Seahawks-Lions Preview: Field Gulls 5Qs, 5As with Pride of Detroit

It's the last Sunday in September, and as the weather gets cooler and the leaves change colors, it's time for the Seattle Seahawks and Detroit Lions to square off in what feels like an annual tradition.

The Seahawks look to continue their hot start under new head coach Mike Macdonald, while the Lions hope to keep up with the Minnesota Vikings in an early-season prime-time showdown that could have playoff seeding implications come the postseason.

However, talks about the playoffs are pushed into the background. So let's get back to the upcoming Week 4 game: It's time for the weekly preview. Ryan Mathews, editor at Pride of Detroit, joins Field Gulls this week to answer the five questions posed. Without wasting any more time, here are the answers to this week's questions.

The Lions were a popular pick this offseason to win the NFC and get into the NFL Super Bowlbut they haven't been quite as dominant in the first three weeks of the season as you'd expect from a team with such expectations. That's a bit NFC Championship Playcat? Are there too many new players on both sides? Anything else?

I'd say it's an outside perspective on a Lions team that began the season with rematches between its first two playoff opponents a year ago. Detroit is still 2-1 this season and their only loss was the result of a poor red zone performance against the Buccaneers (1-7). While their offense has been a bit disappointing over the last three weeks, the real story is that the defense is finally a championship-caliber unit.

Aidan Hutchinson is having an absolute monster season, just like 2021 Michigan Wolverines When Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald was defensive coordinator and Hutchinson won the Lombardi Award, he was also named Big 10 Defensive Player of the Year. Is there anything that makes Hutchinson different or special, or has he simply evolved in his mid-twenties?

During the offseason, the Lions hired respected defensive coach Terrell Williams from the Tennessee Titans, and the early results were quite impressive. Detroit is a team that focuses on running the ball and stopping the run, and the Lions' defense absolutely shuts down opponents on the ground. The teams average 3.6 yards per carry (t-3) on 64 attempts (29th), and both numbers speak to Detroit's ability to stop the run and force opponents to throw the ball.

As for Hutchinson, his best attribute in the first two seasons of his career was his engine: It always runs red hot and never runs out of gas. This year he is playing 92% of defensive snaps and that's simply a number you don't see in many defensive ends in the NFL. But this year, with the arrival of Williams, Hutchinson has added more pass-rush moves to his arsenal — and even tweaked some of what he already had in his repertoire.

“Aidan’s first year he had this spin move where he would always turn to the outside,” defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn said. “And (defensive line coach Terrell Williams) T comes here and T teaches him to turn inside and that move has worked well for him. So it's about really opening up every player's toolbox in terms of their body type, their talent and their athletic ability and giving them the opportunity to say, 'Man, I think you have a chance to use this.'”

Seahawks fans know all the big names like Goff, St. Brown, Williams and the like, but who is one player on both sides of the ball that Seattle fans may not be familiar with that could have an impact on the outcome of the game?

He's definitely a player you've heard of because he played at Washington State. Levi Onwuzurike's football career appeared to be headed for an unfortunate end as back injuries and surgeries severely limited his ability to stay on the field in his first few seasons.

During training camp he emerged as The Breakout player of the summer. Nobody saw it coming. And in his fourth year, Onwuzurike has 12 pressures, five quarterback hits and a sack in Week 3, which are either season highs or consistent with his production in 2021 or 2023. He is a very versatile player for Detroit's defensive line. Set up anywhere from the 2i to the 5 technique. Onwuzurike has pressed the pocket and made life uncomfortable for quarterbacks now that he's healthy.

Points are down across the league this year, but it has been a high-scoring game the last two seasons these teams have played each other. Do you expect another shootout or will it be more of a close defensive battle?

My gut feeling tells me that these two are in for a hard-fought duel. Both teams were able to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks, and while the Lions' secondary is still developing with so many new faces in new spots, the pressure from the front seven has made up for their early season deficiencies. For the Seahawks, it looks like their secondary has been able to keep up with the play of their defense, which has caused the offense to be off-kilter and unbalanced.

It seems like we have two coaches who truly believe in the power of running the football and stopping the run. So it might depend on who blinks first in this regard.

What is your prediction for the game?

Before the Seahawks' long injury list, there was a feeling that Seattle would be ready to come to Ford Field on Monday night and get the best of the Lions once again, especially given the injuries Detroit is dealing with after Week 3.

Lions over Seahawks, 21-17.

And now it's on to the Lions on Monday Night Football.