They did it on the ground. They did it through the air. They did it without throwing an incomplete pass.
The Detroit Lions offense reveled in a 42-29 victory over the Seahawks on Monday night, handing Seattle its first loss of the season after a 3-0 start. Geno Smith and Kenneth Walker made a valiant effort to keep pace with Seattle. But in the end, it was a fruitless effort against a Lions unit that was firing on all cylinders against a Seahawks defense that lost several starters to injury.
The Lions went three and lost on their first possession after a Goff sack on third down. From there, there was little resistance from a Seahawks defense unable to stop Detroit’s cavalcade of playmakers.
Jared Goff had a perfect night at quarterback, completing all 18 of his pass attempts. He also managed to catch a touchdown. Jahmyr Gibbs, David Montgomery, Amon Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams and SamLa Porta took turns calling plays for an offense that scored touchdowns on six of its 10 possessions.
After their three-pointer on the first possession, the Lions responded with touchdown drives on three consecutive drives. Detroit’s two-headed monster, Gibbs and Montgomery, set the initial tone.
Gibbs went on a 20-yard run to put the Lions in the red zone on their first possession. Montgomery finished the drive with a one-yard touchdown run. Detroit’s next two possessions ended with touchdown runs by Gibbs as the Lions opened a 21-7 lead.
The Seahawks opened the third quarter with a touchdown to cut Detroit’s lead to 21-14. Then the Lions began to shine.
Montgomery set up Detroit’s next touchdown with a physical catch-and-run on a Goff screen pass. He caught the first-and-10 pass for what seemed destined for a short gain when Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon stepped up for a tackle near the line of scrimmage. But it was Witherspoon who ended up on the ground after a violent collision as Montgomery stood tall and carried the ball for a 40-yard gain, breaking multiple tackles along the way.
The play set up the first touchdown catch of Goff’s career. On second-and-goal at the 7-yard line, Goff handed the ball to St. Brown and then headed directly to the left corner of the end zone. St. Brown then turned around and threw a perfect ball that Goff corralled to score and extend Detroit’s lead to 28-14.
The Seahawks responded again with a score that cut Detroit’s lead to one score. It doesn’t matter. On Detroit’s next play, Goff found Willams for a 70-yard touchdown to extend the lead to 35-20.
The Seahawks responded once again, this time with Walker’s third touchdown run of the night to cut the Lions’ lead to 35-27 early in the fourth quarter. But that was Seattle’s last gasp.
Goff’s second touchdown pass of the night, this one to St. Brown, put Detroit up 42-27 with 3:34 left and all but ended Seattle’s hopes of a comeback.
In the end, Goff completed 18 of 18 pass attempts for 292 yards and two touchdowns. He wasn’t sure he had a perfect game until ESPN’s Lisa Salters told him so after the game.
“You know, I wasn’t sure. I was trying to remember if I had anything incomplete. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. But I knew I had a chance.”
The Lions finished 19 of 19 as a team thanks to St. Brown’s 7-yard throw to Goff. Gibbs rushed 14 times for 78 yards and two touchdowns. Montgomery totaled 80 yards from scrimmage and the touchdown.
St. Brown totaled six receptions for 45 yards and a touchdown reception in addition to his touchdown throw. Williams totaled 80 yards on two receptions, making his only big play count for a touchdown. LaPorta added 53 yards on four receptions, including a 30-yard gain on Detroit’s final touchdown drive of the night.
For Seattle’s defense, it was like a game of pick-your-poison with no right answer.
Seattle actually outscored Detroit in total offense, 516 yards to 389. Geno Smith threw for 395 yards, while Walker had 80 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.
But Detroit’s offense was more precise and efficient. The Lions averaged a whopping 7.8 yards per play and didn’t turn the ball over. Goff needed just 18 passes to reach 292 yards for an average of 16.2 yards per attempt.
Smith threw the ball 56 times as Seattle played from behind all night. His 7.1 yards per attempt would be outstanding most nights. Just not on Monday.
Judging Seattle’s defense based on Monday’s effort wouldn’t be entirely fair. They played without five injured players from their seven-forward rotation. Defensive linemen Byron Murphy III (hamstring) and Leonard Williams (ribs) and linebackers Jerome Baker (hamstring), Boye Mafe (knee) and Uchenna Nwosu missed the game.
The Seahawks hope to be healthier as they prepare for next Sunday against the New York Giants. The Lions will enter the first bye week of the season after a big win and a 3-1 start. Next up is a matchup with the Dallas Cowboys in Week 6.