Take the Detroit Lions and Give Up the Points
Long-suffering Detroit Lions fans may be seeing a dim light at the end of a long tunnel. Making the playoffs this season is a possibility, not an impossibility. The Lions can score points, which is good because the team once again has a shaky defense and suffers from questionable coaching decisions.
Next up for the Detroit Lions (1-2) is a game Sunday against the Russell Wilson-less Seattle Seahawks (1-2) at Ford Field. Kickoff is at 1 p.m. EDT. FOX will broadcast the game. The Lions were a 4.5-point favorite at midweek, down from the opening line of 6.5 points, but still a solid favorite.
Not so scary
The Seattle defense, once one of the more scary in the NFL, probably won’t put up much of a fight against Jared Goff, Jamaal Williams (filling in for the oft-injured D’Andre Swift), Amon-Ra St. Brown, T.J. Hockinson and the rest of the Lions’ offensive cast of characters.
The Seahawks rank 24th in the NFL in total yards allowed (408 per game), and are tied for 20th in points allowed (20.3 per game), tied for 30th in rushing yards allowed (157 per game) and tied for 19th in passing yards allowed (240.3 per game).
On the other side of the line of scrimmage, the Lions are third in the NFL in total yards (419.7 per game), second in points (31.7), third in rushing yards (170.3 per game) and 16th in passing yards (238.7).
Not Enough Weapons to Use Against the Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions’ defense isn’t much better than the Seahawks’ defense. Detroit is last in the NFL in points allowed (31 per game) and near the bottom of the league in all the other defensive statistical categories. But the Seahawks don’t have the offensive weapons the Detroit Lions have.
Geno Smith has been an adequate fill-in at quarterback with Wilson now with the Denver Broncos, but Smith has thrown just four touchdown passes in three games.
The Seahawks’ DJ Metcalf is a dangerous receiver but he’ll probably be matched up against Lions cornerback Jeff Okudah, who did yeoman work last week in holding Justin Jefferson, the Minnesota Vikings’ star receiver, to just three catches for 17 yards.
Okudah, the former Ohio State All-American who was the Lions’ first-round draft choice and the No. 3 overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft, barely played the last two seasons because of injuries (he suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon in the Lions’ opening game in 2021), but now he’s healthy and quickly becoming a shutdown cornerback.
Hopefully Lions coach Dan Campbell has learned his lesson about being too aggressive offensively and is working on his clock management skills. Each hurt his team in its 28-24 loss last week to the Vikings. And hopefully the Lions have learned how to play with a lead. They were up 14-0 at Minnesota (and had Vikings fans booing their team) and 24-14 and let each lead slip away.
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