3 biggest overreactions to the Seahawks’ loss to the Lions in Week 4

Playing essentially with one hand behind their back, the Seattle Seahawks suffered their first loss of the Mike Macdonald era, falling to the Detroit Lions on Monday Night Football, 42-29.

It was a historic night for both offenses and a historically bad night for the Seahawks' defense.

Primetime games tend to bring out some of the wildest overreactions on social media, and we’re going to tackle some of them here. 

Three biggest overreactions to the Seattle Seahawks Week 4 loss at the Detroit Lions

“The defense didn’t show up under the bright lights of Monday Night Football”

The defense didn’t show up because the defense wasn’t physically there! You are playing arguably the most physical running team in the league, and you start the game down arguably your four most talented players along the defensive line, your starting linebacker, and then you lose the best safety in football so far at halftime. We can be disappointed, but we need to be realistic about what we watched on Monday. That was a preseason-level defense going into Detroit and facing a hungry Super Bowl contender. 

The numbers for the Seahawks' defense through three games were historic when guys like Leonard Williams and Boye Mafe were living in the opponent's backfield. A 17-game season just makes nights like Monday more realistic going forward. It’s a marathon now more than ever and Macdonald is playing the long game because of the health of this roster. 

Given a healthy roster, this game has a much different vibe. 

“DK always has these stupid plays that cost us the game”

Does DK have a dumb penalty sometimes? Yes, but that is the nature that can happen when you’re the biggest and most imposing player on the field every night. DK is constantly challenged and forced to stay locked in. I believe he’s matured a lot, and it is showing on the field. Metcalf is playing arguably the best wide receiver in the NFL, and the numbers back it up through three games in 2024. 

To blame him or get on him for doing what we all beg him to do every week (put his body on the line and run through dudes) and then to get upset when the fifth guy to try and bring him down punches the ball out, is asinine.

The Seahawks are a playoff team and look like a darkhorse contender for the NFC, and that is not the case if DK wasn’t doing what DK does. 

“The Seahawks got exposed by a good team”

I truly believe that if (when) these two teams were to meet up again in January, we’d see a different outcome.

The Seahawks had no business being in that game, with everything going against them, yet they were a turnover and a frustrating penalty away from taking that game on the road. Macdonald appeared frustrated and maybe even embarrassed by his squad’s performance on the defensive side of the ball. This is his first true test as the main man in Seattle. 

These are real things the Seahawks have to deal with this week, but to say that they were exposed is foolish. If anything, the offense exposed the haters on Monday night. Geno Smith proved that he’s ready to take the next step and become the franchise quarterback, so many have debated since 2022. Metcalf and Kenneth Walker showed that they are ready to become superstars.

This is a learning experience for the defense, while it is an awakening for the offense. While the defense needs to get more healthy for what looks to be a difficult next two months of games, the opportunity to take a stranglehold on the NFC West is still there, and this is an exciting time for the 12th Man.

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