3 Keys to Victory for Lions vs. Seahawks
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Even with a plethora of injuries, the Lions have a solid shot of bouncing back Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks.
Here are the three things I believe Dan Campbell's squad must do in order to record the Week 4 win.
Limit Rashaad Penny
Penny, Seattle's No. 1 back, is averaging a solid 4.4 yards a carry through three games. Yet, he's averaging just 47.0 rushing yards per game, and has yet to record a single touchdown.
This comes a season after the San Diego State product amassed an NFL-best 6.3 yards a carry, and accumulated six touchdowns in just 10 games.
While the 2018 first-round pick has failed to accumulate north of 66 yards on the ground in a game thus far this year, he remains a very capable back. And, he is someone that Aaron Glenn's defense needs to focus on in this Week 4 matchup.
Detroit has struggled with stopping the run through the first three weeks of the season. It has allowed opponents to accumulate both 5.0 yards per rushing attempt and 427 total yards on the ground (sixth most in the NFL in each stat). It has also allowed the opposition to score a league-high seven rushing TDs.
Subsequently, Penny could be in store for his biggest day of the 2022 campaign. However, Glenn & Co. must clamp down and not allow it to happen. Because if Penny is allowed to run freely, it greatly enhances the Seahawks' odds of capturing the Week 4 victory.
Get Jamaal Williams to rush for 100 yards
No D'Andre Swift. No problem.
Enter Jamaal Williams, who will take over the No. 1 running back duties with Swift out.
Williams is currently averaging just 3.9 yards a carry. However, he's become Detroit's go-to back on the goal line, and leads all Lions ball-carriers with four rushing scores.
And, on Sunday, he's expected to assume Swift's workload. Meanwhile, Craig Reynolds and Justin Jackson are also expected to contribute to Detroit's rushing attack vs. the Seahawks.
While not having Swift is certainly a big loss, Lions running backs coach Duce Staley is optimistic that Williams and his running back counterparts will be productive Sunday.
"I'm super confident, man," Staley told reporters Friday. "I'm excited for these guys, just to be able to have the mentality of the next man up, which exists around this NFL, because of the nature of the game and the injuries that occur. You know, these guys are chomping at the bit. You've got JJ, Craig, and of course, Jamaal is ready to roll. So, it'll be a good group out there Sunday."
Williams has a great shot at standing out against Seattle.
Through three weeks, the Seahawks have allowed the third-most yards on the ground (471). And, they've also allowed opposing teams to record 4.9 yards per rushing attempt.
This should obviously bode well for Williams, and it gives him a shot at running for 100 yards in this Week 4 matchup.
Williams has two 100-yard rushing games already under his belt, with the last one having come in 2019 and against his current employer, Detroit. At the time, Williams was a member of the Green Bay Packers.
If Williams notches a 100-yard rushing day, I believe you can all-but-guarantee a win for the Lions this week.
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Sack Geno Smith multiple times
Seattle signal-caller Geno Smith has been sacked twice in each contest thus far this season.
Meanwhile, the Lions have only produced one game in which they're recorded more than one sack. It came in Week 2 against Carson Wentz and the Washington Commanders. Detroit also posted its only win of the year against Washington.
Lions rookie EDGE Aidan Hutchinson is coming off a disappointing performance against the Vikings in Week 3, in which he recorded a Pro Football Focus grade of just 52.0.
He's due for a bounce-back performance, and I think it comes this week vs. the Seahawks.
I believe that he and his defensive counterparts will collectively sack Smith multiple times, helping propel Detroit to the Week 4 win.
