Odds Lions Beat Seahawks in Week 4
On Sunday vs. the Seattle Seahawks, the Detroit Lions will look to bounce back from a disappointing Week 3 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
The Lions jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter against the Vikings, and led by as many as 10 points in the fourth quarter (24-14). Dan Campbell & Co. also didn't trail in the contest until Minnesota scored the game-winning touchdown with 0:45 to play.
It was a devastating defeat that Campbell contributed to with his shoddy in-game decisions. And now, Detroit is left to clean up the mess without its top two offensive weapons, in Amon-Ra St. Brown and D'Andre Swift. They both have already been ruled out for the team's Week 4 tilt with the Seahawks.
Through three weeks, to no surprise, St. Brown and Swift are No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, in total yards from scrimmage for the Lions. St. Brown has accumulated 321 yards from scrimmage, while Swift has amassed 308 such yards.
Undoubtedly, Detroit will have its hands full with trying to replace the production of the aforementioned, do-it-all playmakers.
In the absence of Swift, Jamaal Williams should benefit the most. He's received most of the team's goal-line carries so far this season, and paces the Lions with four rushing scores.
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And, behind Williams, Detroit has feel-good-story Craig Reynolds, who rushed for 4.2 yards a carry a season ago, and veteran Justin Jackson.
Lions running backs coach Duce Staley is confident that the aforementioned trio of backs can be productive Sunday.
"I'm super confident, man," Staley expressed 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."
Meanwhile, receivers DJ Chark and Josh Reynolds, as well as tight end T.J. Hockenson, should benefit the most from St. Brown sitting out this week.
Of the three pass-catchers, Reynolds has produced the most receiving yards (162). Additionally, Reynolds, Chark and Hockenson have each recorded a single touchdown catch.
Although Detroit will be missing a significant chunk of its offensive firepower with both St. Brown and Swift being out, it's no excuse for the Lions to produce a subpar performance against Seattle, per Campbell.
"Listen, man, that’s what it’s all about: Next man up," the second-year Detroit head coach told reporters Friday. "We’ve still got Hock, we’ve got Chark, we’ve got (Kalif Raymond), we’ve got (Quintez) Cephus. We’ve got Jamaal, and we’ve got this O-line. And, we’ve got a quarterback who can throw it.”
Against Seattle, it looks like it will be easier for Williams & Co. to run the football than it will be for Detroit signal-caller Jared Goff to air it out.
The Seahawks have allowed the third-most yards on the ground through three weeks (471). Additionally, Pete Carroll's defense has allowed 4.9 yards per rushing attempt.
It should bode well for the Lions' rushing attack Sunday, even with Swift being out.
On the other side of the ball, Seattle hasn't been very productive, either. Carroll's squad has averaged only 15.7 points a game, good for just 28th among all 32 NFL franchises.
Seahawks passer Geno Smith is far from a game-breaking threat, and the team's air attack, spearheaded by Smith, has amassed the 21st-most passing yards in the NFL this season (665).
Meanwhile, Seattle's rushing attack, led by Rashaad Penny, has fared even worse. It has accumulated just 224 yards, the fourth-fewest rushing yards in the league. And, it has yet to produce a single rushing score.
To me, Seattle, which sits at 1-2, is clearly not a good football team.
So, even with all the injuries that have piled up for Detroit, this should be a game that the Lions find a way to win, especially with it being at Ford Field.
While I'm not as confident as I would have been if St. Brown, Swift and Tracy Walker were all available, I'm still going to give Detroit a 55 percent chance of pulling out the Week 4 win.
