The Seahawks went for the victory in overtime at the end of the suspense thanks to the solid game of their quarterback.
Detroit Lions (1-1) – Seattle Seahawks (1-1): 31-37
Extension, 3rd&2 a few yards from the Lions line. Seahawks chooses a pass, Geno Smith (32/41, 328 yards, 2 TDs) is under pressure, but he manages to find Tyler Lockett for the winning touchdown. A high-flying action from the quarterback who showed all his leadership qualities in this match despite the absence of his two starting tackles, even if he undoubtedly benefited from lenient refereeing at the time, Aidan Hutchinson appearing to be held back by Jack Curhan on the latest action.
Unfortunately, once again, the victory in a big match will have been decided in overtime by a coin toss, and Seattle will have prevented an impressive Jared Goff (28/35, 323 yards, 3 TDs, 1 Int) from trying his luck. After their victory against the Chiefs, the Lions come back down to earth.
418 yards for Detroit, 393 for Seattle
Before this outcome, however, Goff had come back from nowhere. In front at the break (14-7) thanks to touchdowns from Josh Reynolds and Amon-Ra St. Brown, the locals were dominated in the second act, allowing Seattle to take the lead 10 minutes from the end through the inevitable Tyler Lockett (21-24). When, during the following series, Tre Brown intercepted Jared Goff (a first in 384 attempts) to score a defensive touchdown (21-31), the mass seemed said.
But the former Rams showed heart. From the next series, he found Josh Reynolds (5 receptions, 66 yards, 2 TDs) for the touchdown, in a drive fueled by the heroic receptions of rookie Sam Laporta on the third attempt. A good defensive stop later, and Dan Campbell’s men equalized on the gong (31-31), before a disastrous end.
Too many turnovers for Detroit
Overall, this match was up and down between two similar teams. Both had difficulty defending the pass despite good performances against the run (82 yards rushing for Seattle, 102 for Detroit), with defenses incapable of putting pressure on opposing quarterbacks. There were no sacks from either side until the final quarter, despite injuries to both ranks.
If Seattle got into difficulty with errors in the backfield, notably on the second touchdown signed Kalif Raymond, and because of two missed field goals by Jason Myers, Detroit will regret its losses of the ball. In addition to the interception, the Lions committed a damaging fumble by David Montgomery at the start of the second half while the visitors were in difficulty. An opportunity transformed by Kenneth Walker (17 races 43 yards, 2 TDs) for his second touchdown of the day. Two failures on the 4th attempt also gave Pete Carroll’s players breathing room.
Injuries everywhere
Both teams also suffered numerous injuries in this match, starting with Detroit. David Montgomery had to leave the match due to a leg injury, for Halapoulivaati Vaitai, the knee seems to have given way. St. Brown also suffered before getting back into the game. On the opposing side, Tariq Woolen went out with a chest injury, DK Metcalf and Jaxon Smith-Njigba went out before returning, and Evan Brown also left the field.
A massacre which tarnishes a great fight, between two teams now back to back at 1-1.
