Rost: Could Seahawks be heading for another shootout with Lions?

Sep 27, 2024, 8:22 AM | Updated: 8:31 am

Tyler Lockett of the Seattle Seahawks catches a touchdown pass during a 2023 game against the Detroit Lions. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

(Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

BY STACY ROST

Seattle Sports

Are the Seattle Seahawks entering a shootout for Monday Night Football?

Seahawks Injury Report: 5 key defensive players miss practice

I can at least recognize that the NFL, and sports in general, love surprising us. And by asking whether Seattle’s primetime matchup against Detroit will be a shootout, I’m probably setting myself up for failure and a low-scoring affair.

That said, a shootout is what this game looks like on paper.

The Seahawks (3-0) have won their past five meetings against the Lions (2-1), with the last three contests seeing scores of 37-31 (OT), 48-45 and 51-29.
But it’s not just history that’ll have you wondering whether Seattle and Detroit will be frequenting the end zone. It’s also this week’s matchups.

Detroit has taken a massive step forward with their run defense since 2022, ranking second in the league last season and fourth through three games this year. That’s a tough obstacle for a Seahawks team that’s been up-and-down; Seattle stubbornly stuck with the run and saw 100-plus yards from Ken Walker in Week 1 after a slow first half, but they were abysmal there the following week without Walker against the Patriots. Zach Charbonnet, in relief of Walker, bounced back with a career-high 91 rush yards and two scores in Week 3, but that was behind an offensive line that’s otherwise struggled. Is there reason to think Charbonnet can do it again? Sure. Miami’s defense was a top-10 unit against the run last season. But the Lions present a kind of physicality that Seattle hasn’t yet faced.

When the Pats shut down the run game for Seattle, Geno Smith played one of the best games of his career, and DK Metcalf and Jaxon Smith-Njigba each finished with over 100 receiving yards. You can bet Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn has been scheming a way to stifle any efforts to take off there. And it’s an effort made easier thanks to one of the game’s best pass rushers, Aidan Hutchinson, who led the league in pressures last season.

That said, if there’s one Achilles heel for the Detroit defense, it’s that secondary.

“We got a very talented group, but they’re young back there,” Lions radio network analyst Lomas Brown told The Huddle. “So, they’re still on this learning curve.”

That learning curve has been especially true for rookie corner Terrion Arnold, who has four defensive pass interference calls through three games.

“I think Terrion is still trying learn what is and isn’t pass interference in the NFL,” Brown said. “This is going through the growing pains, kind of like what (Seattle) went through when you drafted those great defensive backs that you guys have back there, too. I think what (defensive coordinator) Aaron Glenn is doing is playing more zone to try to help them out instead of going man. Aaron loves to go man to man, but right now with a young guy you don’t want to consistently put him out on an island with great receivers. And that’s what we’ve been seeing all season long.”

The Lions allowed a 100-yard receiver in two of their first three games (Cooper Kupp and Chris Godwin). The 6.4 yards per pass attempted allowed is about league average, but pales in comparison to Seattle’s.

Seattle’s offensive line has seen inconsistent play and has allowed about 2.7 sacks per game (around average) and Smith is seeing pressure on 27.4% of dropbacks (top 10). If he can’t find ways to move around in the pocket to extend a few plays – and if the Seahawks can’t get the run going – they’re in trouble here. But they’ve found ways to win as a one-dimensional offense before.

Meanwhile, Detroit’s offense is one of the most complete in the NFL. The Lions only real issue this season has been red-zone scoring, where they’ve plummeted from last season, but they otherwise have weapons that will test Seattle’s league-best passing defense in a way that it simply hasn’t been tested this year.

All three of the Lions’ contests have gone under this season, so a fair warning there, but this one sure feels like it has the makings of a high-scoring primetime showcase.

Other notes

• Rookie defensive tackle Byron Murphy didn’t practice for the Seahawks Thursday. There were no injury updates available from Macdonald. Nestled at the close of a Thursday column from ESPN reporter Jeremy Fowler, though, was this update: “Talented Seahawks rookie defensive tackle Byron Murphy II (hamstring) is expected to miss some time. It might not be too long, but Seattle will be cautious with its first-round pick.”

• I’ve seen a few questions about whether rookie guard Christian Haynes will push for starting reps from second-year pro Anthony Bradford. Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb told reporters Thursday that strength and power are on Bradford’s size and Haynes is still working on commanding those talents: “Just technique and power. I think that just raw power at the guard position in the NFL is so critical and that’s why obviously Anthony (Bradford) can withstand a lot in there. Just his sheer size and just what he can take on the inside. So I think for Christian (Haynes) it’s not getting overpowered and overwhelmed.”