The Lions started today's game by playing their best quarter of the season. It got off to a rough start when Jason Hanson missed a 34-yard field goal, but the Lions followed that up with an interception by Louis Delmas, a touchdown pass to Brandon Pettigrew, a fumble recovery by Ko Simpson, an amazing touchdown reception by Bryant Johnson, a big stand on fourth and short, and a field goal. All of that gave the Lions a 17-0 lead after one quarter, and it looked like the Lions had complete control of the game.
Apparently the Lions forgot how to play football as soon as the second quarter began, because they absolutely fell apart. The Seahawks slowly scored points with field goals and a couple touchdowns and just chipped away at the Lions' lead. Detroit couldn't get anything going offensively, as every decent drive seemingly ended with an interception. That trend continued in the second half, and Seattle took the lead late in the third quarter. The Lions made it a 5-point game with a field goal in the fourth quarter and had a chance to win the game on multiple occasions. Matthew Stafford didn't have any fourth-quarter magic, though, and instead he just kept throwing interceptions. His fifth of the game came with less than a minute remaining and was returned for a touchdown, giving the Seahawks a 32-20 victory.
Two different teams showed up for the Lions today. The first was the team that came out at the start of the game and played great football. They were forcing turnovers, moving the ball, and most importantly, scoring points. A different team showed up for the final three quarters, and boy were they awful. The offense couldn't sustain a drive. The defense couldn't stop Seattle from dinking and dunking their way down the field. And finally, the special teams played rather poorly by failing to do a good job of covering kickoffs. When Jason Hanson is the person responsible for stopping kick returns on multiple occasions, there is a definite problem.
The Lions will look to rebound next week by traveling to Minnesota. Considering how well the Vikings have been playing, it looks like the Lions will be lucky to simply make the game look competitive. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. on FOX.