Dave Boling: The Seahawks aren’t perfect, but they show the making of a team on the rise

A world filled with cynics and critics and football funsuckers will cite the Seahawks’ Monday night loss as a forestalled reality, and their first three wins a mere function of weak opposition to open the season.

The Lions, a legitimate power, came away with a 42-29 win Monday, exposing the Seahawks as a good team still somewhat short of elite, they will say.

Maybe not.

A loss, yes. But it also provided a telling look inside the character of a team still finding itself, learning the ways and expectations of a new staff, and seemingly on the verge of becoming a contender.

Playing shorthanded on defense, missing four injured starters, they made mistakes, missed some tackles and blew a few coverages, but played with a 60-minute tenacity worthy of some of their most successful predecessors.

After falling behind 21-7 in the first half, the Seahawks rallied but failed to close the deal in the fourth quarter. But they were able to go toe-to-toe in the second half, and turn this into a marvelously entertaining game of big plays and big hits and lessons learned.

The Lions, 3-1, looked very much like the Detroit team that advanced to the NFC title game last season.

But they needed a perfect game from quarterback Jared Goff (18-18, 292 yards) to counteract the 516 yards of offense (38 first downs) the Seahawks generated.

Even the yardage totals were less impressive than the magnitude of some of the plays themselves.

It started from the first snaps.

With the Lions winning the toss and hoping to assert their offense immediately, they opted to take the opening kick.

But with the first of Goff’s passes into the flat, Hawk cornerback Devon Witherspoon raced like a rabid hound to make a slicing open-field tackle. And two plays later, defensive tackle Jarran Reed sacked Goff for minus-14 yards.

Witherspoon, increasingly appearing worthy of the Legion of Boom legacy, later made a play that provided evidence of his aggressiveness and determination.

When Lions back David Montgomery took a short pass in the second half, Witherspoon nailed him in what looked like a double-concussion collision. But Montgomery stayed on his feet and slalomed through other Seahawk pursuers.

Forty yards later, now on the other 30-yard line, Witherspoon had picked himself off the canvas and assisted on the tackle. Even giving up the yardage, the effort was impressive.

So, too, was the play of back Kenneth Walker III, seeing his first action in several weeks after healing an abdominal injury.

Walker’s jagged cutbacks and surprising power may make him one of the league’s most exciting backs. Already having shrugged a 240-pound linebacker off his shoulders on a run this season, he appeared down in clutches of a Lions defender after pulling in a short pass, only to somehow kip up onto his feet and power for a first down.

Finishing with 80 yards on 12 rushes, Walker scored three touchdowns and revived the Seahawks offense after halftime. But Walker’s attitude was perhaps even better displayed after the Lions recovered a DK Metcalf fumble. Walker raced in to make the TD-saving tackle after a 54-yard return.

Metcalf came up with big plays, too, though, picking up 104 yards with seven catches, his third straight game in excess of 100 receiving yards.

The Hawks suffered from some botched calls and clock mismanagement.

But they were well-motivated and kept fighting back whenever the Lions surged ahead.

Despite the loss, new coach Mike Macdonald seems to have the 3-1 Hawks well-positioned, with a game lead in the division standings.

He may well extend the tradition of the most-successful Seahawks coaches coming up big in their first seasons. In 1983, Chuck Knox’s first year, they went 9-7 and advanced to the AFC title game.

Mike Holmgren, in 1999, went 9-7, won the AFC West, and took them to the playoffs for the first time in 11 seasons. Pete Carroll, in his first year 2010, only went 7-9, but won the NFC West and got the Seahawks into the playoff second round.

Macdonald’s club lost Monday, but they showed the inner steel of a team on the rise.