In the 2020 season, The Seattle Seahawks jumped out to a 5-0 start. Their 12-4 record led to them finishing at the top of the NFC West Division before they lost to the division rivals Los Angeles Rams in the Wildcard game of the playoffs. Before this season, that was the last time they got off to a 3-0 start. The Seahawks took their 3-0 record into Detroit for their first and only appearance on Monday Night Football this season. However, they left Detroit with a 42-19 mauling from the Detroit Lions.
From the beginning of the game, the Detroit Lions prioritized exploiting the depleted Seahawks defensive line with a commitment to running the ball. That philosophy paid off when Detroit running back David Montgomery capped off a 93-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown midway through the first quarter. On the next possession, Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf lost a fumble that led to a 3-yard rushing touchdown by Jahmyr Gibbs. Before the Seahawks could catch their breath, they were down 14-0.
From early on, the Seahawks were in the unenviable position of playing catch-up against a team whose offense was clicking on all cylinders. To add insult to injury, Lions quarterback Jared Goff was a perfect 18 for 18 passing for 292 yards and two touchdowns. He even had a receiving touchdown thrown in for good measure. Detroit also rushed for 116 yards and three touchdowns.
To the Seahawks’ credit, they did not go down without a fight. The return of running back Kenneth Walker III added an offensive spark as he rushed for 80 yards and three touchdowns. For the third straight game, wide receiver DK Metcalf had over 100 receiving yards, and rookie tight end AJ Barner caught his first NFL touchdown. With three minutes left in the 3rd quarter, it was still a one-possession game.
In the end, however, the Detroit Lions offense was too explosive to overcome such a large deficit as they continued to exploit a Seattle defense down six starters. The Seattle defense gave up far too many big plays at inopportune times, including a 70-yard bomb to second-year receiver Jameson Williams that stretched the Lions’ lead to 35-20.
“When we walked out there on that field, we were down 14, but there was no doubt that we were going to give ourselves the chance to win,” said Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith. “Unfortunately, we didn’t do enough, I didn’t do enough, to get that done. But it’s one game, move on, go to next week.”
The loss also serves as a reminder that the Seahawks’ rebuilding project is a work in progress and will take some time.
“We’re four weeks into the season and, look, the message all week has been that we’re on the foundation of our football team and where we want to be and it’s obvious, we’re not the team that we want to be yet,” Seattle head coach Mike Macdonald said. “We have time to grow as a football team, we have a short week, we have to have a sense of urgency about it, and we need to take the next step. But just wasn’t good enough, especially on the defensive side of the ball today. So, we’ve got to make it right and move forward.”
Although the Seattle Seahawks suffered their first defeat of the season, the players were still upbeat and optimistic after the game. The Seahawks will look to rebound next week against the New York Giants at Lumen Field.
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