Geno Smith and Kenneth Walker III highlight the Seattle Seahawks’ first loss

Instead, Detroit extended its lead to 14 points on a 3-yard rushing touchdown to running back Jahmyr Gibbs. They lost four defensive players early in the game, and the Seahawks were far behind where they had hoped after the first quarter.

Meanwhile, the Lions gave up plenty of yards on the ground, gaining 88 rushing yards in the first half between Gibbs and David Montgomery. Those two also scored all three of Detroit’s first-half touchdowns against a decimated Seattle defense. That made it easier for quarterback Jared Goff, who completed 12 of 12 passes for 92 yards through 30 minutes of play.

Goff passed 18 of 18 for 292 yards and two touchdowns – the most passing yards by a quarterback in NFL history. Seattle’s back end was unable to stop the Lions as they struggled offensively. It really was that simple.

As the third quarter clock began to tick, the flood gates opened. Seattle lost its fifth starter due to an injury to Julian Love (thigh), but Detroit and Seattle traded touchdowns on five consecutive drives.

Even though Seattle appeared to be held at bay, its offense continued to make up for the deficiencies of its struggling defense. Walker scored two of his three rushing touchdowns in the second half, and rookie AJ ​​Barner caught another touchdown from Smith.

The Lions scored two third-quarter touchdowns on a “Detroit Special” – a goal-line touchdown pass from wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown to Goff – and a 70-yard touchdown catch by Jameson Williams on one play.

Seattle conceded just its third point of the game with 1:59 remaining, trailing by eight points. What would have been a fourth-down conversion on Detroit’s 31-yard line after an 8-yard catch by Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba was negated by Tyler Lockett’s offensive pass interference call, forcing the Seahawks to punt on what could have been a game-tying pass.

After another seven plays and an 80-yard touchdown, even a possible safety didn’t matter to Seattle’s effort. Smith’s interception in the end zone with 1:06 left sealed the deal.

“I wouldn’t say it’s a litmus test, it just shows us that we’re not the team we need to be at the moment,” Macdonald added. “I mean, it’s just – that’s what it is. It just wasn’t good enough. They did everything they could to win the game, they did a great job, they had a great plan, and we fell short.

Seattle’s poor defense allowed Goff to set an NFL record for most pass attempts without an incompletion against Macdonald’s unit. Backups or not, this is unacceptable. It ultimately has to fall on the coaching staff, otherwise it wouldn’t be a record. The Seahawks are not the first team to deal with such a low number of injuries.

Is this an indictment against Macdonald? Of course not. In three weeks he created one of the best defenses. However, he needs to go back to the drawing board in the backup situation. The team had the better part of a week to prepare for the starters’ absence, and that was disastrous.

“They perform at a high level,” Macdonald said. “I mean, they had a really good plan. We have information that Jared is a great playmaker – he played cleanly, took sharp routes, and of course we did not deny the ball. It’s as obvious as it gets

In the loss, Smith set career highs in attempts (56), shots on goal (38) and passes (395). He was the engine of the Seahawks, and that wasn’t enough. It’s hard to keep playing within one or two points, but Smith did everything he could to keep the Seahawks in the game.

“We’re (3-1), that’s what they say, and now we’ve got to move on to the next one,” Smith said. “It’s just football, it’s NFL football. I think the only undefeated team was the Dolphins (1972), so we just try to go out there and win every game we can. We didn’t get it done today, but that’s why we have next week.

His lone interception came when the game was on the line – he steadily increased his tackles despite the pressure surrounding him. It doesn’t take more than an eye test to see how effective Smith is in this game. He is what makes Seattle’s offense effective. Put any other quarterback in this system and a different (possibly even worse) result is likely.

Smith is Seattle’s best player. Avoids negative offensive plays and creates profits when losses should be a foregone conclusion. Smith is still the best quarterback the Seahawks could have in 2024 – he avoids pressure, extends plays and creates positive plays – even as the league continues to see a decline in quarterback skills. There is no one better suited for this task.

Seattle didn’t start the game without four starting defensive players (five key players, plus Byron Murphy II also didn’t play) and lost Love in the second half.

The Seahawks allowed touchdowns on five of Detroit’s 11 drives, making it much easier for the Lions to score. No matter what the attacker did, he couldn’t keep up. The defense forced punts only three times – one of which was the first drive of the game.

Gibbs, in particular, excelled against Seattle on the ground, rushing 14 times for 78 yards and two touchdowns (5.6 yards per carry). He consistently had huge holes to penetrate between receptions, and the interior of the Seahawks defensive line was at a disadvantage. There was little they could do to slow the rushing attack.

Seattle was completely lost during the “Detroit Special,” in which Goff caught the first touchdown pass of his career. This wasn’t exclusive to the stock unit, but was typical of the evening.

This game showed why the Seahawks have struggled to win the last two seasons despite having a decent offense. When the defense is unable to make critical stops, it is difficult for the offense to keep up even with the weapons it has.

Of course, Macdonald was brought in to fix it. His largely reserve unit failed to get the job done on Monday, leading to a 13-point loss away from home. Defense has been a bright spot for the Seahawks through three weeks, and it’s understandable that they’ve taken a step back with all the injuries.

However, if Seattle wants to be a Super Bowl contender (like the Lions), they need to give it their all. It was no different on Monday evening.

Seattle (3-1) will face the New York Giants (1-3) on Sunday, October 6 at Lumen Field. The match starts at 1:25 p.m. New York after a 20-15 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.