The Seattle Seahawks, fresh off their second straight loss, are headed to the Motor City. There, they will face the similarly 1-2 Detroit Lions who are -4.5 favorites.
In 2021 the Lions finished the season 3-13-1, but anyone who watched multiple Detroit games would know they were much better than their abysmal record might indicate. The Lions were oddly competitive, and typically gave opponents a tough fight each week.
Of course, one game they did not was in Week 17 against the Seahawks. Seattle handled Detroit with considerable ease, claiming a 51-29 victory in what turned out to be the last home game for Russell Wilson and Bobby Wagner in a Seahawks uniform.
This year, the Lions have been surprisingly explosive. They took the undefeated Eagles to the brink, losing narrowly 38-35 in Week 1. They then dominated the Washington Commanders the following week, and were barely edged out by division rival Minnesota.
The strength for the Lions this year has been their offense, specifically fueled by wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and running back D’Andre Swift. However, both have been ruled out against the Seahawks.
Seattle’s defense has been rather pitiful the past two weeks, being thoroughly worked by the 49ers and the Atlanta Falcons. However, with Detroit’s two biggest stars out, they have an opportunity to right the ship.
On the other side of the field, Seattle’s offense has been rather impressive – at least in the first half of games. Quarterback Geno Smith has been an unexpected catalyst, effectively moving the offense down the field for points. Detroit’s defense pays with heart but they are not the most stout unit in the NFL. If the Seahawks can continue their strong start offensively, figure out how to score some second half points and slow down a depleted Detroit offense, they should be able to escape the site of their Super Bowl XL loss with a victory.
Prediction: Seahawks over Lions 28-23
