Matthew Stafford found Marvin Jones Jr. for a 39-yard touchdown strike late in the first quarter to put the Detroit Lions up 7-0. But that was the last lead they would have as it was all the Seattle Seahawks from there.
The Seahawks (4-3) scored 28 unanswered points to beat the Lions (3-4) 28-14 on Sunday.
After punting on their first possession of the game and then falling behind by a touchdown, Russell Wilson and the offense went to work in the second quarter. He led his team on a 7 play drive that ended with a 24-yard dime to Tyler Lockett to tie the game. He also found David Moore on a 15-yard touchdown and Ed Dickson on a 12-yard pass to put them up 21-7 heading into the second half.
The touchdown to Moore was set up after Ameer Abdullah fumbled on the kickoff after the Seahawks tied the game. He led Seattle with 97 yards on four receptions.
Wilson was flawless on the afternoon as he went 14-17 for 248 yards and three touchdowns. He has led Seattle to wins in four out of their last five games after starting the season 0-2.
Both teams were held scoreless in the third, but Seattle continued to control the game via the ground. Chris Carson ran the ball 25 times for 105 yards. He also added a seven-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter.
The Seahawks as a team ran for 176 yards on the ground. This came just four days after the Lions traded a 5th-round pick to the New York Giants to acquire run-stuffing defensive tackle Damon Harrison. Detroit, who came into the game as the third worst team in the NFL against the run by allowing 139.3 yards per game, did not look any different with the man known as “Snacks” on the defensive line.
The Lions, who came into this one winners in three of their last four games, tried to get the run game going as well. After running for 248 yards as a team last week against the Miami Dolphins, Detroit was only able to muster 34 yards on the ground. Kerryon Johnson, who rushed for 158 yards versus Miami, only had 22 yards on eight carries.
As for the passing attack, Stafford had nice stats as he went 27-40 for 310 yards and two touchdowns. Besides that first quarter TD, he connected with Jones Jr. with 10:40 in the game to cut the lead to 28-14.
On the day, Jones Jr. led the team with seven catches, 117 yards and two TDs.
But even with those numbers, Stafford couldn’t overcome costly mistakes. Trailing by two scores and in Seattle territory, he was sacked and fumbled with over seven minutes to go. After forcing a punt and getting the ball back, he committed another turnover. Still down two scores and at the Seahawks four-yard line, he threw an interception to cornerback Justin Coleman with 3:11 left.
Seattle dominated this game on both sides of the ball and kept their playoff hopes alive. The ground game continues to dominate and the supposedly depleted “Legion of Boom” is still one of the best defenses in the NFL.
Detroit looked ill prepared to play, and even after adding a former All-Pro on the defensive line, could still not stop the run. Falling under .500 this late in the season certainly hurts their playoff chances.
The Seahawks improved to 3-2 on the road this season with the win today. They travel back home to host the Los Angeles Chargers next week.
The Lions fell to 2-2 at home and travel to Minneapolis to take on the Minnesota Vikings next week. Detroit has only played one divisional opponent so far this season, beating the Green Bay Packers 31-23 in Week 5. The Vikings are currently leading the North at 4-2-1.
All stats are courtesy of ESPN.com.
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