They did it on the ground. They did it through the air. They did it without throwing an incomplete pass.

The Detroit Lions offense shined with a 42-29 win over the Seahawks on Monday night, handing Seattle its first loss of the season after a 3-0 start. Geno Smith and Kenneth Walker tried hard to keep up with the Seattle players. But in the end, it was a failed effort against a Lions unit that was firing on all cylinders, against a Seahawks defense that was missing several starters due to injury.

The Lions took the lead with a three-pointer on their first possession after a sack by Goff in the third. From then on, there was little resistance from the Seahawks' defense, which couldn't slow down Detroit's cavalry of playmakers.

Jared Goff had a perfect night at quarterback, completing all 18 of his pass attempts. He also managed to catch a touchdown. Jahmyr Gibbs, David Montgomery, Amon Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams and Sam LaPorta took turns playing for an offense that scored touchdowns on six of its 10 possessions.

Gibbs and Montgomery get the Lions' offense going

After their first three-point possession, the Lions responded with touchdown drives on three straight drives. Detroit's two-headed running back monster of Gibbs and Montgomery set the first tone.

Gibbs managed a 20-yard run to get the Lions into the red zone on their first possession. Montgomery ended the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run. Detroit's next two possessions ended with touchdown runs by Gibbs as the Lions took a 21-7 lead.

The Seahawks opened the third quarter with a touchdown, cutting Detroit's lead to 21-14. Then the Lions really started showing off.

Montgomery set up Detroit's next touchdown with a physical catch-and-run off a screen pass from Goff. He caught the first-and-10 pass and appeared to have a short gain when Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon made a tackle near the line of scrimmage. But it was Witherspoon who ended up on the ground after a violent collision, while Montgomery stayed upright and carried the ball for a 40-yard gain, making several tackles along the way.

Trick play secures Goff's TD catch

The play was the first touchdown catch of Goff's career. On second-and-goal at the 7-yard line, Goff handed the ball off to St. Brown and then made a beeline for the left corner of the end zone. St. Brown then turned and threw a perfect ball that Goff parried for the score, extending Detroit's lead to 28-14.

The Seahawks responded again with a touchdown, cutting Detroit's lead back to one point. Doesn't matter. On Detroit's very next play, Goff found Willams for a 70-yard touchdown, extending the lead to 35-20.

The Seahawks responded again, this time with Walker's third touchdown run of the night, cutting the Lions' lead to 35-27 early in the fourth quarter. But that was Seattle's last gasp.

Goff's second touchdown pass of the night – this one to St. Brown – gave Detroit a 42-27 lead with 3:34 left and all but ended Seattle's hopes of a comeback.

Goff wasn't sure he was perfect

In the end, Goff completed 18 of 18 pass attempts for 292 yards and two touchdowns. He wasn't sure he had the perfect game until ESPN's Lisa Salters told him about it after the game.

“You know, I wasn’t sure,” Goff said. “I was trying to remember if I had an incompletion. I couldn't put my finger on it. But I knew I had a chance.”

Choose your fighter

Thanks to St. Brown's 7-yard throw to Goff, the Lions finished 19 of 19 through the air as a team. Gibbs ran 14 times for 78 yards and two scores. Montgomery totaled 80 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown.

St. Brown totaled six catches for 45 yards and one touchdown catch in addition to his touchdown throw. Williams totaled 80 yards on two catches, so his only big play counted for a touchdown. LaPorta added 53 yards on four catches, including a 30-yard gain on Detroit's final touchdown drive of the night.

For the Seattle defense, it came down to a poison pick game with no right answer.

In fact, Seattle outscored Detroit in total offense, 516 yards to 389. Geno Smith threw for 395 yards, while Walker added 80 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.

But Detroit's offense was more precise and efficient. The Lions averaged a whopping 7.8 yards per play and didn't turn the ball over. Goff averaged 16.2 yards per attempt.

Smith threw the ball 56 times as Seattle played from behind all night. His 7.1 yards per attempt would be exceptional on most nights. Just not on Monday.

It wouldn't be entirely fair to judge Seattle's defense based on Monday's performance. They played without five injured players from their front seven rotation. Defensive players Byron Murphy III (hamstring) and Leonard Williams (ribs) and linebackers Jerome Baker (hamstring), Boye Mafe (knee) and Uchenna Nwosu (knee) missed the game.

The Seahawks are hoping to be healthier as they prepare for next Sunday's game against the New York Giants. The Lions enter the first game week of the season with a big win and a 3-1 start. Next up is a showdown with the Dallas Cowboys in Week 6.