Lions vs. Seahawks

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Seahawks to watch

Russell Wilson, QB: The elusive one loves the national spotlight. He is 4-0 in Monday night games, with nine TDs and no interceptions.

Thomas Rawls, RB: The rookie from Flint and Central Michigan rushed for 104 yards on 16 carries in Marshawn Lynch's absence last week. He is the first Seahawks running back other than Lynch to rush for 100 yards since 2012.

Richard Sherman, CB: Considered the NFL's best, he might be matched against Calvin Johnson.

Intangibles

Under pressure: Many are blaming QB Matthew Stafford for the Lions' 0-3 start. It won't get any easier against one of the NFL's best defenses.

Protection: The Lions' much-maligned offensive line has to do a better job of protecting Stafford and opening holes for the running game. That will be a tough order against the Seahawks.

Bigger roles: With RB Joique Bell struggling and injured, rookies Ameer Abdullah and Zach Zenner are expected to play a bigger role in the team's running game.

On a roll: Lions S Glover Quin had an interception last week and has picked off a pass in six of past nine games dating to last season. Quin has 13 interceptions since the start of 2013 season, tied for most in NFL with Cleveland's Tashaun Gipson and Seattle's Richard Sherman.

Back home: WR Golden Tate returns to Seattle, where he spent his first four seasons. Tate was Seattle's leading receiver in 2013.

 

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Their fans are wailing. The media, too.

But the Lions spent the week whispering while they worked. And tonight we?ll find out what they have to say for themselves, and their season, facing the defending NFC champs in the NFL?s loudest venue.

The Seattle Seahawks will bring the noise, you can count on that at CenturyLink Field, where the crowd has set world records for stadium noise and last winter approximated an earthquake in that comeback win in the NFC Championship game.

And if the Lions can?t handle it, if they can?t handle the resurgent Seahawks or their notorious 12th Man fans, they just might find the clamor unbearable when they return home.

Winless in Seattle is no place you want to be. But that?s exactly where this team is right now. And if you thought the odds were stacked against the Lions now, consider that only one team in NFL history has started the season 0-4 and still made the playoffs. That was the Bobby Ross-led San Diego Chargers in 1992, the year after the Lions got their first ? and only ? playoff win in the Super Bowl era.

?It?s not dire,? insisted Lions safety Glover Quin, easily the team?s best player thus far this season. ?There?s still a lot of football left. We?ve just got to find a way to get a win. I mean, that?s all it is. It?s not dire. We just gotta find a way to get a win, man.?

?Crazy loud?

But here, in Seattle? And now, with the Seahawks ? listed as 91/2-point favorites tonight ? coming off a shutout win at Chicago and hosting ?Monday Night Football,? where they?ve won nine in a row dating to 2004?

?I always tell people, ?You have to put this on your bucket list,?? Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson said. ?It?s one of those things that you have to go. If you love sports ? even if you don?t love sports, you just love venues ? it?s a place that you have to come and watch a game.?

Easy for him to say, since the 12th Man is on his side here at a 13-year-old venue designed to be both visually impressive and audibly intimidating, what with the clamshell roof overhangs trapping almost all the noise.

?It?ll be crazy loud,? said Wilson, who is 23-2 as a starter at home in his career. ?It will be electric in the stadium.?

And if the Lions aren?t prepared, they could be toast.

The last time the Lions visited here, they blew an early 17-0 lead as Matthew Stafford threw five interceptions in the middle of his rookie season. (The last was returned for a touchdown in the final minute by current Lions teammate Josh Wilson.)

Can?t hear you

The last time the Seahawks hosted a Monday night game, meanwhile, was in December 2013, when a 9-2 New Orleans Saints team showed up and got earholed. Seattle won it, 34-7, limiting the Saints? offense ? the same one the Lions and ex-Saints assistant Joe Lombardi are trying to run, with little success ? to a paltry 188 yards.

Lombardi, the Lions? offensive coordinator, and his players spent the week trying to tune out the noise, in the hopes of avoiding something similar.

?Every time we play on the road, we act like we can?t hear anything during practice,? Lombardi said. ?They play a bunch of music, and if we?re out at walkthrough, we just whisper so you barely can hear and the quarterback has to move around and talk to everybody.?

Off the field, it?s really no different, as the Lions try to ignore all the angry analysis of their ugly start.

?Well, I?m not reading the papers a whole lot,? joked Lombardi, well aware of the calls to strip him of his play-calling duties.

Head coach Jim Caldwell has steadfastly backed him publicly, despite the league-worst rushing attack and an offense that has scored on just eight of 33 drives this season.

?Anytime you have a stretch like we?ve had, everything comes into question,? Caldwell said. ?That?s the nature of our business.?

But so is this: Lose tonight, here in the Valley of Din, and the noise only gets louder

 

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DeAndre Levy will miss his fourth straight game for the Detroit Lions on Monday night after he did not travel with the team to Seattle.

Levy has been out with a strained muscle in his hip since late August, and said Friday he was still dealing with pain from the injury.

"It's a day-to-day thing," Levy said Friday. "Some days feel good; some days don't feel as good. It's kind of a test it and see how it responds."

Levy practiced on a limited basis all week and was originally listed as doubtful on the Lions' official injury report.

Backup offensive tackle Corey Robinson also did not travel to Seattle and will miss Monday's game against the Seahawks with a sprained ankle.

The Seahawks (1-2) downgraded running back Marshawn Lynch and defensive tackle Brandon Mebane from questionable to out , and added Bruce Irvin (ankle) to the injury report as questionable.

The Lions (0-3) are the only winless team remaining in the NFL after the New Orleans Saints beat the Dallas Cowboys in overtime Sunday night.

 

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Seahawks : Keys to the game



Unwelcoming Matt

Lions quarterback Matt Stafford, the first overall pick in the 2009 NFL draft, is off to one of the worse starts in his career. He has thrown five interceptions and lost a fumble through the first three games. It?s not all his fault, as he?s getting little protection. According to Pro Football Focus, the Lions have the most total sacks, hits and quarterback hurries in the NFL at 51, and their pass-blocking-efficiency grade is the second-worst in the NFL. So former Lion Cliff Avril (he played in Detroit from 2008-12), Michael Bennett and the rest of the Seahawks? front seven should have ample chances to put some heat on Stafford. And the odds of the Seahawks? secondary finally getting its first interception of the season could hardly seem better.


Transforming Megatron into a non-factor


The most recent time these teams met, in 2012, one of the dominant story lines was the pregame Twitter jousting and in-game verbal sparring between Seahawks cornerback and Richard Sherman and Lions receiver Calvin Johnson. Sherman changed his Twitter handle to ?Optimus Prime,?? who in the movie ?Transformers? is the enemy of Megatron ? which is Johnson?s nickname. Sherman helped hold Johnson to three catches for 46 yards, though Detroit won, 28-24. Sherman downplayed that history this week, saying he and Johnson ?had a couple laughs about it?? at a commercial shoot. Johnson, 30, remains one of the more dangerous receivers at 6 feet 5 and 237 pounds and along with Tate will provide a good test for the now-intact Legion of Boom.

The Seahawks are allowing 186 passing yards per game, second-fewest in the NFL.



Giving the Lions a Hill to climb


The Seahawks will be short-handed on their defensive line with starting tackle Brandon Mebane and reserve Demarcus Dobbs ruled out because of injuries. Strong-side linebacker Bruce Irvin, who often lines up as a rush end in the nickel package, is questionable because of an ankle injury. Mebane?s absence means third-year player Jordan Hill is likely to start. The Seahawks also will use David King and Will Tukuafu to add depth. Tukuafu?s official position is fullback but he played defensive line at Oregon. He has periodically played on the defensive line for a few snaps a game since arriving in Seattle last October. The Lions, meanwhile, come to Seattle with the NFL?s worst rushing attack, averaging just 45 yards per game and 2.6 per attempt. They will be without veteran running back Joique Bell because of an ankle injury, and rookie Ameer Abdullah likely will start.

 

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Expect the Seahawks to look for Tyler Lockett deep


There's a good chance this is the week Tyler Lockett makes an impact on offense. Granted, they have predicted the same thing before, but the odds really are in his favor this time around. The Lions have allowed 12 pass plays of 20+ yards, tied for fifth-most. Opposing quarterbacks are completing a staggering 78.2 percent of their passes against Detroit (second worst) and averaging 8.7 YPA (third worst). Lockett has played 55.1 percent of the offensive snaps and has six catches for 51 yards. Getting on the field has not been a problem. Last week, he ran a couple of beautiful deep routes -- one post and another stutter post -- when he got over top of the defense. The problem? Protection broke down. If the Seahawks can just give Russell Wilson a little more time, this could be the week Lockett hauls in a deep ball.