The Detroit Lions and Seattle Seahawks will both be desperate for a win Monday night, but it seems much more likely that it will be Seattle that gets one. The Seahawks bounced back from an 0-2 start by shutting out the Chicago Bears, 26-0, while forcing the Bears to punt on every possession of the game. Meanwhile, the Lions dropped to 0-3 with a 24-12 loss Sunday night to weak-armed Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos.
Lions vs Seahawks
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Lions vs Seahawks Live Stream
Lions vs Seahawks Live Online
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Lions vs Seahawks Stream
Lions vs Seahawks Online
Chicago is now another 0-3 team, but it wasn't a coincidence that Seattle's defense allowed 61 points in its first two games while Kam Chancellor held out and then looked more like itself when its on-field leader returned to take on the Bears. Chancellor sets the defensive edge on each play, and acts as a coach when it comes to firing up his teammates after good plays or bad. He and fellow safety Earl Thomas will also have a big role to play against the Lions, as most defenses keep a safety over the top against Calvin Johnson as often as possible.
Seahawks vs Lions
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Seahawks vs Lions Live Stream
Seahawks vs Lions Live Online
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The Lions have a decent passing game with Johnson and Golden Tate giving Matthew Stafford two big-play threats, and Eric Ebron finally living up to some of his potential at tight end. Detroit's offensive line has been awful, putting Stafford under pressure time after time. That's led to injuries -- he's playing with extra padding to protect his banged-up ribs -- and a lot of dump-off passes to his running backs. Last week, with the Lions needing two scores at the end of the game, all Stafford could do was throw an endless series of five-yard passes to scat back Theo Riddick. Johnson's longest catch of the year is only 28 yards, so he's being wasted as he moves into his 30s.
Detroit Lions vs Seattle Seahawks
Detroit Lions vs Seattle Seahawks Live
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Detroit has even more trouble running the ball, with featured back Joique Bell having carried the ball 20 times for 22 yards. Rookie Ameer Abdullah has shown elite quickness, but hasn't been able to make things happen on a consistent basis, and Riddick is only on the field to catch passes. That means the Seahawks will be able to ignore the run to a great extent and focus on hitting Stafford as often as possible.
Seattle Seahawks vs Detroit Lions
Seattle Seahawks vs Detroit Lions Live
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On the other side of the ball, Marshawn Lynch is still suffering from a hamstring problem, but undrafted rookie Thomas Rawls rushed 16 times for 104 yards against the Bears. Rawls will have a little extra incentive Monday night, as a Michigan native who played for both Michigan and Central Michigan during his college career.
Seattle Seahawks vs Detroit Lions
Seattle Seahawks vs Detroit Lions Live
Seattle Seahawks vs Detroit Lions Live Stream
Detroit has also struggled rushing the passer due to the loss of Ndamukong Suh and injuries along the defensive line. That will give Russell Wilson time to look deeper down the field. He is averaging a career-low 9.7 yards per completion -- a number that has been over 12 in each of his first three years. Jimmy Graham got more into the offense last week, catching seven passes for 83 yards, and he'll be going against Detroit's DeAndre Levy, who has missed the first three games with a hip injury.
NFL Wild Card Round
Wild Card
NFL Wild Card 2017
NFL Wild Card Live
Wild Card Live
How to watch
When: 8:30 p.m. ET
Where: CenturyLink Field, Seattle, Wash.
Network: ESPN
Announcers: Mike Tirico, Jon Gruden, Lisa Salters
Online: WatchESPN, NFL Game Pass
