Seahawks travel to Motor City | Seahawks Gameday

The Hawks, off a 13-6 loss to the 49ers, will try and get back in the win column against the 2-4 Detroit Lions.

October 25, 2012 2:20 pm
Brandon Browner's late interception gave the Seahawks hope against the 49ers. But it proved too little in the 13-6 loss.
Brandon Browner's late interception gave the Seahawks hope against the 49ers. But it proved too little in the 13-6 loss.

The Seahawks will be back at the site of the franchise’s most historic moment when it travels to Detroit’s Ford Field, the home of Super Bowl XL, to take on the Lions in a matchup of NFC postseason hopefuls.

San Francisco used a stifling defense and an opportune pass game to dash Seattle’s hopes of taking the top spot in the division and picking up its first division win of the year last Thursday in a 13-6 win in the Bay Area. But facing a Lions and their 22nd ranked scoring defense should not pose nearly the challenge.

Detroit has been steady against the pass, ranking sixth in the league, but Marshawn Lynch, Robert Turbin and the Seattle ground game will likely be called on early and often to attack a rush defense that is only 16th in the league and is allowing nearly 110 yards per game.

Lynch, who carried for 103 yards on 19 carries in the loss to the 49ers, is averaging 4.2 yards per carry on the year.

It may take a dominant performance on the ground to again revive a passing game that has been inconsistent throughout the year. Rookie quarterback Russell Wilson pilots an air attack ranked 31st in the league and may be without slot receiver Doug Baldwin this week after the Stanford alum was injured late in the Thursday night loss.

The Seahawks defense is undoubtedly focused on slowing down the athletic and physically imposing Calvin Johnson, who has nearly 600 yards receiving on the year.

“He’s going to be all over,” head coach Pete Carroll said during his weekly press conference. “They (defensive backs Brandon Browner and Richard Sherman) have a lot of respect for him.” But Seattle fans will see a familiar face at the opposite wide receiver position for the Lions, as local produce Nate Burleson is the team’s second option at wideout.

Matt Stafford will be the man pulling the trigger in the Detroit passing game and enters the year with a quarterback rating of 78.4 on the season, just more than a point worse than Wilson.

If Chris Clemons, who is tied for third in the NFL with seven sacks on the season, can apply pressure on Stafford, it will go a long way in halting an explosive weapon in Johnson and capable threats in Burleson and tight end Brandon Pettigrew and Tony Scheffler.

The franchises have not met since 2009, when the Seahawks won 32-20 at Century Link Field on four Olindo Mare field goals.