2 Seattle Seahawks to blame for defeat to Lions at MNF, 1 player blameless

The Seattle Seahawks lost a barnburner on Monday Night Football and honestly, they shouldn’t feel that bad about it. There’s no shame in losing to the Lions in Detroit, especially after the fight they put up.

Detroit led 21-7 at halftime. The Seahawks responded on offense in the second half, cutting the lead to eight points in the fourth quarter. They never give up. This is the best conclusion from the game.

Still, Seattle had a chance to upset the Lions on their home field under the national spotlight. So there’s something to blame.

I have no interest in defending the state of officiating in the NFL. The reflections are terribly uneven. They manage to get past obvious calls left and right (like DK Metcalf’s interference in the end zone feed) while somehow finding the smallest infractions to report. With that said, the penalty that put one of the final nails in Seattle’s coffin wasn’t an officiating issue. Tyler Lockett owns it.

Early in the fourth quarter, Geno Smith found Jaxson Smith-Njigba on the right side for a fourth-and-3 from the Detroit 39-yard line. However, the eight-yard gain was negated by offensive pass interference by Lockett.

Lockett ran into a defender on a pick-up play, freeing Smith-Njigba to catch the ball in the flat. He was just too obvious, looking more like a blocker in the run game than a receiver trying hard to run his route.

This is Lockett’s tenth season in the NFL. He shouldn’t have called the judges so easily. And it’s not like the Seahawks could have complained all that much when the officials called an even less obvious call on the Lions’ next drive.

Without this penalty, the Seahawks would have had a real chance to tie the game. Instead, they had to punt.

Seattle’s injury list included five different starters on defense. Defensively, Byron Murphy II, Leonard Williams and Uchenna Nwosu were missing. Linebackers Boye Mafe and Jerome Baker also sat out. They lost Pro Bowl safety Julian Love in the third quarter.

I’m not sitting here and blaming players for injuries. Each of the Seahawks’ inactive players undoubtedly wanted to play on Monday. However, the fact that they were missing contributed significantly to the defeat. Circumstances and the shortcomings of the Seahawks’ substitutes are to blame.

When you score 29 points away, you expect to win. However, the Seahawks gave up 42 points. You won’t win many games with this kind of defense.

The defense gave Seattle a chance to tie the game at three after Geno Smith and company scored a touchdown to tie the game by eight points. However, this was the only significant stop they managed to make in the final minutes.

After Lockett’s costly penalty, the Seahawks allowed the Lions to cover the field with relative ease. Seven plays and 80 yards later, the game was out of reach.

Seattle will expect better defensive play as he recovers. After a hard-fought loss to one of the best teams in the league, they still lead 3-1. This is not the kind of loss that causes panic. It’s just a missed opportunity.

Geno Smith played at an extremely high level on Monday Night Football. It certainly wasn’t his fault the Seahawks lost that game.

The quarterback completed 38 of 56 passes for 395 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for a distance of 38 meters. His only interception was a desperation throw late in the game. Other than that it was spotless.

Playing behind a less-than-stellar offensive line, Smith managed to keep the Seahawks in the game. Every time it seemed like the Lions were in complete control, his play was impressive.

It’s not easy having Aiden Hutchinson in your face for most of the evening. Smith dealt with the pressure and continued to make accurate passes to receivers.

It certainly isn’t easy to walk into Ford Field and beat a Lions team. Smith almost succeeded. Any semblance of defense and he would do it.

If Smith continues to play like this, the Seahawks will be the team to beat in the NFC West and a legitimate NFC contender.