Despite Matthew Stafford's career year, the Detroit Lions just couldn't find openings against the Seattle Seahawks' defense.
As a result, the Lions only managed to score two field goals while giving up 26 points to the opposition.
Seahawks offense
The majority of the credit here goes to the combination of Russell Wilson and Thomas Rawls.
The former threw for 224 yards and two touchdowns and kept the ball secure without a single interception. Though Stafford threw for roughly 205 yards, he couldn't find the answers off the pass. Marvin Jones, who lead in receptions and receiving yards, managed to gain a measly 81 yards throughout the game, which dictates just how effective Seattle was at stopping the ball in the air.
Meanwhile, Rawls set the Seahawks post-season rushing record in only 27 rush attempts.
As we can see from this highlight reel, Rawls was finding openings with ease. His longest rush attempt was a 32-yard dash, which happened to be the most rushing yards in one attempt throughout the game.
With 161 rushing yards, Rawls tore apart the Lions' rush defense.
Wilson had a good connection with Doug Baldwin as well, who pulled down 11 catches for 104 yards and a touchdown.
All in all, the Seahawks were getting the ball up and down the field with little to no resistance, so it's no surprise they managed to score 26 points in this routing of the Lions.
Lions were shaky
Again, Stafford was able to throw for 205 yards while throwing 18-for-32 without an interception, but he wasn't able to get enough distance with his receivers. The passing game was crucial, because the rushing game didn't have much of an effect on the game.
Zach Zenner had 11 rush attempts but only managed 34 yards. Stafford had to put the ball in the air. Zenner had a better outing off the pass than off the rush, securing six receptions for 54 yards.
Though Zenner and the receivers were getting their touches, they weren't making them count. Per NFL.com, the Lions third down efficiency was 18 percent, as they could only complete two attempts at getting a first down.
Detroit had 13 first downs in the game, most of which came from catches, so that says a lot about how much more effective the passing game was for the Lions. Whereas, the Seahawks had 24 total first downs, nine by rushes -- a.k.a Rawls.
Closing thoughts
The Lions' shaky defense hurt them the most this game, while Stafford was trying his best to push the tempo on offense. The Seahawks will be advancing while the Lions have a lengthy offseason to make some switches.
It's apparent the Seahawks defense is shaping up to its usual style of play, which makes them a deadly matchup for any team in the coming weeks.