Detroit Lions Dominated by Seattle Seahawks in Critical NFC Matchup

Embed from Getty Images

Damon “Snacks” Harrison Made His Detroit Lions Debut Today With Two Tackles For Loss, But Not Much Could Be Done To Stop The Seattle Offense. 


First Quarter

The Detroit Lions got the stop on the opening drive when Seattle started with the ball. Quarterback Russell Wilson took a third-down sack and Lions Rookie Brandon Powell was sent back to return a punt for the first time in his career.

The Lions converted a couple third downs on their way into Seahawk territory on their opening drive. Seattle was feeling good after forcing a 3rd and 10, but quarterback Matthew Stafford connected with wide receiver Marvin Jones for a 39-yard touchdown pass which made it two straight weeks for the Lions with a touchdown on their opening drive. Following the Lions touchdown, Seattle was driving into Detroit territory, but the Lions took a 7-0 lead to the second quarter.

Second Quarter

Wilson took little time making a fool of cornerback Nevin Lawson in the second quarter. Wilson connected with wide receiver Tyler Lockett on a 25-yard connection that tied the game at seven less then a minute into the quarter. Lions Running back Ameer Abdullah fumbled the ensuing kickoff and Seattle got another opportunity starting their next drive at the Detroit 34. Two plays later wide receiver David Moore caught a touchdown pass and was covered pretty tightly by cornerback Teez Tabor but Tabor just appeared to lose track of the ball as it finally came to the receiver. After two quick scores, Seattle was all of a sudden up 14-7.

The Lions really could’ve used an answer to that touchdown, but even with a facemask penalty to help them move it up to midfield the next drive ended with a Sam Martin punt for a touchback. Seattle once again took the ball all the way down the field and who else but tight end Ed Dickson made the catch on Wilson’s third touchdown of the half. Not to mention a debatable challenge that went Seattle’s way on the drive, nonetheless, Detroit went into the half down 21-7.

Third Quarter 

The Lions once again didn’t do what they needed to on offense and stalled out to open the second half. Running back Chris Carson and Wilson dominated the Lions defense all game and the first drive of the second half was a big one for the Lion defense. Seattle marched all the way downfield without any problems but the defense stood tall and stopped the Seahawks on 4th and goal at the one to keep it a two score game.

Stafford and the Lions were able to utilize some dump passes to get back around midfield only to once again be stuffed around the middle of the field. Martin shanked the punt which ideally would have pinned Seattle deep, but instead went out of bounds outside of the 20-yard line. A scoreless third quarter meant Detroit would continue to trail 21-7 headed into the final quarter of play.

Fourth Quarter

Seattle put the game out of reach early in the fourth quarter. Carson ran it in for his first touchdown of the day and the 28th consecutive point for the Seahawks. The Lions effort to claw back began with the second touchdown pass from Stafford to Jones, only the second score of the day for Detroit making it 28-14 with about 11 minutes to go. It appeared as though Detroit may make it interesting after a three and out on the next Seattle drive, but Stafford turned over the ball on a fumble which really put the nail in Detroit’s coffin midway through the fourth quarter. When all was said and done it was a convincing 28-14 road win for the Seattle Seahawks.

Biggest Surprise

The Lions defense on third and long was atrocious in this game. Giving up first downs on third and long used to be a common theme for Lions football before this season, but despite an improvement this year old ghosts haunted Detroit today. Today was a bad day and a terrible time to have it for the Lions. It felt like the game was lost as soon as Abdullah lost the kickoff return early in the game.

Thanks for reading! Don’t forget to follow @charleskelbel on Twitter and leave your thoughts on the Detroit Lions subreddit.

More From The Detroit Lions Podcast