The Detroit Lions are looking to continue their momentum into Week 2 when they face off against the Seattle Seahawks, who lost their first game against the Los Angeles Rams.
The Lions made a statement in their season opener and are expected to bring the same energy to Ford Field. Meanwhile, the Seahawks are dealing with some injuries that the Lions can capitalize on to secure their second win in as many weeks. After reviewing their performance in the Kansas City game, the coaches and players have had time to prepare for the tough Seattle opponent during the mini-bye.
Buy Lions TicketsTo secure their victory, the Lions will need to rely on the performance of several key players. Here are five Lions players who need to play well against the Seahawks.
Charles Harris
The Seahawks are facing a major issue with their offensive tackle position as Abraham Lucas is out on IR and Charles Cross is dealing with a turf toe injury, which makes him unavailable for the match against the Lions. Aidan Hutchinson is expected to have a fantastic game against the backup tackles given how well he played against the Kansas City Chiefs. However, the other edge rushers, especially Harris, need to step up their game.
Harris struggled against the Chiefs, and the Lions have faith in him. Like Hutchinson, Harris should target the Seahawks’ weak points, and it will be interesting to see how he performs.
David Montgomery
Montgomery made a promising debut in the Honolulu blue jersey, giving hope for a potential dynamic dual threat in the backfield alongside Jahmyr Gibbs. The Lions chose to gradually introduce Gibbs to the NFL, giving most of the snaps to the veteran. Montgomery was able to exploit the gaps in the defense and create short-yardage situations, providing the Lions offense with more flexibility in their play calling. The Seahawks boast an exceptional run defense PFF score and have Bobby Wagner, a future Hall of Famer, defending the middle of their defense. Wagner will attempt to make the Lions one-dimensional and shut down their running game. Montgomery will likely be relied upon once again to keep the Lions’ running game alive throughout the game, forcing the Seahawks defense to stay honest in their matchups.
Jared Goff
It goes without saying that the starting quarterback should perform well in any matchup. However, Jared Goff is up against a tough Seahawks secondary consisting of Tariq Woolen, Quandre Diggs, Coby Bryant, Tre Brown, and Devon Witherspoon, who will be making his debut. This group has the ability to make life difficult for quarterbacks trying to find their targets. They are capable of shutting down receivers, and considering the Lions don’t have the strongest receiver corps, it might be challenging to pass the ball effectively.
Goff may have to rely on his bread and butter, play action, to get things rolling – but that’s only if the Lions are able to establish their presence on the ground.
Cam Sutton
The Seattle Seahawks have a strong receiver corps consisting of D.K. Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, and rookie Jaxon Smith-Njigba. They are expected to pose a challenge to the Detroit Lions’ secondary. While the Lions have shown good performance against the Kansas City Chiefs, the caliber of receivers they faced then is quite different from that of the Seahawks.
Metcalf, in particular, has proven to be a problem for most secondaries and is usually lined up on the left side, which is the area where Cam Sutton usually defends. Although the Lions are expected to use a zone approach rather than man-to-man coverage, Sutton will most likely be tasked to defend Metcalf if it turns into a one-on-one situation. If Sutton can limit Metcalf’s effectiveness, it will give the Lions an edge against the Seahawks’ offense.
Taylor Decker's replacement
Decker’s situation is not looking good against the Seahawks which has left the Lions in a predicament of how to fill the void at the left tackle spot. The Lions have a few options they can consider. They could either move Penei Sewell to left tackle and place Matt Nelson at right tackle, or simply have Nelson take up Decker’s spot. Halapoulivaati Vaitai also has some experience playing as a tackle, but since he hasn’t played in that position for a while, it remains to be seen if the Lions will go for that option.
However, the Lions’ offensive line is their biggest strength, and it will play a major role in the outcome of this game. Whoever takes Decker’s place will need to fill a significant gap to ensure that the team’s offense continues to function smoothly.
