Seattle Seahawks vs. Detroit Lions Betting Odds, Prediction, & Pick
Seahawks vs. Lions Odds
| Seahawks Odds | +4 |
| Lions Odds | -4 |
| Over/Under | 47 |
| Date | Monday, September 30th |
| Time | 8:15 PM ET |
| TV | ABC |
Though few football fans are likely to complain about a double dose of NFL action on Monday, the marquee primetime matchup this evening features the Seattle Seahawks and Detroit Lions at 8:15 p.m. ET on ABC.
Ahead of kickoff, oddsmakers have priced the Lions as 4-point favorites on the spread. The total is set at 47 points.
Let’s take a deeper look at the matchup to see where NFL bettors can find value at sportsbooks in this contest.
According to Evan Abrams of The Action Network, Jared Goff is 4-7 ATS against the Seahawks in his career, his least profitable ATS of any team. Goff has lost each of his last 3 head-to-head meetings against Seattle.
Seattle Seahawks Preview
Good quarterbacks win, great quarterbacks cover
In 12 career primetime games, Geno Smith is only 3-9 SU, but 9-3 ATS, per Evan Abrams. He has a good opportunity to improve upon both of those trends tonight, with Detroit missing a number of key pieces on the defensive side of the ball.
Smith hasn’t been great to begin 2024, but he has still been a capable steward of this offense, even with him not being at his best. Through 3 weeks, he ranked 12th in EPA/play and 6th in success rate among qualified quarterbacks. It’s possible we see a spike week from him in a good matchup and playing indoors tonight.
Seattle defense rules OUT Mafe, Nwosu, Williams, Murphy
Seattle’s defense is in rough shape heading into Monday Night Football. They have ruled out EDGE Uchenna Nwosu, EDGE Boye Mafe, DT Leonard Williams, and DT Byron Murphy. Mafe led the Seahawks with 9 sacks in 2023 and already has a team-leading 3 sacks in 2024. Williams has 1.5 sacks already this fall. Murphy is one of seven Seattle defenders with at least 0.5 sack this season.
This group has been one of the league’s most dominant and consistent pass rushes to begin the new campaign, but they will be dangerously thin on talent in this spot. It’s also fair to wonder how Seattle’s top-10 run defense will be impacted with so many big names unavailable this evening.
Detroit Lions Preview
Lions without Ragnow for key prime-time matchup
Starting center Frank Ragnow has been ruled out for tonight against the Seahawks. Ragnow is one of the league’s best run blockers and will be replaced by the unproven Kayode Awosika. Awosika went undrafted out of Buffalo in 2021 and is yet to play in 2024.
Any offensive line absence is notable for Jared Goff, who has some of the starkest splits in the NFL when pressured compared to when he has a clean pocket. In 2023, Goff had a 28:3 TD:INT ratio and a 75.8% completion rate from a clean pocket compared to a 6:9 TD:INT ratio and 49.8% completion rate when under pressure. Facing a strong Seattle pass rush, Goff could be in trouble this evening.
Detroit defense limping into Monday Night Football
According to Adam Schefter, star safety Brian Branch has been downgraded to doubtful for tonight’s action. Branch is currently ranked 14th out of 73 safeties in run defense grade and 27th in coverage, per PFF. His absence is particularly notable considering that this secondary unit is already without safety Ifeatu Melifonwu. Detroit’s defense could be vulnerable to the deep ball this evening, with the inexperienced, undrafted Brandon Joseph likely to see an expanded role.
Detroit will also be without LB Derrick Barnes and EDGE Marcus Davenport this evening, both of whom were placed on injured reserve earlier this week. Barnes had 9 tackles, including a pair of stuffs through the team’s first 2 games. Davenport is one of only three Lions’ defenders with a sack so far in 2024.
Seahawks vs. Lions Prediction
Geno Smith and company haven’t had the best start to 2024 offensively, but they have still managed 23+ points in each of their first 3 games. Tonight, they get to play indoors against a Detroit defense that will be without a pair of starting safeties, a starting linebacker, and a key EDGE defender. The Seahawks should have little trouble moving the football this evening, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see them hit a few deep balls downfield, with Detroit being thin on available talent in the secondary unit.
PICK: Seahawks OVER 20.5 Team Total, 1st Half (-122, DraftKings)
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