PLAYER NOTES
–RB Theo Riddick could miss his second straight game with a knee injury after sitting out practice Wednesday. With Riddick out, Kerryon Johnson saw an increase in playing time against the Dolphins and would be in line for more work in the Lions’ third-down and two-minute packages.
–LB Jarrad Davis missed practice Wednesday with a calf injury he suffered against the Dolphins. Davis is coming off his best game of the season, when he had seven tackles and one sack.
–WR Kenny Golladay has had a touchdown called back by penalty in each of the Lions’ last two games. He had a 45-yard score called back in a Week 5 win over the Green Bay Packers and a 13-yard touchdown nullified last week, both by hands-to-the-face penalties on rookie guard Frank Ragnow. For the season, Golladay has 29 catches for 465 yards and three touchdowns.
PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: TE Michael Roberts. Roberts was considered one of the best red-zone threats in the 2017 draft after he caught 16 touchdown passes in his final season at Toledo. He played sparingly for the Lions as a rookie, when he was used primarily as a blocker, but has started to show some of his pass-catching chops this year. Of Roberts’ four catches this season, three have gone for touchdowns. Luke Willson remains the Lions’ No. 1 tight end, and Levine Toilolo has made big contributions in the run game, but Roberts has emerged as a viable weapon near the goal line because of his big frame and huge hands.
GAME PLAN: As tempting as it is to put this game in Matthew Stafford’s hands against a Seattle secondary that no longer resembles the Legion of Boom, the Lions need to maintain the balance they’ve shown on offense. It’s no accident that the Lions are 3-0 when Kerryon Johnson touches the ball at least 14 times, and 0-3 when he doesn’t. Stafford has gone three straight games without a turnover, and that will be key Sunday as well against a Seahawks team that’s tied for second in the league with a plus-7 turnover margin.
Defensively, the Lions need to limit the big play. They’ve given up a league-high four rushes of 40 yards or more this year, and with cornerback Darius Slay dealing with a bad toe, they might be extra vulnerable to the deep pass. The Seahawks don’t have an offense built for catch-up situations, but they do like to run the football and wear defenses down. Russell Wilson can hurt teams with his legs, so if the Lions have a chance to get him down, they can’t let the Seahawks quarterback slip out of their grasp.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH
–Lions WR Golden Tate vs. Seahawks CB Justin Coleman. Tate leads the Lions with 37 catches and 467 yards receiving, but he has a tough matchup Sunday against the emerging Coleman. The Lions lean on Tate as a chain mover and extension of their running game, and he needs a bounce-back game after a rough outing last week. Coleman has faced some good slot receivers this year in Cole Beasley, Larry Fitzgerald and Cooper Kupp, and he’s fared well in those matchups.
–Seahawks RT Germain Ifedi vs. Lions OLB Devon Kennard. The Lions have had at least two sacks in 10 straight games, the longest active streak in the NFL, and they should have opportunities to get after the oft-sacked Russell Wilson on Sunday. Kennard leads the Lions with five sacks on the season, and he’s the one true pass rusher they have if Ziggy Ansah can’t play. Ifedi has shown steady improvement over the course of his career, but playing inside Ford Field is never easy on offensive linemen. If Kennard can make Wilson uncomfortable Sunday, that should bode well for the Lions’ chances.