Previewing the Detroit Lions' next opponent: The Seattle Seahawks

As the Detroit Lions' 2015 season is spiraling out of control, they will need to find a way to tally one in the win column. This week's challenge is not an easy one, as the Lions travel to Seattle to take on last year's NFC Champion, the Seattle Seahawks. Here's a quick look at Seattle's year thus far:

Seattle Seahawks (1-2)

Schedule so far:

Week 1 - at Rams - lost, 31-34

Week 2 - at Packers - lost, 17-27

Week 3 - vs. Bears - won, 26-0

Reason for optimism:

Despite coming into the year with high expectations, the Seahawks are off to a slow start. Like the Lions, Seattle dropped their first two games on the road, one to a bad Rams team and another at Lambeau field. They rebounded last week at home, but it was against the lowly Chicago Bears.

Seattle's offense has particularly had some trouble getting off the ground. In three games, they have just four offensive touchdowns, and have yet to rush for a TD. In comparison, the Lions' struggling offense has seven TDs on the year.

Reason for pessimism:

I'll try to keep this brief. Seattle is nearly unbeatable at home, and with a rowdy Monday Night Football crowd, that task will likely be even harder. In the past two seasons, Seattle has dropped just two regular season home games.

Additionally, the Seahawks defense remains one of the best in the league. They rank third in yardage allowed, and although they have struggled a bit defending the pass this season (passer rating allowed of 104.3, sixth-worst), the return of safety Kam Chancellor looks like it is already paying off. This isn't exactly a team you want to face while working through some offensive issues.

Storyline to watch:

To say that Detroit Lions' offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi is on the hot seat would be a huge understatement. If the Lions' offensive performance wasn't bad enough, rumors that opposing defenses are picking up on the Lions' tendencies and figuring out plays before they happen are really killing Lombardi's reputation. If the Lions' offense doesn't come out looking new and improved this week, Lombardi's job security will be all anyone is talking about next week.

On Seattle's side, the Seahawks are just looking to build on last week's performance. Things were looking down for the Seahawks after two weeks, but a win over the Bears at home doesn't really give a good indication if Seattle is back on track. A win over the Lions may not confirm that either, but it would be a step in the right direction for the Seahawks.