The Seattle Times
Seattle Seahawks (3-3) at Detroit Lions (3-3)
Time: 10 a.m. PT
TV: FOX
Radio: 710 AM/97.7 FM
ESPN
Four of 10 panelists pick the Seahawks straight up.
SPORTS ILLUSTRATED
Three of seven panelists pick the Seahawks straight up.
THE NEW YORK TIMES
Benjamin Hoffman picks the Lions (-3) to cover.
“The Seahawks (3-3) have won three of their last four games, but with two of the wins coming against Oakland and Arizona, it is hard to get too enthusiastic about them. Even with the improvement, their path to a wild card looks awfully steep (there is no point in pretending they have a chance of catching the Rams for the division title). They have a brutal stretch over the next five weeks. Going on the road to Detroit is more complicated than it has been in recent years, thanks to the Lions (3-3) finding some balance in their offense, with Kerryon Johnson and LeGarrette Blount giving them a decent running game. This game should be an excellent barometer for whether Seattle’s rebuilt defense has gotten better, or if they have just gone against easy competition.”
PRO FOOTBALL TALK
Mike Florio: Seahawks 27, Lions 24
“Rested and ready to do justice to the memory of Paul Allen, the Seahawks keep the Lions from getting above .500, for now.”
Michael David Smith: Lions 27, Seahawks 20
“I picked the Lions in Week One and I was way off as they got blown out by the Jets. Since then I’ve been betting against the Lions all season, so of course they’ve gone 5-0 against the spread since that ugly game in Week One. Now I’m going to pick them, so watch them lose.”
NFL.com
Elliot Harrison: Lions 28, Seahawks 24
“Good game. No, seriously — this matchup is legit. The Seahawks are coming off the bye week, rested after their trip across the pond, where they ousted the Raiders in front of a bunch of Phil Collins fans. The Seattle faithful are more into Candlebox, anyway. Maybe not. The Seahawks may win this important game in the wild-card race if they can keep the passing game producing at the level it has over the last two games, vs. the Rams and Oakland. Meanwhile, the Lions are hoping Ziggy Ansah returns from injury to bolster what has been a surprisingly feisty pass rush. With Kerryon Johnson emerging again last week in Miami with nearly 200 yards from scrimmage, the Detroit defense should have fresher legs — important vs. the always-pesky Russell Wilson. Surprisingly, he’s not running as much this year (17 attempts this year versus 32 through six games in 2017).”
BLEACHER REPORT
Two of three panelists pick the Lions (-3) to cover.
Consensus pick: Lions 26, Seahawks 23
Gary Davenport: “This wasn’t an easy call. It’s a matchup of two teams that might be kind of good unless they aren’t. And the Lions are playing at home with a nice head of steam after handling the Dolphins last week. But while there are things the Lions are doing well this year, defending the run isn’t one of them—they’re allowing almost 140 yards per game on the ground. Harrison will help in that regard, but he isn’t likely to fix a bad run defense in less than a week. The Seahawks have refocused their offense on the ground game as of late, which should allow them to control the tempo of this game. In what I expect to be one of Week 8’s closer contests, I’ll take the points.”
