The Detroit Lions are on the national stage once again tonight as they host the 3-0 Seattle Seahawks for a key early season NFC showdown on Monday Night Football at Ford Field. Here are five things I'll have an eye on for this matchup:

1. Lions new-look secondary to face toughest task yet

Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith has thrown for over 600 yards and four touchdowns in the last two meetings against the Lions, both Seattle wins in which they scored 37 and 48 points, respectively.

This will be the toughest test yet for a Detroit secondary that looks a lot different than the one Seattle saw Week 2 of last season. DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett and Jaxon Smith-Njigba are the best receiving trio the Lions have faced up to this point in the season and Seattle comes into tonight's matchup ranked third in the NFL in passing offense averaging 246.7 passing yards per contest.

The Lions finally have the tools in the back end with Carlton Davis III, Terrion Arnold, Amik Robertson, Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch to play the style of man defense defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn has wanted since he arrived in Detroit in 2021. Branch is doubtful to play tonight with an illness but we'll see how the rest of that unit matches up against a passing attack that will challenge them vertically tonight.

2. Can rushing attack keep rolling?

Detroit's passing attack hasn't quite clicked on all cylinders yet this season, despite ranking seventh in the NFL in passing entering tonight's game. Detroit's ground game, however, has been rolling to the tune of 163 rushing yards per game through the first three weeks of the season and are coming off a 188-yard performance on the ground in the win over Arizona last week. Detroit's gained at least 4.0 yards on 53 of their 101 rushing attempts this season, the third best rate in the league.

Seattle ranks 15th in the NFL against the run, allowing 116 yards on the ground per game. The Lions are at their best offensively when they can dictate the pace with their run game and use the passing attack as a complement. Look for them to establish the run early and often tonight.

3. Replacing defensive starters

Detroit lost defensive end Marcus Davenport for the rest of the season and SAM linebacker Derrick Barnes for the foreseeable future. Davenport has been a a productive player for a Lions' defense that is second in the NFL in QB hits (15) and top 10 in total pressures (57) through the first three weeks. Third-year defensive lineman Josh Paschal is expected to get the bulk of the snaps in Davenport's absence, though the Lions have options to rotate different players opposite Aidan Hutchinson. It's important the Lions get production from that spot or teams will use more and more resources to try and slow down Hutchinson on the other side.

As for replacing Barnes, Glenn said he has a ton of confidence in the depth at linebacker, probably more than any other position group on his defense.

"We have a number of guys in that linebacker room that would want to play that role," Glenn said this week. "And I've said this every week, that's a room that I highly respect the way that they operate. I highly respect the friendship and the closeness that they have in that room, and I highly respect the versatility that we have in that room."

4. How do Seahawks defend Jameson Williams?

"It's a small sample size so far so I don't want to go too far down that road, but I will say the Jameson (Williams) effect is kind of starting to play out already," Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson said this week.

"We hit a big play in the first game and a big play to him in the second game and last week, you could tell early in that game they weren't going to allow him to get over the top. So, we'll see if that trend continues."

Detroit saw a lot of two-high safety looks in Arizona last week with the Cardinals really focusing on not allowing Williams to get behind them. In doing so, Detroit found plenty of favorable boxes to run against. Johnson said he's more than willing to take what the defense gives him and ride their stout rushing attack.

"I think our combination of run game slash vertical threats is a little bit unique," he said. "If we can run the ball versus two-high like we have done the first three games, it's going to be challenging for teams to be patient enough to – they'll be death by paper cuts and we're willing to play that game if need be."

How will the Seahawks' defense decide to play Detroit tonight?

5. Ford Field advantage

Ford Field has become one of the best home-field advantages in the NFL. Detroit will be looking to get back on track at home after dropping their last home game Week 2 against Tampa Bay. Coming off their Week 5 bye, Detroit will play four of their next five contests on the road. It's important they take care of business at home tonight.

The Lions are debuting their new black alternate jerseys and will be inducting Hall of Fame wide receiver Calvin Johnson into the Pride of the Lions at halftime. It's expected to be an awesome atmosphere inside Ford Field for a night game on a national stage.