The 1-2 Seattle Seahawks fly into Detroit in Week 4 to face the host Lions. It’s a game the home team sorely needs to win. Detroit is favored by nearly a touchdown. Coming off a tough loss in Minnesota, the Lions need to take advantage of being at home and considered the better overall team.
For that to happen, a few key Lions need to have good days against Seattle. Here are four in particular who stand out as needing good afternoons in Week 4.
Whomever is playing guard
(AP Photo/Matt Durisko)
The Lions have a curious question at both guard spots. With regular starters Halapoulivaati Vaitai and Jonah Jackson injured, Detroit has used practice squad member Dan Skipper at left guard and a combination of Logan Stenberg and Evan Brown on the right side.
It’s worked pretty well overall, but they haven’t gone up against the likes of Seattle’s Al Woods just yet. Woods is a criminally underappreciated talent around the league even though he’s been around since 2010. Woods isn’t a dynamic pass rusher, but he’s as good as it gets at clogging gaps and pushing the pocket backward between the guards.
As of Thursday night, it appears the Lions will roll out Skipper again on the left side. Skipper played very well in Week 2 but fell back a little in Week 3. The right guard–the side Woods primarily attacks–is still unknown. Stenberg was brutal in pass protection in Weeks 1 and 2, but he’s got anchor strength and power in the run that might match up better against Woods than Brown, who is more of a pass protection specialist and lacks size and strength. Either one figures to get almost constant help from center Frank Ragnow, which should help.
No matter who winds up manning the guard spot, they’ll need to be ready. Woods isn’t a solo act up front for Seattle; Poona Ford is an active presence next to him, and the Seahawks do run some inside blitzes that will need to be capably picked up.
Aaron Glenn
Yes, the defensive coordinator. Glenn had a bad day in Minnesota, no question about it. With all the focus on head coach Dan Campbell’s poor decisions late in the game, it was Glenn’s defense that gave up the game-winning touchdown in barely 30 seconds that cost the Lions the win.
Glenn has watched his defense give up copious chunks of points in all three games. In both the Washington and Minnesota games, his secondary has been burned repeatedly when playing more…
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