In the second game of tonight’s doubleheader, the Detroit Lions are home favorites against a Seattle Seahawks team looking to remain undefeated.
Last week, Seattle (3-0) took full advantage of Miami’s quarterback woes, knocking Skylar Thompson out of the game and recording a total of six sacks in a convincing 24-3 home victory. Geno Smith finished with more passing yards (289) than the Dolphins had in total offense (205).
Smith is third in the NFL with 787 passing yards and is completing 75 percent of his attempts, although he has as many interceptions as touchdowns (three). Smith will get more help from the backfield with the return of Kenneth Walker III after missing the last two games with an oblique injury. Zach Charbonnet just had his best effort after running for 91 yards and two touchdowns.
Detroit (2-1) also found success on the field. David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs combined for 188 rushing yards in last week’s 20-13 win at Arizona. However, there were also some injuries. Center Frank Ragnow suffered a torn pectoral and is out, while tight end Sam LaPorta injured his ankle but is expected to play.
For the Seahawks, Mike Macdonald’s defensive reputation is already paying off, but the first-year head coach and his team had the advantage of opening up at home against a rookie quarterback (Denver’s Bo Nix) , against a companion during the second week (New the Englishman Jacoby Brissett) and against the substitutes from Miami. Even though he’s off to a slow start, Jared Goff is a three-time Pro Bowler and the Lions’ defense has played well – it’s time to find out which NFC team is a real contender.
