JIM MOORE

Jim Moore Predicts: Seahawks and Lions are both 3-3, but Detroit has the advantage

Oct 25, 2018, 10:47 AM | Updated: 2:39 pm

Matthew Stafford is the first of five top-tier QBs coming up on the Seahawks' schedule. (AP)...

Matthew Stafford is the first of five top-tier QBs coming up on the Seahawks' schedule. (AP)

(AP)

The Seahawks and Lions are both 3-3. They both lost their first two games and have won three of their last four.

Here’s the difference – the Seahawks’ wins came against 1-6 Arizona, 1-5 Oakland and a Dallas team that is winless on the road. The Lions beat 5-2 New England, 3-2-1 Green Bay and 4-3 Miami.

Good news on the injury front, plus a new challenge, for Seahawks

Like most 12s, I like the way the Seahawks are trending. The offensive line has protected Russell Wilson and provided plenty of room for Chris Carson and Mike Davis, producing an average of 157 rushing yards the last four games.

On the other side of the ball, everyone is praising the reconstructed secondary, and I’d agree with that assessment, too. But I’m not completely buying the notion of an improved secondary just yet.

The quarterbacks the Seahawks have faced are Case Keenum, Mitch Trubisky, Dak Prescott, Josh Rosen, Jared Goff and Derek Carr, who used to be good but isn’t this year with a terrible offensive line in front of him. Goff is the only elite guy of the bunch, though Trubisky and Rosen could be someday.

Lions QB Matthew Stafford starts a run of five games for the Seahawks against top-tier QBs with Philip Rivers, Goff, Aaron Rodgers and Cam Newton following in the next four weeks.

Think about it – in the 33-31 loss to the Rams on Oct. 7, Goff had his way with Seattle’s secondary. How many times were the Rams’ receivers wide open? I thought it would change in the second half without Brandin Cooks and Cooper Kupp, who were injured in the first half, but it didn’t. The Rams’ third, fourth and fifth receivers still found holes in the Seahawks’ defense.

I have a feeling that Seattle’s secondary will have a rough day against Detroit’s Golden Tate and Kenny Golladay. And the Seattle defense will have a tough time stopping Kerryon Johnson, a rookie who has given the Lions a solid running game, rushing for 158 yards in a win over Miami last Sunday.

Flip it around – if you think the Seahawks will beat Detroit, you point toward Seattle’s run game going against a Lions’ defense that is 30th in the league, allowing 139 rushing yards a game. They are also last in the league per rush, allowing 5.4 yards a carry.

So on the surface, you’d think it’s another good spot for Carson to rush for more than 100 yards while the Seahawks go for somewhere between 150 and 200 rushing yards as a team.

I don’t think they will, though, because of the Lions’ acquisition of run-stopper Snacks Harrison from the Giants this week. He figures to make an immediate difference.

I also think the Lions will win because they’ve covered five straight spreads since their opening-game debacle against the Jets. You could counter by saying the Seahawks are 68 percent against the spread since 2012 when they’re underdogs (per RJ Bell’s Dream Podcast, a podcast I recommend listening to, by the way.)

Then again, think about how the Seahawks have done on the road this year – losses at Denver and Chicago and an escape with a narrow win at Arizona. You might say, hey Jim, what about the win over Oakland in London? It was a road game on the schedule. I’d respond by saying that it was a road game for both teams, and it wasn’t even a neutral site, it was more like a home game for the Seahawks with all of the 12s across the pond rooting them on.

Added up, it looks to me like it might be close for awhile, but the Lions will hold off Russell Wilson and the Seahawks and temporarily quiet the wild-card speculation in Seattle. Gimme the Lions -3. Lions 27, Seahawks 17.

WASHINGTON (-12) at CAL

Not sure why the Huskies are nearly two-touchdown favorites on the road against a Cal team that beat the Beavers 49-7 in Corvallis last Saturday. The line seems out of whack to me, but I’ve frequently found that when a line looks out of whack, it’s not. Dawgs 38, Golden Bears 17.

WSU (+3) at Stanford

Possible letdown spot for the Cougs after their emotional win over Oregon last Saturday with ESPN’s College GameDay coming to Pullman for the first time. But the Cougs are 6-1 and 7-0 against the spread. A trend is your friend. Cougs 34, Stanford 20.

Have you listened to “Bark?” It’s Jim’s podcast about dogs, available at 710Sports.com and wherever you find podcasts. If you’re interested in sponsoring “Bark,” please contact Jim at jmoore@espnseattle.com.

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