The Seattle Seahawks are preparing for their first prime time game of the 2024 season facing the Detroit Lions. The Motor City Kitties of the 2020’s are quickly becoming the Carolina Panthers of the 2010’s in that Seattle seems to play them every year and each matchup puts a strain on the ol’ ticker.
Seattle is fresh off a commanding (if not kind of boring) 24-3 victory over the Miami Dolphins sans starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. If that wasn’t enough, Tua’s backup, Skylar Thompson, was also injured during the game forcing Tim Boyle into action. I don’t care how good of a team you have, being down to your backup – and eventually backup backup QB – neuters your playbook.
Not that the Seahawks should apologize for handily winning the game; they absolutely took advantage of the hand they were dealt, which wasn’t always the case the past few seasons.
And it looks like they might have some more injury luck heading their way against a suddenly banged up and beleaguered Lions team.
#Lions injuries: OLB Marcus Davenport is out for the season with an elbow injury, LB Derrick Barnes will miss "significant" time with a knee injury, TE Sam LaPorta (ankle) and DT Alim McNeill (shoulder) are day-to-day, and DB Brian Branch is in concussion protocol.
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) September 23, 2024
Sheesh https://t.co/PD24ER69xL
— Dugar, Michael-Shawn (@MikeDugar) September 24, 2024
Sheesh is one way to put it!
Detroit still has plenty of talent on both sides of the ball but that’s a lengthy list of contributors who could miss the Monday Night Football matchup. Frank Ragnow might be the biggest name particularly when you consider that the Seahawks have both Leonard Williams and Byron Murphy nursing injuries in the middle of their own defensive line. Ragnow touches the ball on every play, has a vital role in the effectiveness of both the Lions’ running game and passing game, and is the shortest route to the QB for the defensive line. If Seattle can cause quick disruption up the middle, that will put a damper on Detroit’s ability to execute on offense. Take that, Ben Johnson! We didn’t want you anyway, Mike Macdonald was our guy all along.
Then there are the injuries on the Lions defense. Davenport and Barnes may not have the star power of a guy like Aidan Hutchinson, yet they were both starters this season. The extra day courtesy of a Monday game could help Branch and McNeill recover enough to play. If not, that’s four starters down on defense from all three levels, which will probably influence both the quality of play and communication – a huge part of having an effective defense if Macdonald’s focus on “obnoxious communication” and subsequent defensive improvement are anything to go by.
Suddenly, this year’s annual Lions matchup seems a little less daunting than it was even a week ago with Detroit’s rash of injuries. Seattle is the beneficiary for the second week in a row with a real shot to steal a road victory in Ford Field and improve to 4-0…not that anyone here is complaining.
