The Detroit Lions return home from the road trip to Minnesota looking to lick their wounds. Dan Campbell’s banged-up Lions lost a tough one to the Vikings, but they draw a vulnerable opponent in the visiting Seattle Seahawks in Week 4.
Lions final injury report for Week 4
The Lions remain favored to win the game, but it will take some sharp performances and good execution to make it happen. Here are four ways the Lions can really help themselves earn the win and even the season record at 2-2.
The pass rush has to dominate
The Lions pass rush was excellent at creating pressure in the first two weeks. They faltered in the Week 3 loss to the Vikings, a combination of underwhelming play, injuries and some strong protection by the Minnesota offensive line.
Detroit’s defense gets a chance to get the pass rush back on track against Seattle. No quarterback faces a higher percentage of passing plays where he’s under pressure than Geno Smith. Data from The 33rd Team shows Smith gets pressured on 67 percent of his passing plays.
Smith is not a threat to run or even scramble. He tucks and runs on less than one percent of pass plays, in the realm of the completely immobile QBs like Tom Brady and Joe Flacco. By way of comparison, Jared Goff is at 2.5 percent and the league mean is 2.7 percent. Seattle’s offensive line isn’t great, but Smith doesn’t help himself by holding onto the ball longer than average.
That means opportunities for Charles Harris, Aidan Hutchinson and Julian Okwara rushing from the edges. The A-gap blitzes from LBs Alex Anzalone and Chris Board should be effective, but they can’t miss or leave Smith chances to slide and throw.
It’s important to finish against Smith. His accuracy under pressure and ability to let his talented receivers (D.K. Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, Noah Fant) make plays on harrassed throws is Smith’s strong suit as a quarterback.
Next man up
The Lions will be without starting WRs DJ Chark and Amon-Ra St. Brown, top RB D’Andre Swift must also replace starting safety Tracy Walker. Pro Bowl left guard Jonah Jackson will miss his third straight game. Oh yeah, the regular kicker is out too.
The overall roster is in better shape than it was the last few seasons, but Detroit’s depth is definitely being tested. These Lions need some reserves to step up and play above the level they’ve shown before in the NFL. The good thing is we’ve seen some of that already this year. Dan Skipper has been solid replacing Jackson at LG. Jamaal Williams lit up the Vikings last week after Swift was hobbled.
Players like safety Juju Hughes, RB Justin Jackson, K Dominik Eberle and WRs Kalif Raymond and Quintez Cephus will need to prove they are up to the challenge.
Stick with what's working (if it's working)
There’s been a lot of talk in Lions land this week about the team’s inability to close out games. One of the reasons they’ve faltered late in the loss to Minnesota and the Week 2 win over Washington was deviating from what got them their double-digit leads.
It was more apparent on defense. Coordinator Aaron Glenn hasn’t really deployed the dreaded “prevent” defense, but he’s had his outside CBs play more off-man coverage or gone into a more passive zone shell when playing with the lead. That’s not where CB Jeff Okudah thrives. It’s not where LBs Alex Anzalone and Malcolm Rodriguez are at their best. The communication issues in the young secondary are more stressed and not always as effective.
On offense, coordinator Ben Johnson has stayed the course more, but he too has veered away from the path of success. The pass routes get a little shorter, more ball-control style. While it makes sure that QB Jared Goff has safe options and won’t turn the ball over, it also makes the receivers easier to defend. The tempo isn’t as consistent, either.
Keep dancing with who brought you to the ball, to steal an old saying.
Make the Seahawks pay for their mistakes
The Lions have been able to make some strong defensive plays. But turning big plays from the defense into successful offense has not gone well.
It started in Week 1. The Lions defense made a great fourth-down stop on the Eagles’ second drive. Detroit’s offense went 3-and-out meekly thereafter. Late in the game when the defense needed a big stop, it got one. Again, the offense followed up with a bad 3-and-out series.
Detroit has managed two takeaways, one each in Week 2 and Week 3. On each ensuing drive, it’s been a punt. The Lions did capitalize on missed field goals in Minnesota, but in general, Detroit has struggled to make opponents pay for their mistakes.
Pete Carroll’s new-look Seahawks will make mistakes. They’ve turned the ball over five times. They’ve been guilty of 23 penalties, giving up 11 first downs to their foes. They’re bad on fourth downs. The Lions must convert good fortune into points against Seattle.
