4 Keys to Victory for Lions against Seahawks
Detroit has a prime opportunity to go 2-0 on the season, when it faces Pete Carroll and the Seattle Seahawks Sunday at Ford Field.
The Lions are coming off a 21-20 upset win over the Kansas City Chiefs, while Seattle is coming off a disappointing 30-13 loss at home to the L.A. Rams.
If Detroit wants to prevail victorious in its home opener, here are four things that Dan Campbell's team must do on Sunday.
Stop the run
It's a given that the Seahawks are going to place a heavy emphasis on getting their run game going Sunday.
In last year's contest between the Seahawks and the Lions, Detroit permitted a staggering 235 yards on the ground, including three rushing scores. Rashaad Penny, who's now a member of the Philadelphia Eagles, was responsible for 151 of those 235 yards and two of those three touchdowns.
Kenneth Walker is now the bell-cow back in Seattle, and stands to benefit the most from any struggles encountered by Detroit's rush defense Sunday. Walker, a product of Michigan State, is coming off a 12-carry, 64-yard day against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 1.
If Aaron Glenn's defense is able to limit his productivity, it would go a long way toward the Lions securing a victory in Week 2.
Exploit Seattle's weakness at offensive tackle
Seattle's starting offensive tackles – left tackle Charles Cross and right tackle Abraham Lucas – have both been ruled out for Sunday.
It means that Detroit EDGE Aidan Hutchinson should have a prime opportunity to feast on reserve tackles Stone Forysthe and Jake Curhan.
Hutchinson didn't record a sack of Chiefs All-Pro passer Patrick Mahomes in Week 1. However, he did produce a career-best six pressures against the two-time NFL MVP.
I believe that Hutchinson is in store for a big day Sunday, which will include the Michigan product notching his first sack of the 2023 campaign.
Target Marvin Jones Jr. a lot less
Jones simply wasn't good in the Lions' season opener.
Going into Week 1, there were hopes that the veteran wideout could help fill the void by Jameson Williams, who is suspended for the first six games of the regular season.
But, instead of doing that last Thursday, Jones recorded multiple drops, and was responsible for Detroit's only turnover of the night. He fumbled late in the first half, as the Lions were driving in Chiefs territory.
He ended up coming through with just two catches for eight yards. And, as a result of his subpar efforts, he was the Lions' lowest-graded offensive player and the team's second-lowest-graded overall player for the week (35.1), per Pro Football Focus.
Jones could very well bounce back against the Seahawks. However, I don't think he'll be given much of a chance to.
Instead, I think Detroit offensive coordinator Ben Johnson will opt to deploy Kalif Raymond, Jahmyr Gibbs and Sam LaPorta more often. Meanwhile, I expect Johnson to minimize the role of Jones in the Lions' offensive gameplan – which I think is the right move for Detroit at this juncture.
Increase Jahmyr Gibbs' involvement in the offense
Gibbs, a University of Alabama product, looked explosive in his NFL debut against the Chiefs. Yet, he only received seven touches as a runner and two targets as a receiver. I think that total on both ends should and will go up in Detroit's home opener.
Gibbs is the definition of electric whenever he touches the ball, and I believe he'll become more and more of a difference-making weapon in Johnson's offense as the season progresses.
And with Marvin Jones having struggled as much as he did in Week 1, I think it provides Johnson with a more-than-valid reason to feature Gibbs more frequently as a pass-catcher. I believe that he will increase Gibbs' usage in that capacity against Seattle, and that Gibbs, in return, will provide the Ford Field crowd with an electrifying play or two Sunday.
