Seahawks Take Down Lions 48-45 In Thrilling Week Four – No Defense Needed
Special teams gaffes and an offensive shootout ultimately led to the Seahawks holding on 48-45 as the Lions missed two extra points and two turnovers sealing the victory.
It was an ugly day of special teams for both sides. Lions kicker Dominik Eberle, replacing injured Austin Seibert, missed two crucial extra points leading to the Lions attempting multiple two-point conversions. Jason Myers also missed a field goal for the Hawks, likely a result of a bad snap by Carson Tinker. Let’s recap the good, the bad, and the ugly from this barn burner:
Seahawks Takeaways: The Good
The Seahawks offense was firing on all cylinders Sunday with 235 rushing yards and 555 total yards. We saw another 300-yard game from an extremely-efficient Geno Smith. Smith just set a record for completion percentage through a quarterback’s first four games of a season at 77.3 percent. But the bigger takeaway was the run game, where the Seahawks had been one of the worst teams in the NFL through the first three games. A rushing touchdown from Geno Smith and a 41-yard scamper from Rashaad Penny led to the dominant rushing performance against the Lions.
Previously, we made three bold predictions for this game. One out of three turned out to be correct and that was a breakout game for DK Metcalf who had been struggling early in the season. Metcalf was a force with seven catches for 149 yards and a memorable trip to the restroom via injury cart that gave some Seahawks fans a heart attack.
The Hawks also broke the curse of no second-half offensive touchdowns in the first three games. In order to win this game, the Seahawks needed to have strong offense in all four quarters. Hopefully, this game shows signs of what this offense is capable of this season.
The Bad
The Seahawks still have not made improvements on the defensive side. The Lions were missing two of their best offensive weapons in Amon-Ra St. Brown and D’Andre Swift, and still managed 520 total yards and 179 receiving yards from TJ Hockenson. Emerging rookie Tariq Woolen sniffed out an interception and returned it for six early in the third quarter to help pad the Seahawks lead. Without that pick-six or the two missed extra points by Detroit, would the Hawks have won this one?
The Ugly
Special teams and turnovers were an issue for both sides as it seemed only the offenses had made the trip to Ford Field. Both teams had a fumble lost, Jared Goff threw a game-altering pick-six, Jason Myers missed a field goal and the Lions missed two crucial extra points.
Overall
While the defense has been abysmal, we have some emerging young talents. Tariq Woolen showed good instinct and his 4.26 speed as he returned an interception for a touchdown. Boye Mafe and Uchenna Nwosu are both showing promise from the strongside linebacker position.
Seattle has many questions to answer on defense. Does it have enough capital to make a mid-season trade to shore up the defense or is the team holding out for better picks in the 2023 draft?
This game was won due to special teams and turnovers mistakes by the Lions more than an outright win. If the Lions had St. Brown and Swift activated, this game may have had a different outcome.
Geno Smith is playing efficient football. If the offense can pick up the run game like we saw Sunday, that should relieve pressure on the pass game and open the playbook for an even more efficient pass game in upcoming weeks. The Seahawks will look to fix their defensive struggles and come out clicking on both sides of the ball in Week Five when they travel to the Big Easy to take on the Saints.
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