Thursday open thread: Who will be Lions’ key player on defense vs. Seahawks?

The Detroit Lions defense has really struggled over the past two games. After holding eight straight opponents to 20 points or under, they’ve given up 73 points in the past two games.

Obviously, the Seattle Seahawks don’t have quite the offense that the Dallas Cowboys or Green Bay Packers have, but they can—and do—occasionally rack up points on the scoreboard. In five of 16 games this year, the Seahawks scored at least 30 points (the Lions have only done that twice).

So if the Lions stand a chance to pull off the big upset on Wild Card weekend, their defense needs to show up. So today’s Question of the Day is:

Who will be the Lions’ key player on defense against the Seahawks?

My answer: DeAndre Levy. Although the Seahawks haven’t been a great running team this year, they still don’t shy away from giving the ball to their tailback. They will, undoubtedly, try to establish the run, and Detroit’s linebackers will have to do a better job maintaining their assignments and improving their tackling. The Lions need to get the Levy back that struck fear in their opponents, and they could use some of his former coverage skills, too.

With no decent, healthy nickel corner on the roster, the Lions may rely on Levy to help cover Seahawks tight end Jimmy Graham, who finished 2016 third among tight ends with 923 receiving yards.

This would be an excellent week for Levy to assume a full starting role and shake off the rust that has been obvious since he returned to the lineup in Week 14.

You turn.