Lions vs. Seahawks: Score and Twitter Reaction for Monday Night Football

The door shut just a little bit more on the Detroit Lions' playoff hopes after they fell to 0-4 Monday night following a 13-10 defeat on the road to the Seattle Seahawks.

The Lions were mere feet away from taking the lead inside the final two minutes of the game. Calvin Johnson was on his way to six points when Kam Chancellor came from behind to poke the ball free. It went out of the end zone for a touchback. 

This is how close Johnson was to putting Detroit ahead, per Mike Tunison:

CBSSports.com's Will Brinson thought the play was another example of the unfair rule regarding fumbles in the end zone:

Controversy reigned, however, after Seahawks linebacker K.J. Wright batted the ball out of the end zone, which is a penalty. Dean Blandino, the NFL's head of officiating, confirmed after the game Wright should've drawn a flag for the play, and the Lions should've retained possession inside the 1-yard line, per ESPN's Dianna Marie Russini.

The back judge can't claim to have missed the play, either, since he was staring at Wright as he touched the ball, as captured in this screenshot from Brinson:

After getting the ball, the Seahawks were able to run off the remaining time on the clock to secure what was a not-so-convincing win.   

Russell Wilson was sacked six times yet still finished 20-of-26 for 287 yards and a touchdown. His work was all the more impressive since Marshawn Lynch missed the game because of injury. The combination of Fred Jackson and Thomas Rawls only managed to gain 69 yards on 20 carries.

After Jimmy Graham looked to be finally finding his footing in Seattle with last week's seven-catch, 83-yard performance, the Pro Bowl tight end was a complete non-factor. He caught four passes for 29 yards, which led to CBS Sports offering this piece of advice to the Seahawks:

The use of Graham—or lack thereof—by Seattle continues to be baffling.

Detroit QB Matthew Stafford didn't make a ton of mistakes on the night, but took few chances down the field. He finished 24-of-35 for 203 yards. ESPN's LZ Granderson thinks that massive extension Stafford signed a few years ago is looking worse and worse:

Jemele Hill of ESPN wonders why Stafford isn't held to the same standard as other quarterbacks in the league:

As NFL.com's Gil Brandt noted, Monday's loss continues what is a brutal trend for Stafford:

For Detroit to snap out of its funk, it will need the 27-year-old to play much better, especially in big games like this.

In spite of his team's slow start to the season, Lions head coach Jim Caldwell was confident his players had been progressing on the field, per Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press:

"

The work that's been done up to this point, if you just look at it from a statistical standpoint, you'd come to a conclusion. If you look at it from our standpoint, we can see guys getting better. But it doesn't always compute. You don't always see it right away, and that's the thing about coaching, is that, in the trenches, it looks a little bit different, and you just know that, 'Hey, we're pretty close,' even though it's hard to see from outside.

"

If Detroit's offense is "pretty close" to a turnaround, it didn't show it Monday night. 

Four of the Lions' five first-half drives ended in punts, and none of the four drives went for more than 21 yards.

The Seahawks had issues of their own, especially when it came to protecting Wilson in the pocket, but a 24-yard touchdown reception for Doug Baldwin gave the home team a 7-0 lead with 10:56 left in the half, per the NFL:

According to ESPN Stats & Info, it was the first time the Seahawks offense scored a touchdown in the first half this year.

Matt Prater hit a 41-yard field goal at the 5:20 mark to get the Lions to within four points, but Steven Hauschka canceled the tally out with a 51-yarder just over a minute before halftime to give Seattle a 10-3 edge heading into the break.

Hauschka was responsible for the only scoring play of the third quarter, connecting from 52 yards out to give the Seahawks a 13-3 lead.

Once the fourth quarter began, Seattle did everything it could to hand the victory to the Lions, as Wilson fumbled on consecutive drives. Although Detroit couldn't turn the first turnover into any points, defensive tackle Caraun Reid returned the second 27 yards for a touchdown, making it a 13-10 game with 8:32 left.

For ESPN's Robert Flores, the touchdown was a fitting moment in a generally sloppy game:

The Seahawks' capitulation was nearly complete until Johnson offered them a lifeline.

For Grantland's Bill Barnwell, the way in which Detroit fought back to nearly go ahead made the final moments all the more painful:

This result doesn't automatically eliminate the Lions from the playoff discussion, but their chances are looking slim. They still have two games against the Green Bay Packers ahead and what could be tricky matchups with the St. Louis Rams, Arizona Cardinals, Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints and Philadelphia Eagles down the road.

Plus, Caldwell isn't exactly a coach who inspires a wealth of confidence considering his overall record, per SportsPickle:

Seattle moves to 2-2 on the season after Monday night, but major question marks remain about the offensive line. The Lions were getting consistent pressure on Wilson all game, and you have to believe the Cincinnati Bengals, tied for sixth in the NFL in sacks, will do the same next week.

The Seahawks could be in trouble as they hit the road in Week 5, and with the Carolina Panthers looming the following week, Seattle is in for a rough stretch of games.

Post-Game Reaction

Blandino offered a thorough explanation of Johnson's fumble and why Wright's contact with the ball warranted a flag, per the NFL:

For Stafford, the missed call added insult to injury.

"I have heard about that," he said, per the Lions' Twitter account. "Doesn't make me feel much better right now."

Seattle head coach Pete Carroll admitted his team was "fortunate" the back judge failed to penalize Wright, per Gregg Bell of the News Tribune in Tacoma, Washington.

Chancellor, meanwhile, offered up his mindset leading up to the forced fumble.

"I just realized that I could get the ball out," he said, per the Seahawks' Twitter account. "It just so happened it was in a situation that saved the game."