‘out’. Defensive end Rasheem Green is questionable to play.

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Seahawks vs Lions: A look at Seattle’s week 8 opponent

By Luke Allen | Oct 27, 2018