What Will It Take For The Lions To Beat The Seahawks Monday Night? A Run Game, And More ...
By Ashley Scoby
@AshleyScoby
With the Saints beating Dallas on Sunday Night Football, the Lions are officially the only winless team in the NFL. They'll take on the Seahawks Monday night in Seattle for a shot at that elusive first win. Here's what has to go right for Detroit if it's finally going to throw a tally mark in that win column:
Get some semblance of a run game going
Averaging 45 yards on the ground, as the Lions are doing through three games, doesn't get it done in the NFL. Averaging double that number barely gets it done in the NFL. Even if it's not because of a calculated choice by the coaching staff, Joique Bell won't be getting carries tonight (he has an ankle injury). After three games of minimal production (22 yards off 20 carries) from Bell, maybe this is a nice change of pace. This is a chance for Ameer Abdullah in particular, but also Theo Riddick and Zach Zenner, to get the Lions rolling on the ground. Whether or not the offense is able to move the ball at all against the Seahawks – one of the top defenses of this era – will largely hinge on if they can at least break triple digits in rushing yardage.
Make Richard Sherman and the rest of the Legion of Boom beat you
Yes, the Seahawks' defensive backs are some of the best in the game. But that's no reason to curl up before them and play to their strengths. Offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi needs to make sure Calvin Johnson is going at the LOB's throats. He's been considered one of the best receivers in the NFL in recent seasons, so use him. At 0-3, and with the Cardinals popping onto their schedule next week, the Lions are at the point in the season when they need to roll the dice and go big. High risk/high reward? Yes, but the team has already proved their conservative approach isn't winning them football games.
For the first time this season, dominate the line of scrimmage
It could be argued that the basis of all of Detroit's problems this season starts with their lines. Plenty of fans believe the defense's issues are because they lost Ndamukong Suh in the offseason, because it's been hard to plug the hole he left behind. And on the other side of the ball, the offensive line has struggled to protect Matthew Stafford, or open up holes for the running backs. Offensive linemen have switched positions and dealt with injuries, and the unit hasn't gelled all season. It's not rocket science that when your lines play well, a chain reaction of good things happen for your team. The Lions have to get that part of the game going, quickly, or it's going to be a long season.
Don't let a rookie embarrass your defense
Detroit is catching a break this week, thanks to Marshawn Lynch sitting out the matchup Monday night because of a hamstring injury. But his backup – rookie Thomas Rawls – rushed for more than 100 yards against Chicago last week, and could be poised to do it again. The Lions are still missing DeAndre Levy from their linebacking corps, but they're going to have to keep the Seahawks from running it up their throats.
