After the first three-play stop, the Lions rarely made it to third down with a total of 13 first down pickups, converting their only two other opportunities as they ran up and down the field with Gibbs and Montgomery leading the way and amassing 88 rushing yards. and averaged 5.5 yards per carry. Quarterback Jared Goff benefited greatly from the success he had with the ball. He relied heavily on play-action, completing all twelve attempts of his first half for 92 yards in a near-flawless half.

In terms of yards, the Seahawks were able to match the Lions with a pass-centric offense and even beat them by 19 yards as Geno Smith completed 17 of 24 pass attempts for 165 yards while connecting with seven different receivers. Unfortunately, DK Metcalf coughed up a fumble on a first down reception on a promising second drive, leading to a long return from cornerback Carlton Davis that set up Gibbs’ first touchdown run and pushed the Lions’ lead to 14-0 pushed. .

However, Smith and Metcalf bounced back on the ensuing possession, with the quarterback orchestrating an 11-play, 60-yard touchdown drive. Metcalf hauled in a 29-yard catch and dove to the one-yard line to set up a Ken Walker III scoring run a moment later, briefly cutting the deficit to seven.

But while the Lions were able to finish their drives, the same couldn’t be said for the Seahawks, who looked ready to strike again after falling behind by 14 on Gibbs’ second touchdown run. Smith had marched his side past midfield, only for a holding penalty from Pharoah Brown to drive them back ten yards and ultimately end possession without any points. Moments later, Jason Myers fell short on a desperate 62-yard field goal attempt as time expired.

Facing their largest halftime deficit of the season, the Seahawks will be allowed to open the second half hoping for a comeback on Monday night. But to do that, they will need to shore up their shaky run defense, while accounting for some missing key players and finding more balance in attack, with Walker rushing just four times for six yards in the half.