Tag: Detroit Lions vs. Seattle Seahawks

3 Seahawks fined for penalties against the Lions

One of the fines came on a play where a Lions player was penalized

The physical battle between the Detroit Lions and Seattle Seahawks in Week 2 produced some big hits. It also had some that were illegal and costly for Seahawks players.

Three Seahawks received fines from the NFL for their illegal activities in Ford Field. The league released the weekly fines on Saturday. Most notable was the late hit by EDGE Darrell Taylor on Lions QB Jared Goff. That egregiously late hit cost Taylor $11,957.

Wideout D.K. Metcalf is out $10,927 for his facemask penalty against Lions safety Kerby Joesph in the end zone. Joseph was flagged for pass interference on the play too, a direct result of Metcalf yanking his facemask to earn the fine. Defensive back Tre Brown was also fined for a facemask penalty in the game, costing him $6,112.

No Detroit players were fined from the game.

Lions film Review: Derrick Barnes has been an A-plus run defender this season

Barnes has taken a very big step forward in run defense so far in 2023

One of the surprises for the Detroit Lions defense so far this year is how good linebacker Derrick Barnes has been as a run defender. Through two games this year, he’s only missed one tackle while playing 66 defensive snaps.

With 13 total tackles and a tackle for loss, he’s tied for the team lead in both of those categories. Coming out of Purdue in the 2021 NFL Draft, Barnes was a third-round pick and he’s currently the top ranked defender on the team. In week two, he earned an 85.4 PFF grade for the Lions defense.

Barnes being a consistent contributor in stopping the run has been a huge blessing for this Lions defense. He’s been a key part in helping the Lions only allowing 86.0 rushing yards per game (10th best in the NFL). Let’s dive into the tape and see some of the best run stops from Barnes so far this season.

Starting with one of the first tackles of the game from Barnes against Seattle, we’ll focus on the play above. Aligned in a ’10’, Barnes is playing as the WILL as the tight end (strong side) is to the left. Seattle comes out in 11 personnel (one tight end and one running back) while running the ball.

As Benito Jones (DT 94) gets double teamed, Barnes knows that Jones in good position to clog the A-gap so he trusts his technique and ability to scrape inside of the center. As the center attempts to get to the second level to block Barnes, you’ll notice how Barnes plays square to the line-of-scrimmage and he uses his inside hand/arm to dip and rip under the center.

Afterwards, he displays good lateral movement and speed to chase down the running back. This tackle was one of his seven tackles from Sunday against Seattle.

Moving to the next play, we’ll look at the play above where Barnes is aligned in a ’10’ again. The Lions have Jerry Jacobs (CB 23) down in the box so Barnes is shifted over a gap.

The Seahawks are in 12 personnel (one running back and two tight ends) and attempt a zone run that gets stopped immediately. Playing with patience, Barnes lets the interior defensive lineman in front of him make a decision on which gaps they’re going to shoot through. Then Barnes attacks downhill.

In the process, he fires into the play-side A-gap and meets the running back in the hole. This was another great tackle from him. Seeing this on a weekly basis so far has been so encouraging.

Lastly, I want to focus on a tackle from week one against the Chiefs that really stood out. Looking at the play above, you can see Barnes aligned in a ’10’ and as the pre-snap motion occurs from the receiver, he shifts into a ’20’ (head up on the guard).

While the Chiefs come out in 11 personnel (one running back and one tight end), you can see Barnes read the slot receiver (WR 4) as he sprints behind the offensive line on this split-zone run. Playing patient and square to the line-of-scrimmage, Barnes has his hands ready to attack. Most importantly, he’s able to get downhill and make the tackle on the ball carrier.

Prior to this season, there was some doubt on the type of player Derrick Barnes could be for the Lions defense. However, provided a spark to the second level of this defense. He’s on pace for 110.5 tackles this season and that’s with only playing 48% of the defensive snaps. As the Lions get ready to face a run first offense in the Atlanta Falcons in week 3, I’d expect Barnes to stay busy this weekend.

Lions Film Review: Jared Goff’s best throws against the Seattle Seahawks

Goff had a pretty impressive game outside of one costly mistake

Many fans will remain hung up on the interception from Jared Goff that led to a defensive touchdown for the Seahawks. Rightfully so, the pick-six was poorly placed and it was a costly one in the 4th quarter that gave the Seahawks a 10-point lead.

Looking beyond the interception, there were a lot of great throws from Jared Goff against the Seahawks. In week two, Goff went 28/35 for 323 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. Let’s jump into the film room and take a look at some of the best throws from Jared Goff against the Seattle Seahawks.

Starting with the play above, this may have been one of the best throws from Jared Goff during his tenure with the Lions. It was the play right before the half and the Lions took a shot at the end-zone.

With Amon-Ra St. Brown sprinting down the sideline, Goff stepped up in a well-protected pocket and placed this ball perfectly. Despite the cornerback fighting for position to make a play, the ball was placed perfectly over the shoulders of both the defender and receiver.

This allowed St. Brown to extend his arms and haul this one in. Sure, St. Brown fumbled after taking a few steps, and the defender was forced out of bounds to go to the half, but we still have to give credit where it’s due. This is one heck of a throw from Goff.

The next play above is another great throw from Jared Goff. Not only is it a great throw but it’s also a great pre-snap read from Goff. As the Lions come out in an empty set, Goff reads the single high safety. Prior to the snap, the safety shades over to the three-receiver side and knows that he could hit the post route to the middle of the field.

Despite having a defender in the hip pocket of receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, Goff fires this pass in there, and it’s a perfect pitch-and-catch. Not known for slinging the football like this, it’s a great indication that Goff may be willing to take more shots deeper down the field despite knowing the risk for an interception or incomplete pass is higher.

Next we have to highlight the first touchdown pass of the game to Josh Reynolds. Give credit where it’s due, Reynolds did a great job hanging onto the ball despite knowing there was contact coming from the safety over the middle of the field.

On that touchdown pass, the Lions come out in 12 personnel (one running back and two tight ends). Prior to the snap, Goff motions Brock Wright (TE 89) to the right and this allows Wright runs a wheel route up the sideline. This leaves Reynolds 1-on-1 with a safety that buzzes down to him.

During this seam route from Reynolds, he hits the safety with an outside-in move and he gets vertical due to his ability to explode off his jab step. This is good enough to create an opening. In the process, Goff starts his read to the left before scanning to his right where he fires it into the chest of Reynolds for the touchdown. This was a terrific first drive for Detroit.

Lastly, I want to cover the completion from Goff to St. Brown in the 3rd quarter that contributed to Detroit going up 21 to 14 on Seattle. On the play above, the Lions come out in their Pony personnel (two running backs in the backfield) while facing a 2nd-and-19 from the Seattle 28-yard line.

While Detroit has two running backs in the backfield, it’s important to watch the twins formation at the top of the screen. Operating out of the slot is wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and he runs an excellent whip route.

In addition to the route from St. Brown, watch how Goff scans the field after the snap. He reads tight end Sam LaPorta, who is aligned as the ‘X’ receiver and is running a fade. Underneath that, you’ll notice running back Jahmyr Gibbs on a quick stop route.

While Goff is going through his reads, he sees everything is covered so he quickly scans to his right and that’s where he finds St. Brown open for a 14-yard completion. It’s important to note that St. Brown ended up getting hurt on this play but he did check back in and finished the game.

Overall, this was a strong performance from quarterback Jared Goff. While he did contribute to the loss with a pick-six, he was fairly accurate throughout the game. Keep in mind, Goff went 383 pass attempts without an interception so we knew he was bound for one despite how costly it could be for him and the Lions.

Whether you love him or hate him, Goff has played very well for Detroit since his arrival. If he continues to complete passes like the ones we saw above, he’s destined to have another strong season as he searches for a new contract with the Lions.

4 things I learned from Lions-Seahawks film study

4 things I learned from studying the game film of the Detroit Lions’ Week 2 loss to Seattle

Some weeks, the film review of the most recent Detroit Lions game can be a lot of fun. Other times, it’s an agonizingly painful recall of a brutal loss.

For the Week 2 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks, the Lions film review was somewhere in between. The loss certainly hurt, but the film review put some things into a better perspective of where the Lions got beat and how they came up just short in the overtime loss.

Here are some of the primary takeaways from watching the coach’s tape as well as the broadcast feed for a second time.

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Dan Campbell’s 4th down gambles become costly in Lions loss to Seahawks

“Dan Campbell got in Dan Campbell’s way,” writes Russell Brown. Is he right?

I’ll be the first to say that I love Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell. I love the way he’s turned this Lions team around and has every player buying into what he’s preaching. Regardless of the outcome for the Lions games, they’re going to play tough and make life difficult for the opposition.

Playing tough and being aggressive has its perks. We see it weekly with this Lions team. However, being overly aggressive is costly and in Sunday’s loss to the Seahawks, Dan Campbell proved just how costly it can be.

Some fans will blame the referees and the penalties. News flash: the Seahawks had more penalties called on them than the Lions. The Seahawks had 9 penalties called on them for 80 yards. Meanwhile, the Lions only had 4 penalties called on them for 24 yards. Sure, there were missed calls in some key spots, but the Lions had chances to put points on the board and they didn’t.

For example, the second drive of the game for the Lions offense. They ran 12 plays and gained 57 yards while eating up over six minutes of the game clock. But the drive stalled on 3rd and 1 with David Montgomery losing 3 yards due to a missed block from Sam LaPorta and it set up a long 4th-and-4 on the 31-yard line.

Most teams would have taken the points and attempted the field goal. That wasn’t the case for Dan Campbell. Rather than potentially going up 10-to-7 against a Seattle team that has won 5 straight games against them, they went for it and didn’t convert.

In hindsight, Campbell looks like a legend if the Lions convert on 4th down but instead, he looks like a fool. We know he’s not a fool but the aggressiveness is foolish when you need to win these types of games. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the only 4th down attempt that occurred for Detroit.

Near the end of the 3rd quarter, the Lions were at their own 45-yard line and went for it on 4th-and-2. Sure, we can drool over another gutsy call but this one put the defense in a tough spot. It’s a spot that they shouldn’t have to be in as they showed all game that they were struggling in stopping the Geno Smith led passing attack.

At that point, there was a chance to pin the Seahawks near their own end zone with a ruckus crowd at Ford Field behind them. Instead, it felt like the wind was taken out of the Lions sail after not converting another 4th down despite being up 21-17 at this point in the game.

To make matters worse, the aggressiveness started to wear off at the end of the game. During the Lions final possession of the game, they had 1:44 on the clock with their timeouts in their back pocket and the ball at midfield.

But all of that aggressiveness we’ve seen from Dan Campbell over the years went astray. He got conservative, ran five offensive plays and stalled their own drive by not taking a timeout until there were 26 seconds left on the clock. There were no shots to the end zone despite Josh Reynolds already hauling in two touchdowns.

Sure, injuries started to catch up to the Lions. The team went into the game down Taylor Decker, and they lost David Montgomery and James Houston during it. Despite Amon-Ra St. Brown getting dinged up, he made his way back onto the field and was on the field for the Lions final offensive possession.

None of that should matter though.

The offense was still making plays with contributions from Reynolds, Raymond, LaPorta and Gibbs. They were driving and headed toward the end zone. But the aggressive head coach that we’ve known since his arrival in Detroit suddenly got conservative. Penalty flags and challenge flags didn’t get in Dan Campbell’s way.

Dan Campbell got in Dan Campbell’s way.

We can eat humble pie and move on to the Atlanta Falcons. That’s fine. But this feels like a loss that we’ll be talking about again at some point this winter. Certainly, I hope I’m wrong, but this type of loss feels all too familiar here in Detroit.

The question that will linger from this loss to the Seahawks won’t be about what happens if the Lions don’t turn the football over. Instead, it’ll be about why is it acceptable for Dan Campbell to be aggressive on the 2nd and 7th drive of the game but not the last one?

If Campbell wants to be known as the guy who puts it all out on the table and is always swinging for the fences, that’s fine. However, his team and we fans are owed the consistency of him being that guy. Not the one that sits on the fence of being aggressive and conservative.

Jared Goff and Dan Campbell offer different views of the costly pick-six

Campbell put some of the initial blame on RB Jahmyr Gibbs, but Goff took ownership of the costly miscue

Jared Goff’s marvelous string of passes without throwing an interception came to an abrupt end on Sunday. With the Lions trailing 24-21 in the third quarter to visiting Seattle, Goff fired a pass behind rookie RB Jahmyr Gibbs.

Seahawks DB Tre Brown picked it off and ran it back for a critical touchdown, one that played a huge role in Seattle’s 37-31 overtime win.

After the game, Goff and Lions head coach Dan Campbell offered up different causes for the costly miscue.

Campbell pointed his finger at Gibbs, at least partially. It sounded like Campbell intended it as more of a coaching exoneration of Goff,

“Yeah, I need to look at it again, but to me that was more on the route than it was Goff,” Campbell told reporters. “This is why we work them over and over. You’ve got to be decisive. You can’t do that to your Q. But I’ll know more tomorrow, I need to watch it in real time.”

Goff pointed the finger right back at himself. He did note the pressure he was under from the Seahawks defense, but Goff did own the mistake.

“I thought he ran a fine route,” Goff said after the game. “I was getting hit or was about to get hit and threw it before he broke. The guy (Seahawks CB Tre Brown) made a good catch. Sometimes, it doesn’t go your way. I would’ve liked to throw it a little more inside and be able to give him a chance to catch it, and I didn’t.”

Goff was being pressured from the right side of the offense on the play and was hit almost immediately after throwing the ball to his left.

No matter who is to blame, the pick-six ended Goff’s team record for most pass attempts without an interception at 383. It’s the third-longest streak in NFL history. Unfortunately it ended at a very inopportune time.

Quick takeaways from the Lions overtime loss to the Seahawks

Some quick takeaways from the Lions overtime loss to the Seahawks in Week 2

One of the most anticipated games in Ford Field turned into bonus football between the host Detroit Lions and the Seattle Seahawks. Unfortunately, the home team came up on the short end of a 37-31 overtime outcome.

It was a tough, frustrating, mistake-plagued loss for Detroit in front of a fired-up crowd in the home opener. The Lions did a good job in overcoming several bouts of adversity in the game but couldn’t stop creating more adversity for themselves either. A good Seattle team won the game in a playoff-like atmosphere.

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Here are some of he quick takeaways from watching the game in real time.

Lions fall in overtime to Seahawks in playoff-like game

The Detroit Lions lost in overtime to the visiting Seattle Seahawks in what felt like a playoff game in Ford Field in Week 2

The game between the Detroit Lions and Seattle Seahawks was so close that the two teams couldn’t decide a winner in regulation. The Lions and Seahawks played what sure felt like a playoff game in Ford Field in Week 2, one that went into overtime.

The team with the playoff experience won the game. Seattle prevailed 37-31 when Geno Smith found Tyler Lockett for the game-winning touchdown pass. It was a deflating loss for the Lions and a raucous Ford Field, which sold out standing-room-only tickets and brought the decibel level of a Metallica concert.

The playoff atmosphere was obvious despite the game being played before autumn even arrives. Both teams were pretty sharp in the passing game, with Jared Goff and Geno Smith combining to complete 28 of their 35 pass attempts in the first half. Both defenses laid out some huge licks, too. The fan intensity, the extra physicality, the very tangible tension throughout the game — that’s what the playoffs are all about.

Detroit stumbled in its quest to win in the playoff-like atmosphere. This is a learning experience for the young Lions as they effort to get where the Seahawks are–a playoff contender that can win in multiple ways. Being able to string together wins over playoff teams from a year ago was just a bit too much for Dan Campbell and his Lions team.

The Lions did do a whole lot right in the game. Unfortunately, they also made some critical mistakes. A bad pick-six ruined an otherwise stellar outing from Goff: 28-of-35, 323 yards, 3 TDs and the one INT. David Montgomery lost a fumble on the very first play of the second half. There were missed assignments in coverage on a few Seattle passing successes. It’s tough to win when you give the ball back five times. Detroit committed three turnovers but also failed twice on fourth downs, giving Seattle too many short fields to work with.

Now it’s time to see how the Lions respond to the tough loss at home. The 2-0 Atlanta Falcons bring in playoff aspirations and intensity of their own next week.

Lions vs. Seahawks: How to watch, listen, stream the Week 2 matchup

Lions vs. Seahawks: How to watch, listen, stream the Week 2 matchup

Football is back in Detroit! The Lions celebrate their home opener by welcoming the Seattle Seahawks to Ford Field in a rematch of one of 2022’s most exciting games.

Seattle Seahawks (0-1) at Detroit Lions (1-0)

Sunday, September 17th, 1:00 p.m. ET

Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan

Line: Lions -4.5 (as of 9 a.m. on 9/17)

Here’s how you can watch, listen or stream the Lions home opener.

Watch

This game will be on FOX. Detroit draws the broadcast tandem of Kevin Burkhardt and Greg Olsen. Markets in the red on the map below (courtesy 506 Sports) will get the game on their local FOX affiliates.

Listen

The game will be broadcast over the Detroit Lions radio affiliate network. Dan Miller handles the play-by-play, with Lomas Brown as the color analyst and T.J. Lang reporting from the sidelines.

The flagship station is 97.1 The Ticket in Detroit. The full list of affiliates can be found here.

Stream

The NFL+ app (subscription required) is the league’s own network to view the game via a streaming device.

FUBO TV (subscription required) is another option.

 

 

Biggest key matchup for the Lions vs. Seahawks

Identifying the biggest key matchup for the Lions vs. Seahawks in Week 2 at Ford Field

Going into Week 1 for the Lions matchup with the Chiefs, I had said that Aidan Hutchinson against the Chiefs offensive tackles was the key matchup. Not much will be changing this week for the my biggest key matchup against the Seahawks.

Even though I’m going to be paying close attention to the usage of running back Jahmyr Gibbs and who plays left tackle for Taylor Decker, I’m still intrigued with the Lions defensive line. Most of this is due to the knee injury that occurred with defensive lineman Josh Paschal on Thursday. Not only will Paschal be out against the Seahawks, he could be out for a couple of weeks due to the injury.

That opens the door for players such as John Cominsky and Charles Harris to earn more snaps. However, both players had over 40% each of the defensive snaps last week against the Chiefs. For Cominsky, he played 27 defensive snaps (42%) and Harris played 52 defensive snaps (80%).

Despite Paschal playing the least amount of snaps with 17 defensive snaps (26%), I think the Lions can get creative and get James Houston on the field more. So with that, James Houston is my key player to watch for the Lions defense. Much of that is due to the versatility that the Lions defensive line has at all times.

The Lions should have no issues plugging Cominsky or Hutchinson inside to pass-rush as a 3-technique. That opens the door for Houston to standup off the edge and try to pressure Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith.

Houston potentially getting extended playing time is extremely relevant because of the injuries the Seahawks havre sustained with their offensive line. Not only did the team put their starting right tackle Abraham Lucas on the IR with a knee injury, they’ve also listed their starting left tackle Charles Cross out for the game.

This all bodes well for James Houston and the Lions defensive line. It should be expected for the Lions defense to pressure Smith early and often. With that, I’d expect an increase in playing time for Houston. While he didn’t record a defensive statistic last week against the Chiefs other than a quarterback hit on Patrick Mahomes, he should find success against Seattle.