Seahawks vs. Lions: 3 things to watch for in Seattle’s Monday Night matchup

Welcome to Week 4. Following a heartwarming shutout win against the Bears, the Seahawks stay home and host the Lions on Monday Night Football. Let’s dive right in.

Thomas Rawls

In Sunday’s home opener, Marshawn Lynch started off slow and ended up taking only 5 carries for a total of 14 yards. Lynch experienced some tightness in his hamstring and would later leave the game. Thomas Rawls, the rookie undrafted free agent, immediately took Lynch’s role in the offense and had an immediate impact.

Rawls excelled on his opportunity: he showed good vision to find holes, and he ran hard through multiple defenders on several runs. Rawls logged 104 yards on 16 carries – good enough for 6.5 YPC. It was just announced that Lynch’s current status against the Lions is in doubt - as he may need more time to rest his hamstring.

The Lions’ defense hasn’t been super great defending the run this season – as they’ve allowed 336 rushing yards to opposing teams’ running backs (ranked 20^th in the NFL). If Lynch is out (and even if he isn’t), look for Rawls to take advantage of his opportunities and rack up some yards in the run game. Rawl’s presence will be critical to opening up the passing lanes for Russell Wilson.

Jordan Hill

Brandon Mebane left Sunday’s game with a groin injury after just playing 8 snaps. Hill immediately filled Mebane’s role and had a vital impact in shutting down Matt Forte later in the game. Hill registered four tackles on 30 snaps and was involved in several tackles for losses.

Hill seems to be improving, and with Mebane’s status in doubt for Monday, look for him to be a massive contributor in attempting to shut down the Detroit running game. If Hill can disrupt Detroit’s offensive line and put pressure on the Lions’ running backs, the Lions may be forced to air it out against the rejuvenated Legion of Boom.

Legion of Boom vs. Lions receivers

On paper, the Lions' receivers are really good. You’ve got Calvin Johnson, Golden Tate, Eric Ebron, and the rookie Ameer Abdullah seems to be involved in the passing game. However, they just haven’t seemed to be able to put it together yet. The pressure will be on Matt Stafford, as he just hasn’t been on the same page with his receivers. He’s been having some accuracy issues as of late as well.

The outcome of this matchup will likely determine the outcome of Monday Night’s game.