Since signing with the Detroit Lions after enjoying a Super Bowl victory with the Seattle Seahawks, wide receiver Golden Tate has exceeded expectations. Tate was originally signed to serve as a complimentary receiver alongside Calvin Johnson, but he has flourished with the Lions and has become the premiere target on offense.
Tate spent his first four seasons with the Seahawks. He led the team in receptions (64) and yards (898) in 2013 en route to a Super Bowl victory. While Tate was solid in Seattle, he has been even better with Detroit. He never surpassed 1,000 receiving yards with Seattle, but has done so twice with Detroit. He has also recorded 90 receptions in three consecutive years for Honolulu Blue.
Tate will certainly be highly motivated to take on his former team in the Wild Card this Saturday. In his only career game against Seattle in 2015, Tate had a quiet night, recording just three receptions for 29 yards in a 13-10 Lions loss. But the stage is much bigger this time around, and Tate will be ready to run circles around the Seahawks defense to ensure the result of this game is different.
Seattle’s defense is not as strong as it has been in the past. They are without safety Earl Thomas and allowed 34 points in Week 16 against Arizona and 23 points in Week 17 against San Francisco. Considering Arizona and San Francisco are not playoff teams, this should bode well for Tate and the Lions.
But Lions head coach Jim Caldwell knows that even without Thomas, the Seattle secondary always poses a tough challenge.
Caldwell on Seahawks defense missing Earl Thomas: “Still got Kam Chancellor, still got Richard Sherman.” #Lions
— Tori Petry (@sportstori) January 3, 2017
Tate has been solid as of late, with at least six receptions in five straight games. His 91 receptions and 1,077 yards this season led the Lions, and it’s the second straight season he’s paced the club in catches. According to ESPN, his 588 yards after the catch are good for 5th in the NFL and second only to Miami’s Jarvis Landry among all wideouts.
Tate is dangerous once the ball is in his hands, and he has a knack for making defenders look silly.
Detroit’s offense has faltered during their three-game losing streak. In order for them to turn their offense around and take advantage of a Thomas-less Seattle defense, Matthew Stafford will be looking to get the ball to Golden Tate early and often. Tate would love to beat his former team on the road more than anyone, and his skill set and play-making ability will give the Lions a good shot at pulling off an upset in Seattle.
