Rapid Reaction: Defense Unravels as Seattle Seahawks Lose 42-29 Shootout to Detroit Lions

While Geno Smith played lights out under center, the inability to slow down Jared Goff and a dynamic Lions run game doomed the Seahawks on Monday Night Football.

Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs (26) runs in for a touchdown in the 2nd quarter for the N.F.L. against the Seattle Seahawks at Ford Field in Detroit, Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. / Kimberly P. Mitchell / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Despite a gutsy showing from Geno Smith and an offense that eclipsed 500 total yards, the Seattle Seahawks suffered their first major letdown on defense in the Mike Macdonald era as the Detroit Lions torched them with six touchdown drives in a 42-29 loss on Monday Night Football.

Throwing for a new career-high 395 yards and a touchdown, Smith engineered three second half touchdown drives to keep the Seahawks within striking distance and Ken Walker III scored a trio of touchdowns in his triumphant return from injury. Still, their stellar performances weren't enough with Jared Goff completing all 18 of his pass attempts for 292 yards and two touchdowns while running backs David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs combined for 116 rushing yards and three scores, helping the Lions end a six-game losing streak in the series.

Losing their first game with Macdonald on the sidelines thanks to a disappointing defensive effort from a short-handed unit, here are five quick takeaways from Monday's prime time defeat at Ford Field:

1. Shining in a quarterback dual, Smith proved he belongs among the NFL's elite in defeat.

Only scoring seven points in the first half, Smith's performance was overshadowed by an even more efficient half from Goff. Throwing on nearly every offensive snap in the first two quarters, he completed 17 out of 24 passes for 165 yards, including a 29-yard hookup to DK Metcalf that led to a Ken Walker III rushing touchdown in the first quarter. Those numbers could have been even better, but the quarterback was snake bit by bad luck, as Metcalf coughed up the football trying to battle for extra yards on the previous drive and the Lions returned the fumble to the Seattle 14-yard line, setting up Gibbs' first rushing touchdown.

Coming out of halftime, with help from Walker ripping off several big runs, Smith played near flawless football, orchestrating three consecutive touchdown drives. On several occasions, he managed to move the pocket with pressure bearing down on him, including miraculously spinning out of a sack and rolling out to his right to fire a first down dart to Jaxon Smith-Njigba for an improbable conversion. He eclipsed 200 yards passing in the final two quarters alone while also using his legs for 27 yards on four carries, putting Seattle on his back and keeping his team within a score for much of the half despite defensive struggles before a last gasp drive came up short at the goal line.

2. Once Seattle actually used him, Ken Walker III gave a much-needed second half jolt in his return.

Game planning to attack a Lions secondary that ranked dead last in yardage allowed to receivers going into Week 4, offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb decided to make running the football an afterthought, as Smith dropped back to pass on 25 out of 29 plays in the first half. Seldomly used in his first game back from an oblique injury, Walker only had four carries for six yards and a single catch for 10 yards, though he did score the Seahawks lone touchdown of the half.

As they did against the Broncos in Week 1, however, Grubb adjusted out of the gate in the third quarter, getting Walker more involved mixing in toss plays and allowing him to use his elite burst on zone runs to make defenders look silly in space trying to catch him. Though he only rushed eight times in the second half, he tallied 74 yards on those carries, ripping off 28, 23, and 21-yard runs, with the latter coming in the form of an electric touchdown were he cutback against the grain on a run to the left and sprinted across the field, outrunning several Lions defenders before turning upfield for the end zone to push the Seahawks back within eight early in the fourth quarter. He added another one-yard touchdown in the third quarter to finish off a spectacular stat line out of the backfield.

3. Undermanned in the trenches, Seahawks were outclassed by more physical Lions from get-go.

For three plays to open the game, the Seahawks didn't look like they were missing four starters in their front seven, capping off a quick three-and-out with Jarran Reed swarming Goff for a sack and forcing a punt. From there, however, not having Leonard Williams, Byron Murphy II, Boye Mafe, and Uchenna Nwosu available couldn't have been more apparent, and the Lions immediately capitalized by pounding the rock with Montgomery and Gibbs. On their second possession, the duo combined for 51 yards on a dominant touchdown drive with Montgomery punching it in for six points, finding tons of running room with huge creases created at the line of scrimmage. By halftime, they already had 88 rushing yards and three touchdowns, giving Detroit a large advantage early.

In the second half, Detroit only produced 28 rushing yards, but Montgomery and Gibbs continued to make a major difference while the front line protected Goff and allowed him to sling the pigskin all over the yard. After the Seahawks scored to open the second half and cut the lead to seven, Montgomery plowed over cornerback Devon Witherspoon on a quick curl and sprinted across the field for a 40-yard gain, setting up Goff to catch a touchdown pass from Amon-Ra St. Brown on a reverse trick play to push the lead back to 14. The duo also had several first down pickups that extended drives in the half, preventing the Seahawks from being able to claw all the way back while in catchup mode all night long.

4. With numerous starters out for Seattle, it was explosives season for Goff and his receiving weapons.

For as well as Smith played, Goff truly was perfect, taking advantage of great pass protection most of the night and doing his own masterful work escaping potential sacks to generate big plays. In the first half, he completed all 12 of his pass attempts, mostly relying on quick completions with yards after the catch to move the chains as the Lions generally avoided third downs. In fact, they picked up 13 first downs in the first half while only have three third down opportunities, showing how incredibly effective both he and the Detroit's run game were throughout the first two quarters.

In the second half, Goff only attempted six passes attempts, but he completed all of them for a whopping 200 yards, averaging 33 yards per completion against a Seahawks defense that suddenly had a bout with busted coverages as injuries continued to mount, including losing starting safety Julian Love to a thigh contusion. After Montgomery turned a short pass into a 40-yard gain and he connected with Tim Patrick for a 23-yard completion on the Lions first touchdown drive of the half, he immediately followed up Walker's one-yard touchdown with a 70-yard bomb over the middle to Jameson Williams, who turned on the jets with Witherspoon and other defenders unable to catch him. He would later add another 29-yard throw to Patrick and a 30-yard completion to Sam LaPorta, carving up a defense that struggled to communicate effectively in coverage all night long while never having a pass hit the turf.

5. Penalties loomed large on a few lost opportunities the Seahawks will wish they had back.

Somehow, in spite of Seattle's defensive woes from the outset, Smith and the offense had a chance to still tie the game midway through the fourth quarter after a rare stop by the defense where Montgomery got stuffed for a two-yard loss on 3rd and 1. Continuing to move the football, Smith hooked up with Barner for an 18-yard reception and Zach Charbonnet followed up with a 12-yard run, advancing the Seahawks into Lions territory. Then on first down, Smith completed an eight-yard pass to Jaxon Smith-Nijgba as the offense methodically marched down the field with eyes on knotting the score.

But on two different occasions, first down conversions were wiped out by penalties, first with a five-yard Charbonnet run was called back for a blatant hold on Metcalf. While that penalty deserved to be called, three plays later, officials flagged Tyler Lockett for an illegal pick play even though he didn't appear to make any contact with a defender, erasing a first down reception by Smith-Njigba on 4th and 3 to the ire of Smith and his teammates. The Seahawks wound up punting thanks to the extra 10 yards tacked on via penalty and a subsequent false start on Charbonnet, and the Lions responded with a game-icing touchdown moments later that all but ended a chance at a comeback.