By Mark Halpern
Last week’s win by the Detroit Lions was something that many sportscasters and writers predicted. The concern of the Chiefs with injuries and players with stone hands made it possible for the Lions to adjust and stop the Chiefs’ offense from getting going. This week’s test is as hard as last week’s when the Seahawks came to town.
The Lions made significant adjustments to the passing game last week because of injuries, but that is not the case this week. The Seahawks have one of the most talented WR duos in D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, not to mention rookie wide receiver Jaxon-Smith-Njigba, and don’t forget Kenneth Walker. The Lion Defense will have to stop the run just like last week cause this Seahawk two-tired offense is no joke.
Aidan Hutchinson, Alex Anazalone, and Benito Jones need to provide the same energy as last week to stop the run, and Cameron Sutton and Jerry Jacobs will have their hands full. Look for the safeties to play up less, as all three of the Seahawks’ wide receivers have speed. The question is, what version of Geno Smith will show up? Geno needs to spread the ball around but will need production from the running back crew to create 2nd and shorts instead of 3 and longs.
As for Detroit’s Offense, we know what it can do when given the opportunity. One thing is no fumbles. Even though they lost one of the two, they can I’ll afford to give away any points in this game. The Seahawks’ secondary is good and can cover well, so I look to the run game to open up this offense. Look for the Lions to have more of an even split on carries this weekend between Gibbs and Montgomery to try and pull those safeties up, giving Jared Goff the chance to use play action (which he is so good at) and hit Amora St-Brown or Marvin Jones over the middle or on deep fly routes. This will be just as close as the Chiefs game, but in the end, I have Detroit winning 24-21.
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