5 Storylines to Watch in Seattle Seahawks Week 4 Game vs. Detroit Lions

The Seattle Seahawks have won six straight games against the Detroit Lions. They will try to make it seven when they head to Ford Field for a Monday night tilt.

Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta makes a catch against Seattle Seahawks cornerback Riq Woolen during the first half at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday, Sept. 17, 2023. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

If the Seattle Seahawks can defeat the Detroit Lions on Monday with a decimated defense, there will be little questions remaining about their viability as a contender in the NFC.

Seattle is 3-0 but will be without three defensive starters and another key contributor on the defensive line. The offense will be full go, however, with running back Kenneth Walker III back in the lineup.

Detroit (2-1) is coming off a 20-13 win over the Arizona Cardinals where Lions quarterback Jared Goff threw for two touchdowns and their backfield tandem of David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs combined for 188 rushing yards on 39 carries.

The Seahawks are back on the road and will face Detroit at Ford Field at 5:15 p.m. PT on Monday, Sept. 30. Here are five storylines to watch in Seattle’s Week 4 game versus the Lions.

1. How porous is Seattle’s decimated defensive front?

Seattle will be without starters Boye Mafe, Leonard Williams and Uchenna Nwosu, and key rotational lineman Byron Murphy II will also be out. Starting linebacker Jerome Baker is questionable after being out in Week 3.

In short: The Seahawks are shorthanded up front. Recently signed defensive linemen Quinton Bohanna and Matt Gotel are candidates to be elevated from the practice squad in addition to edge rusher Tyus Bowser. The backups will need to show up in a big way.

Detroit is fourth in the NFL in rushing yards (489) led by running back David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs. The pair accumulated 188 ground yards in Week 3 against the Cardinals. If Seattle’s second-string front consistently gets moved off the line of scrimmage, the Seahawks will be in for a long day trying to stop Detroit’s rushing attack.

2. Is Geno Smith that dome dominant?

Since becoming Seattle’s starter in 2022, Smith has faced the Lions twice. He’s thrown for 648 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions in those games, in addition to completing 77.5 percent of his passes. The Seahawks have won both games by a combined nine points.

Detroit’s pass defense has been average this season. It ranks 19th in the league, allowing 216.7 passing yards per game through three games. The Lions were a bottom-10 group defending the pass the last two seasons, so there could be at least slightly more resistance to what Seattle wants to do through the air.

But Seattle’s passing attack also looks the best it has since Smith took the reins. The Seahawks are ranked third in passing yards per game (246.7) with three receivers going over 100 yards receiving in three games.

In the case of a shootout, Smith will need to play his best ball. He has a good track record upholding that at Ford Field.

3. How big of a factor is Jared Goff?

Detroit likes to run the ball. That’s supposed to make things easier for Goff, who has the second-highest play-action pass attempt rate of any quarterback in the league so far in 2024.

But it hasn’t been Goff’s best season. He has completed 66 percent of his passes for 723 yards, three touchdowns and four interceptions. Goff’s interceptions have been less flukey than Smith’s, also.

Whereas Goff has four picks and five turnover-worthy plays (TWP), per Pro Football Focus, Smith has three interceptions and just one TWP. Both of Smith’s interceptions last week came on tipped passes.

Detroit is going to lean on its run game, especially with Seattle’s limited rotation in the middle of its defense. Goff may be asked to do very little. However, if he does get going, the Lions’ offense will be even harder to stop.

4. Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson is the biggest threat.

Sep 15, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson (97) attempts to tackle Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) in the fourth quarter at Ford Field. / Eamon Horwedel-Imagn Images

Now in his third season, the Lions’ Aidan Hutchinson has come on as the most productive pass rusher in the league through three full weeks of the season. Hutchinson has 25 total pressures and seven sacks — both of which lead the NFL.

Hutchinson had 4.5 sacks in Week 2 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He can take over a game if given the opportunity, and he will frequently be matched up against Stone Forsythe on Monday, Seattle’s third-string right tackle.

He is, however, somewhat of a one-man wrecking crew. Defensive lineman Levi Onwuzurike is second on the team with 12 pressures, per PFF, and third is Marcus Davenport who has now been placed on season-ending injured reserve. That allows Seattle to focus on Hutchinson and hope the rest of the offensive line can win their one-on-one matchups.

Smith is among the best quarterbacks in the league at avoiding pressure, and those skills will be critical on Monday. He is the only signal-caller in the league to be pressured on at least 30 dropbacks this season and have none of the pressures credited to his decisions in the pocket, per PFF.

5. Which Seahawks pass-catcher leads the way?

It’s impossible to shut down all of Seattle’s receivers. DK Metcalf, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Tyler Lockett and tight end Noah Fant make up one of the top receiver rooms in the league.

Metcalf has been on a heater, catching touchdowns of 50-plus yards in back-to-back games and posting triple-digit receiving yards in each. He is currently the seventh-leading receiver in the league with 17 catches for 262 yards and two touchdowns.

Smith-Njigba had his first 100-plus-yard game in Week 2, Lockett led the team with 77 receiving yards in the season opener and Fant had just his second six-catch game with Seattle in Week 3. If the Lions try to limit one or even two of Seattle’s receivers, plenty of other weapons can pick up the slack.

Detroit may also be without safety Brian Branch — further limiting the Lions’ secondary. Seattle’s receivers should have plenty of open room to work with.