In another high-scoring affair, the Seahawks fell 42-29 to the Detroit Lions on Monday Night Football.
Here are three takeaways from the Seahawks' first loss of the 2024 season.
Points! A lot of points!
If you put the Seahawks and Lions on a football field you'll probably end up with some points.
Some points is understanding it, to be fair.
In the last two meetings, the Seahawks and Lions have combined for 139 points and 19 touchdowns.
In a year where many National Football League (NFL) teams are struggling to score, we need more games like Seahawks vs. Lions on the calendar. Please and thank you.
How Seahawks defense fared without key players
Heading into Monday Night Football, the Seahawks ruled out defensive tackle Byron Murphy, defensive end Leonard Williams and linebackers Boye Mafe and Uchenna Nwosu.
The absences represent four pivotal members of the Seahawks front seven, which did not bode well against a talented Lions team with home-field advantage.
The results went as well as you'd expect, with the Lions gashing the depleted defense through the running game in the first half and dicing up the secondary in the air in the second half. Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams ran free and finished with 80 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Seattle forced the Lions to punt on its first defensive possession but the success did not materialize: Detroit finished the game averaging well over eight yards per play.
Geno Smith finding rhythm in new offense
While the Seahawks lost its first game of the season, Smith continued to show real progress in Ryan Grubb's offense.
The veteran signal-caller threw for 395 yards and a touchdown in the loss, setting career highs in completions, yardage and attempts. Smith, especially, deserves credit for keeping the Seahawks alive during the Lions first half onslaught. With their backs against the wall, Seattle effectively abandoned the run in the first half and dialed up 25 passes on its first 30 plays, entrusting Smith to steady the ship.
Smith was rewarded with a breakout second-half performance from Kenneth Walker, who punched in three touchdowns for the losing side.
After the Seahawks eeked out a victory in Week 1, relying on the running game instead of the pass, Smith has averaged 337 passing yards.
