Observations from Seahawks’ loss to Lions on MNF

The Seattle Seahawks will not go undefeated in the first year of the Mike Macdonald era.

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The Seahawks took their perfect 3-0 record into Detroit on Monday night, and they’re leaving the Motor City 3-1 after falling 42-29 against the Detroit Lions.

Here’s six observations from Seattle’s first loss of the season:

• Mistakes prove costly: In last week’s win over the Dolphins, the Seahawks were able to overcome 92 penalty yards and a 2-0 deficit in turnovers. But the Lions were a step up in competition, and the Seahawks’ mistakes came back to bite them at Ford Field. The first was DK Metcalf’s fumble on Seattle’s first drive. After Detroit scored its first touchdown, Seattle moved the ball into Lions territory, but Metcalf fumbled after a catch while fighting for extra yardage and Carlton Davis scooped it and ran it back to the Seahawks’ 14-yard line. It set up a quick score and Detroit grabbed a 14-0 lead on the first play of the second quarter. Then, a holding call on Pharaoh Brown, who was blocking NFL sack leader Aidan Hutchinson, pushed Seattle back on first down and stalled out a drive late in the second quarter with the Seahawks threatening to cut into their 21-7 deficit. Penalties proved costly again when they had first downs called back twice while attempting to convert a game-tying drive in the fourth quarter, including a pass interference call on Tyler Lockett that turned a fourth-down conversion into a punt.

Jack Campbell punches it out 🤜#SEAvsDET | 📺 ABC/ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/w8mv28bq1t

— Detroit Lions (@Lions) October 1, 2024

• Missing defenders too much to overcome: The Seahawks were always going to be in for a test against the Lions. Detroit has one of the NFL’s best offensive lines, a dangerous one-two punch in the backfield in Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, and a top-of-the-line receiver in Amon-Ra St. Brown. Add in five missing Seattle starters on defense and an in-game injury to standout safety Julian Love, and it was a recipe for a long night. That was especially evident against the run as Lions running backs often ran through big holes and were rarely touched before the line of scrimmage, especially in the first half. Gibbs and Montgomery combined for 118 yards and averaged 4.5 yards per carry, including 5.5 yards per rush in through the first two quarters. Seattle wasn’t any better against the pass. With the run game going, Detroit was able to get quarterback Jarred Goff in his comfort zone making plays off of play action. He completed all 18 of his passes – an NFL record for most completions without an incompletion – for 292 yards and two touchdowns. He also caught a TD pass on a trick play.

Jared GO-OFF#SEAvsDET | 📺 ABC/ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/U0zwvFn75D

— Detroit Lions (@Lions) October 1, 2024

• Tale of two halves for Seahawks’ ground attack: Kenneth Walker III’s final stat line showed a productive day on the ground. He finished with 80 yards and three touchdowns while averaging 6.7 yards per carry, but that doesn’t tell the full tale. Seattle was completely reliant on Geno Smith airing it out in early on, running 25 pass plays to just five run plays in the first half. To offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb’s credit, he was able to get the run game going. After rushing just 18 yards through the first two quarters, Seattle put up 115 yards in the second half. Detroit entered the night with the fewest rushing yards allowed (230) in the NFL and the second-least yards per carry allowed (3.6). So, the passing game was always going to be key, but establishing the run early and keeping the ailing defense off the field longer would have been helpful.

That's 3️⃣ for K9. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/IMOdaZ1iab

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) October 1, 2024

• A brilliant game from Geno: Smith did all he could to get the Seahawks a win in this one, but even an excellent performance by the veteran quarterback wasn’t enough. Smith orchestrated the offense beautifully while spreading the ball around to his receivers, and his 38 completions and 395 passing yards were both career highs. He did a little bit of everything in the process, threading the needle through tight windows, avoiding pressure in the pocket, hitting deep passes and checking the ball down when he needed to take the short gain. Smith did have one interception, but that was a result of desperately trying to push the ball down the field late.

The ball placement from Geno. The body control from DK.
 
📺: #SEAvsDET on ABC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus and ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/ensBw4KZzN

— NFL (@NFL) October 1, 2024

• Right guard battle is on: The competition at right guard between Anthony Bradford and Christian Haynes appeared to be cooling over the past week. Bradford played all the offensive snaps last week against Miami, and Grubb detailed why Haynes wasn’t getting as much playing time earlier this week. But the Seahawks rotated Bradford and Haynes in throughout the game against the Lions. The battle at right guard will continue to be one to watch moving forward.

• Seahawks to be tested again: After facing a string of teams led by lower-tier quarterbacks, Monday night’s clash in Detroit was the first big test for the Seahawks this season. They did enough offensively to beat most teams, but the banged-up defense was simply overmatched all night. This game probably doesn’t tell us as much about the defense due the slew of injured starters, but it was a disappointing result after the unit’s dominance through a 3-0 start. Now the Macdonald-led Seahawks get their first test in another manner – attempting to bounce back after a tough loss. The good news? The 1-3 New York Giants are next on the schedule.

With strong start to 2024, where does Seattle Seahawks’ Geno Smith rank in QB hierarchy?

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