Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images 4 keys to a Detroit Lions Week 4 victory over the Seattle Seahawks on “Monday Night Football.” It’s the Honolulu Blueprint! The Detroit Lions (2-1) are hosting the Seattle Seahawks (3-0) on “Monday Night Football” in Week 4 and will be hoping to deliver them their first loss of the season. “This is a good opponent coming in,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said earlier in the week. “They’re playing complimentary football over there right now. A very good defensive team. Really all the main categories, they’re outstanding at. [...] So, we have our hands full but we’re looking forward to it. Our place, Monday night, our guys are ready to go, they’ll be ready to go.” If the Lions want to head into the bye 3-1 on the season, they’ll need to follow the keys to victory laid out in this week’s Honolulu Blueprint. Seahawks base schemes Typically in this section, we break down the Lions’ opponent’s base schemes, but with Seattle overhauling their entire coaching staff this offseason, we decided to take a closer look at how the Seahawks are different in 2024 in a separate piece, Lions Week 4 preview: Breaking down Seahawks’ offensive and defensive schemes. So, be sure to check it out for more context related to this week’s keys to victory. Key 1: Dominate on the ground In 2023, Seattle’s run defense was near the bottom of the league in most categories, and the Lions ran for over 100 yards and a score in their last meeting. The only significant personnel change the Seahawks made to their defensive line was drafting Byron Murphy in the first round, but he was injured last game and is expected to miss several weeks. Through three weeks in 2024, the Seahawks have improved their run defense—mostly credited to their altered scheme—and they currently are average in most categories, including allowing 116.3 rushing yards a game (15th most) and 4.4 yards per carry (14th). It’s hard to make sweeping judgments based on just three games, especially because when you watch the games, there are some drastic differences. For example, the Seahawks got an early two-score lead on Miami, forcing them to throw the ball more—resulting in just 65 rushing yards for the Dolphins. On the flip side, the Patriots took the Seahawks to overtime and put up 185 rushing yards on the day. Bottom line: if the Lions can remain committed to the run, they’ll have a chance to use it as a weapon. Through three games, the Lions have shown a strong commitment to the run and the results are paying off. So far, they are averaging 163 rushing yards per game (3rd most), 4.8 per carry (8th best), and 1.3 rushing touchdowns per game (8th best). In this particular matchup, the Lions will have to continue to be productive on the ground because one of the Seahawks’ main philosophical goals is to put opponents into vulnerable spots, especially on third downs. “They want to get you in third down and then create issues,” Campbell said. “That’s where they can get you. Get you in third down and now they’re causing problems, attacking your protections. They have guys that can cover, they’re sticky. So, we have to be in third-and-manageable. We have to be very efficient (on) first and second down.” The Seahawks secondary has been on fire to open the season and hasn't allowed an opposing quarterback to pass for over 150 yards—though there is some context to that, which will be addressed in the next section. To counter the Seahawks impressive coverage talent, the Lions will have to be able to counter with a fierce and reliable rushing attack. “When coverage happens, we understand we have to be able to run the football,” Lions assistant head coach and running backs coach Scottie Montgomery said. “So there’s a tremendous amount—a point (of emphasis) for us, that we do want to go establish ourselves and establish the run.” Furthermore, defensive secondaries have deployed a lot of zone coverage against the Lions this year, and the Lions have leaned on their run game to force secondaries to drop players into the box. In turn, this strategy will open things up things in the passing game. “I think our combination of run game slash vertical threats is a little bit unique,” offensive coordinator Ben Johnson said. “If we can run the ball versus two-high like we have done the first three games, it’s going to be challenging for teams to be patient—they’ll be death by paper cuts and we’re willing to play that game if need be.” Key 2: Jared Goff needs to play a complete game As previously mentioned, the Seahawks are setting records with their early season success defending the pass. Cornerbacks Riq Wollen and Devon Witherspoon, along with safeties Jordan Love and Rayshawn Jenkins, have been lights out in 2024. “Yeah, it’s tough,” Jared Goff said of the Seahawks secondary. “They’ve got good players, they’ve got good schemes. 21, Witherspoon, just flies around, he’s a great player. I think Woolen’s been a great player for a long time. They’ve got a lot of good players over there, man. They’re really well-coached, you can tell, and they play hard.” While their statistics are highly impressive, it’s worth taking note that they haven’t faced a quarterback near the caliber of Goff. For reference: Week 1: Denver’s rookie Bo Nix threw for 138 yards Week 2: Patriots’ Jacoby Brissett threw for 149 passing yards Week 3: The Dolphins had 186 passing yards as a team, but with Tua Tagovailoa out with a concussion, they turned to Skyler Thompson (107 passing yards), and then Tim Boyle (79) as an injury replacement. Don’t take this as a slight at the Seahawks' secondary either, they are sensational talents, but context is important and that’s not exactly a murderer’s row of quarterbacks. At the same time, Goff has yet to put together a complete game in 2024. He’s shown flashes, and his first half against the Cardinals was encouraging, but he has lacked consistency. “We have yet to play a 60-minute game on offense,” Johnson said. “Fortunately, our defense and special teams have been playing really really well. I know it’s coming, we’re just too talented of a group to not have more production and more points than what we’ve had and so it’s just a matter of time before we break through.” Patience will be key for Goff, as most of his errors appear to have occurred when he rushes a play or doesn’t properly diagnose the defense. The Seahawks will disguise coverages and try to apply as much pressure in unique ways as they can, but they don’t blitz much—just 19.2%, 25th in the NFL—so if the Lions' offensive line can give Goff time, he’ll need to make the most of it. Key 3: Win the explosive battle on both sides of the ball “Honestly, I think we have to win the explosive battle. We have to get some explosive on offense, and we have to shut theirs down,” Campbell said earlier in the week. The Seahawks—like the Lions—prefer to work their run game early and attack the seams forcing a defense to pinch—then take deep shots, typically to DK Metcalf. Quarterback Geno Smith is highly confident in his ability to make throws at all levels and will test teams deep several times a game. “They’re putting it in the hands of Geno [Smith] and really, a lot of it is: take what’s there, take what’s there, take what’s there, and then confusion. Shock play. Big play,” Campbell said of the Seahawks' approach to offense. “Like I talked about with Metcalf, so they’re willing to take what’s there and buy their time until the explosive shows up, and then they hurt you with it. That’s what they’ve done for three weeks. They make them count.” The Lions have done a nice job of limiting big plays this season, but explosives inevitably happen and Detroit’s offense will need to counter. So far, the Lions have leaned on Jameson Williams’ speed to stretch a defense, and when defenses single him up on the outside and shift out of Cover-2, Goff has been successful in taking deep shots. But the beauty of the Lions offense is that they don’t just get explosive plays from their passing game—their running backs can break off explosive runs at any moment. “A lot of times, in these types of games, you make the correct read, it can turn into an explosive,” Montgomery continued. “If you’re slightly below or behind on that correct read, it turns into a 3-yard gain or even a TFL. So from a precision standpoint, reading, we’ve got to be great.” It won't be the end of the world if the Lions secondary gets beat deep, but they’ll need a counter punch on offense to win this battle. Key 4: Hutchinson needs to be elite... against the coach who knows him best As I mentioned in my breakdown of the Seahawks' coaches and schemes, Seattle’s head coach Mike Macdonald is largely credited with taking Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson’s game to the next level. “Mike [Macdonald] really influenced me by giving me a lot of freedom in the defense, and allowing me to just let loose,” Hutchinson said during his draft process. “And that’s when I feel like I’m (at my) best, is when the coordinator trusts me and I trust him and we’re both on the same page.” Macdonald helped elevate Hutchinson to the point that he was selected by the Lions with the second overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft, and the coach probably knows Hutchinson’s game better than any opposing head coach in the NFL—though maybe Jim Harbaugh could make a case. But Hutchinson is a grinder and he’s constantly looking for ways to improve his game. In 2022, Hutchinson had 9.5 sacks and 53 pressures, then followed it up with a 2023 season that saw him record 11.5 sacks and an insane 121 pressures. 2024 is setting up to blow both the previous year’s successes out of the water, as he has already recorded 6.5 sacks and 25 pressures just three games into the season. There have been numerous reasons why Hutchinson’s game has evolved. He bulked up his lower half following his rookie season. He fine-tuned his technique through experience and film study. And he’s absorbed coaches' advice and increased his arsenal of skills. “Aidan’s first year, he had this spin move where he’d always spin outside,” defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn said. “And (Defensive Line coach Terrell Williams) T gets here, and T is teaching him to spin inside, and that move has worked well for him. So, it’s just really open up the toolbox of each player on what their body type, what their talent, athletic skillset is and being able to say, ‘Man, I think you have a chance to use this.’” With Marcus Davenport and Derrick Barnes landing on injured reserve this week, the Lions will deploy several players to play opposite Hutchinson, but there will be an adjustment period, and the Lions will need Hutchinson to continue to elevate his game. Fortunately for the Lions, the Seahawks' pass protection is one of their weaknesses on offense, and like the previous three teams the Lions have faced, they’re working with a reserve right tackle. Starter Abraham Lucas is on PUP, so the team turned to George Fant, but he landed on injured reserve, forcing Seattle to turn to Stone Forsythe. The fourth-year offensive tackle has 47 games of experience, but he’s only started one game prior to this season and he’s never faced a player like Hutchinson. “(Hutchinson) does a little bit of everything,” Forsythe told John Boyle of Seahawks.com. “He’s got speed, he’s got bull, he’s got power, he can spin. So he’s got a little rolodex of everything.” Macdonald will surely give Forsythe plenty of information on Hutchinson, but the Lions' edge rusher has leveled up his game so many times in the last three years, he’s going to have another opportunity to have a statement game.