The Detroit Lions and Seattle Seahawks met on Monday night in a big-time battle of top teams in the NFC so far this season, and it didn’t take long for the Lions to make an early statement. Detroit jumped on top of Seattle 14-0, and while the Seahawks would battle back, they struggled to keep the Lions offense in check throughout the game.
Detroit established the running game early, setting a physical tone that they maintained throughout the game, even as they shifted more of their balance to the passing attack. In the third quarter, David Montgomery exemplified that physical attack with one of the best individual efforts of the year in the NFL, catching a check down from Jared Goff and laying out Seahawks DB Devon Witherspoon with a vicious truck stick, as Witherspoon attempted to put a big hit on the Lions running back.
DAVID MONTGOMERY WENT BEAST MODE ON THIS PLAY 🔥
WHAT A HIT STICK ON WITHERSPOON 😱#SEAvsDET | ABC, ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/tg9UO9965l
— ESPN (@espn) October 1, 2024
15 years ago, this would’ve led a “JACKED UP!” segment next Monday night, but even in today’s NFL we can appreciate this kind of collision that’s just good football, as they go (mostly) shoulder to shoulder. Montgomery goes on to continue his incredible effort by shaking off more defenders and bouncing it across to the opposite side of the field for a 40-yard gain, and maybe my favorite thing on the play is that Witherspoon pops up and is one of the ones chasing him down to force him out of bounds.
The Lions would cash that effort from Montgomery in for another touchdown to extend their lead back to 14, as the two teams went back-and-forth scoring points in the third quarter in an incredible offensive display.