Latest Social Buzz Ahead of Detroit Lions vs. Seattle Seahawks Monday Night

The Seattle Seahawks (1-2) won't be able to kick tonight's Monday Night Football matchup against the visiting Detroit Lions (0-3) into Beast Mode, but fortunately for them, the presence of the 12th man means that they most likely won't have to.

Star running back Marshawn Lynch will be absent for the first time since 2011 due to a hamstring injury he sustained in the second quarter of last week's game against the Chicago Bears, per ESPN.com's Sheil Kapadia, meaning that Seattle now joins the absurdly long tally of teams facing life without one of their roster's best after already being added to the list of this season's most surprising starts.

One could argue that the underachieving Lions belong on that list of unexpected disappointments as well after their poor start.  

That's likely why fans from both sides don't seem to think Lynch's absence will have much of an effect on the game's outcome.

There's a legitimate reason why many are still expecting the Seahawks to clinch a victory, perhaps best explained by this Jacksonville Jaguars beat reporter's tweet:

Despite having real talent on their roster, including former Seahawks wide receiver Golden Tate, the Lions, the last remaining winless team in the league, have just been unable to get out of their own way. 

Even without Lynch, Seattle's ground attack still promises to be better than that of Detroit's by a significant margin. The Lions have produced a pitiful 45 rushing yards per game, despite the flashy start from rookie running back Ameer Abdullah (via NFL.com).

Detroit will rely on him in the continued absence of starter Joique Bell, whom the Lions will be without, in addition to tight end Brandon Pettigrew, per DetroitLions.com. 

The man the Seahawks will be relying on, aside from quarterback Russell Wilson, is fellow rookie Thomas Rawls, who, after stepping in for Lynch last week, rushed for 104 yards on 16 carries.

According to Seahawks.com's John Boyle, Seattle head coach Pete Carroll said the backup was "rumbling pretty good last week," and that, should he produce at the same level again, the Seahawks will "be in good shape with him."

He won't be the only valuable player in Lynch's absence, however. As always, Seattle's 12th man will prove to be a formidable opponent. 

In fact, home-field advantage, not injuries, is the more likely deciding factor in this contest.

The mere fact that, according to CBSSports.com's Brad Gagnon, the Seahawks are 23-2 at home since the start of 2012, allowing opponents only 13.1 points per game in that stretch, spells doom for Detroit.

Throw the Lion's offensive statistics into the mix, and all the conversation about injuries is moot. Per SBNation.com's Katie Sharp, Detroit is averaging fewer than 20 points per game, 18.7 to be exact, good for 27th in the league. 

True, the Seahawks have been less than inspiring thus far in their one-win season (against the ailing Bears, no less), but the narrative of this matchup is less about Seattle finding ways to win and more about Detroit finding ways not to lose. 

Of course the Seahawks would like to have their Skittles-eating, tackle-breaking, mind-boggling monster out on the field. Who wouldn't?

Yes, the Lions are fortunate to be avoiding that particular oncoming freight train, but no, that does not mean that the inevitable impact of 0-4 will hurt any less. 

A whopping 20 out of 21 analysts from CBSSports.com and ESPN.com predict the victory will be earned by a Lynch-less Seattle, and it's more than likely that only one of them will be wrong. 

Lynch's absence will have a tremendous impact in at least one specific aspect of this game, however.

With him out of the equation, the Seahawks, for tonight at least, will successfully be able to dodge any questions about their decision to hand him (or not hand him) the ball.