Enemy Confidential: Seattle Seahawks Gearing Up For Hard-Nosed Detroit Lions

A mirror image to the philosophies Mike Macdonald has instilled in his Seahawks in many ways, the Lions present a major challenge on the road in prime time.

Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs (26) runs for 23 yards before going out of bounds at the Tampa Bay 13 yard line, during the second half of the N.F.L. game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. Bucaneers won 20-16. / Kimberly P. Mitchell / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

RENTON, Wash. - In his first season at the helm for the Seattle Seahawks, coach Mike Macdonald wasn't on the sideline for either of the team's recent victories over the Detroit Lions at Ford Field in the past two seasons.

However, that doesn't mean Macdonald isn't familiar with the rigors of game planning for Detroit's high-powered offense and physical ground game. Last season, while orchestrating Baltimore's No. 1 ranked scoring defense, his squad put on a clinic in a 38-6 beatdown at M&T Bank Stadium, suffocating Jared Goff and company by holding them to five third down conversions on 16 attempts.

But Macdonald hasn't put much stock into that game as the Seahawks ramp up preparation for another trip to the Motor City on Monday Night Football. While his former team got off to a fast start and put the Lions away early to prevent them from running their offense last October, he has an immense amount of respect for the NFC North juggernaut that coach Dan Campbell has built and knows his current group will have their hands full trying to slow them down in prime time in a hostile road environment.

"They're a really good football team. Hard playing, well coached, a lot of scheme diversity, but also hang their hat on their calling cards, so to speak, on special teams," Macdonald said of Campbell's Lions on Wednesday. "A hard-playing group. Again, it's a theme throughout all three phases. Obviously, they're really aggressive in certain situations and willing to take calculated risks, so we'll need to be ready for those."

Through the first three weeks of the season, the Lions haven't had quite as much bite in the scoring column, currently ranking 16th in points per game in part due to uncharacteristic turnover issues. But coordinator Ben Johnson's unit still ranks fourth in total yardage per game anchored by a top-five rushing attack featuring bruising runner David Montgomery and dual-threat back Jahmyr Gibbs, who have already combined to rush for 438 yards and four touchdowns.

Though he has struggled with interceptions moreso than usual in the first few weeks, Goff has remained efficient in a play action-heavy passing attack, completing 66 percent of his passes with three touchdowns behind a stout offensive line that ranks seventh in Pro Football Focus' pass blocking grade (72.8) and sixth in ESPN's Pass Block win rate (67 percent).

On the defensive side of the ball, Detroit has demonstrated marked improvement with a retooled secondary and star pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson terrorizing opponents off the edge to a tune of 6.5 sacks through three games. The Lions haven't allowed more than 20 points in any of their games so far and rank in the top 10 in both points per game and total yards allowed per game, which has caught the defensive-minded Macdonald's eye in film review.

"Defensively, [they're] very aggressive. Seems like they made a little bit more of a shift from last year," Macdonald remarked. "There's a tough simplicity with complements on how they operate defensively and obviously Aidan (Hutchinson) is a really good player that we're going to have to account for."

Seeking a 4-0 start for the first time since 2020, here’s a closer look at the Seahawks upcoming Week 4 prime time opponent, including series history, additions/departures, a deep dive into scheme, and Macdonald's evaluation of the defending NFC North champion Lions:

Series History

18th regular season meeting. The Seahawks have dominated the all-time series, posting a 12-5 record while winning six consecutive matchups dating back to 2015 and nine out of 10 matchups since 2003. During that span, Seattle also won a playoff game against Detroit in the wild card round in 2016. Most recently, the Seahawks have defeated the Lions in each of the past three seasons, scoring at least 37 points each contest.

What's New?

Additions: Looking to solidify the trenches on both sides of the football, the Lions signed former Ravens Pro Bowl guard Kevin Zeitler, former Bengals defensive tackle DJ Reader, and ex-Saints first round pass rusher Marcus Davenport early in free agency. The team also acquired former Buccaneers starting cornerback Carlton Davis to pair with first-round draft pick Terrion Arnold and brought slot cornerback Amik Robertson on board in free agency as well as part of a retooled cornerback group.

Departures: Coming off the most successful season in franchise history, Detroit didn't go through free agency without losing quality players to other teams. Starting right guard Jonah Jackson took a multi-year deal from the Rams to join another possible NFC contender, necessitating the move from Zeitler, along with trusted No. 3 receiver Josh Reynolds accepting a larger offer from Denver. On defense, talented veteran safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson bolted to return to Philadelphia, where he previously played in 2022, on a three-year deal, while reserve pass rusher Julian Okwara also signed with the Eagles.

Injury Report

Like the Seahawks, the Lions enter Monday's prime time battle with an extensive injury list, starting the week off by placing Davenport and linebacker Derrick Barnes on injured reserve on Monday. Pro Bowl center Frank Ragnow, who suffered a partially torn pectoral muscle in Week 3, has been ruled out and will be replaced by Graham Glasgow, while rookie cornerback Ennis Rakestraw has been limited during the practice week.

Inside the Scheme

Bucking league trends with most teams running 11 personnel more than 65 percent of the time, offensive coordinator Ben Johnson has assembled a potent Lions offense that leans on multi-tight end formations. So far this season, Detroit has utilized 12 personnel groupings with two tight ends on the field at a 34.6 percent clip, the highest rate in the NFL, with north of six percent of those snaps featuring a tight end as an H-back in the backfield. The majority of the remainder of their plays came in 11 personnel at a 58.3 percent rate, which ranks 25th among NFL teams.

After residing closer to a 50/50 split between zone and gap schemes in 2023, Johnson has dialed up zone concepts on 52 out of 85 run plays so far in 2024, or north of 60 percent of the time. With the ground game being highly effective, the Lions have been able to continue maximizing their usage of the play action passing game, as Goff ranks third in play action drop backs (36), first in play action yardage (306), and seventh in yards per attempt (9.7). Interestingly, he ranks 16th in passer rating on those opportunities (89.2) and only Daniel Jones of the Giants has a worse grade on such throws via Pro Football Focus.

Now in his fourth season as Detroit's defensive coordinator, Aaron Glenn has taken on the role of aggressor, sending five or more rushers on blitzes at a 31 percent rate, the sixth-highest percentage in the NFL through three weeks. This extra has paid dividends getting after quarterbacks, as the Lions rank seventh in pressure rate (28.4 percent), eighth in quarterback knockdown rate (11.8 percent), and sixth in total pressures (33). Per Field Vision, however, the Lions have rarely used sim pressures, dialing them up at just a 5.1 percent rate.

Coverage-wise, according to Field Vision charting, sticking to past trends, the Lions have called Cover 1 with man underneath 34.6 percent of the time, with only the Broncos, Browns, and Jaguars running the single-high look more frequently this year. Detroit has also played quite a bit of quarters - or Cover 4 - coverage in 2024, ranking sixth in the NFL using this coverage 22.7 percent of defensive snaps. Near the top of the league using Cover 1 and Cover 4 almost 60 percent of the time, Glenn has only sparingly used Cover 3, Cover 2, and Cover 0 looks compared to the NFL average.

Macdonald's Thoughts

--On Detroit's multiple offense anchored by the front line: "I think the gap scheme married with the wide zone play action passes, drop back game on time, [Jared] Goff's playing fast, making fast decisions, getting the ball out of his hands to his playmakers. Both runners are really dangerous in their own way. The offensive line is probably one of the best in the league, if not the best, so got our work cut out for us."

--On Johnson's offense being built around the run game: "I don't think they're very stubborn to the point where they're just going to do one thing to bang their head against the wall, both run and pass. They're very efficient, but I would say it starts with a run game with this team set up, play-action pass. The drop-back game is consistent for the quarterback, it's clean. They build it in different ways. They do a good job of hiding the looks and keeping it consistent at the same time. So I would say it would start with the run game."