Detroit Lions (0-3) at Seattle Seahawks (1-2)
When: 8:30 Monday night.
Where: CenturyLink Field, Seattle.
Line: Seahawks by 9 1/2.
TV/radio: ESPN, WXYT-FM (97.1).
Seattle writer: Rawls can pick up slack for Seahawks
Talking points
Free Press sports writer Dave Birkett reveals three story lines for Monday night’s game between the Lions and Seahawks:
Recipe for success: When Lions offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi was asked this past week about getting his offense on track, he mentioned two primary areas of concern: turnovers and the lack of a running game.
The Lions have eight giveaways, tied for second most in the league, and they need better play from
quarterback Matthew Stafford (five interceptions). As for the running game, the Lions rank last in the NFL in rushing yards and face a stingy Seattle defense, but rookie Ameer Abdullah is ready for a bigger role.
“I know there’s a lot more out there for us as an
offense, and I intend to be a big part of this offense,” Abdullah said. “So I know there’s a lot more out there for us in this game.”
Sherman tank: The Lions have faced some of the game’s best cornerbacks in recent weeks, from Jason
Verrett to Xavier Rhodes to Aqib Talib, This week, they’ll get maybe the best in Seattle’s Richard Sherman. Sherman has 20 interceptions over the past three seasons, but he has yet to get a pick this year. He plays almost exclusively on the left side, so he won’t cover Calvin Johnson. The thing with a player like that, it’s not just that he covers well,” Lombardi said of Sherman, “it’s that he’s so dangerous with his ball skills. If you throw a ball in his direction and he’s got a chance to catch it, he’s going to catch it.”
Electric boogaloo: The Seahawks might have the best homefield
advantage in football, and CenturyLink Field should be extra loud Monday night given the time and stakes of the game.
Seattle is 23-2 in home regular-season games since the start of the 2012 season. “If you love sports, even if you don’t love sports, and you just love venues, it’s a place that you have to come and watch a game,” quarterback Russell Wilson said. “And so it’ll be crazy loud. It will be electric in the stadium.”
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) celebrates with tight end Jimmy Graham, left, after Graham caught a pass from Wilson for a touchdown against the Chicago Bears in the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2015, in Seattle.
Know the foe: Seattle Seahawks
Coach: Pete Carroll (84-63 overall, 51-32 with Seahawks).
Key players: QB Russell Wilson, RB Marshawn Lynch, CB Richard Sherman, DE Cliff Avril, S Earl Thomas.
Last game: Win, 26-0 over the Chicago Bears.
Last meeting: 2012: Lions 28, Seahawks 24.
Birkett’s buzz: The Seahawks, like the Lions, started 0-2, but the defending NFC champs broke out of their early-season slump in a big way last week with a shutout of the Bears. Safety Kam Chancellor returned from a two-game holdout, and that certainly sparked a defense that uncharacteristically gave up 61 points the first two weeks. In Chancellor, Thomas and Sherman, Seattle still has one of the best secondaries in the NFL, and they get plenty of pass rush up front from Avril and Michael Bennett. Offensively, the Seahawks are a run-first team that leans heavily on Lynch and Wilson. New addition Jimmy Graham gives the Seahawks a big threat at tight end, and rookie return man Tyler Lockett already has kick- and punt-return touchdowns this year. The Seahawks have the look of a team that could make its third straight Super Bowl appearance.
Scouting report
Lions’ run offense vs. Seahawks’ run defense
The Lions rank last in the NFL in rushing yards, in part because they’re last in the league in rushing attempts. In three games, they’ve run the ball 51 times (including six scrambles by Matthew Stafford), and they haven’t topped 70 yards rushing in a game this year.
Ameer Abdullah is the Lions’ best running back and should play a bigger role Monday. Joique Bell was hobbled by an ankle injury this week and is averaging 1.1 yards per carry this year. Bell won’t play, so Zach Zenner will factor in as a backup. The Lions need better blocking from their offensive line.
The Seahawks have been a middle-of-the-pack rushing defense this year, but safety Kam Chancellor is back after missing two games in a contract dispute, and Bobby Wagner is one of the best middle linebackers in the league.
Edge: Seahawks.
Check out more staff predictions of Lions-Seahawks
Lions’ pass offense vs. Seahawks’ pass defense
Something is amiss with the Lions’ offense. Stafford is completing a career-high 64.1% of his passes, but he has been hit 21 times and the Lions have a glaring lack of big pass plays. Their receivers are struggling to get open deep, Stafford has had too many turnovers, and the line has been a sieve.
Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate remain one of the best receiving tandems in the NFL, but they’re averaging a combined 10.3 yards per catch. Running back Theo Riddick arguably has been the Lions’ best receiver, though he’s relegated primarily to 2-minute situations.
Between Chancellor, safety Earl Thomas and cornerback Richard Sherman, the Seahawks have one of the best secondaries in the NFL. They play a simple Cover 3 defense with their corners in press coverage at the line of scrimmage, but they get good pressure up front from Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett.
Edge: Seahawks.
Seahawks’ run offense vs. Lions’ run defense
The Lions did a better job stopping the run last week against the Denver Broncos, but they’ll have their work cut out against a Seattle team committed to running the ball Monday.
Marshawn Lynch is a game-time decision and a difference-maker if he plays. Former Central Michigan standout Thomas Rawls ran for 104 yards in his second career game last week. Fred Jackson also could see time in the backfield. And quarterback Russell Wilson, below, ran for 849 yards last year and is always a threat with the ball in his hands.
The Lions would have received a boost if linebacker DeAndre Levy had returned after missing more than a month with a hip injury, but that won’t come until next week. Regardless, they need more push from Haloti Ngata and their defensive front. Adrian Peterson wore down the Lions with 134 yards rushing in Week 2, and the Seahawks have the physical edge.
Edge: Seahawks.
Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings carries the ball against Rashean Mathis of the Detroit Lions during the fourth quarter of the game on September 20, 2015 at TCF Bank Stadium.
Seahawks’ pass offense vs. Lions’ pass defense
Opposing quarterbacks have completed 78.2% of their passes this year as the Lions have struggled to defend the quick and underneath routes. Wilson is one of more accurate passers in the NFL, and he never has thrown more than 10 picks in a season.
The Seahawks don’t generate many big plays with their passing game, but Jimmy Graham still is one of the best tight ends around, and Doug Baldwin leads the team with 17 receptions.
The Lions rank 27th in pass defense in part because they’ve been inconsistent with their rush. Ziggy Ansah is battling a groin injury, which won’t help, but Glover Quin is an interception machine at safety, and Darius Slay and Rashean Mathis have been mostly solid at cornerback.
Edge: Lions.
Special teams
The Lions struggled mightily on special teams last week. They had an extra point blocked, took a bad penalty and failed on a two-point conversion. Still, Matt Prater and Sam Martin are reliable in the kicking game, and return men Abdullah and TJ Jones are big-play threats.
Seahawks rookie Tyler Lockett is the reigning NFC special-teams player of the month. He already has scored kick- and punt-return touchdowns, and he’s one of the more electric return men in the game. Steven Hauschka is 8-for-8 on kicks, but Jon Ryan is netting less than 35 yards per punt.
Edge: Seahawks.
Overall
The Lions are one of three winless teams in the NFL entering the weekend, and it’s a longshot they end their skid Monday. The defending NFC champion Seahawks are as loaded as ever now that Chancellor’s back, and they’re in their own dire straits at 1-2.
To spring the upset, the Lions must stop Seattle’s running game and find a way to protect Stafford and get their struggling offense on track. If they can hit a couple of big plays to Johnson and Tate, they might be able to take away one of the best homefield advantages in the NFL.
Pick: Seahawks 20, Lions 10.
Source : http://www.freep.com/story/sports/nfl/lions/2015/10/04/detroit-lions-seattle-seahawks-scouting-report/73322734/
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