DETROIT — The Seahawks left Ford Field with a 42-29 loss and wondering about a two-point play they didn’t get.

They left ruing what might have happened had there not been a penalty they did get.

And they will wish they had a fully healthy defense to throw at the Lions.

What they won’t question is an effort Monday night that kept the Lions on their heels until deep into the fourth quarter, despite Detroit seeming to score at will on a short-handed Seattle defense.

The Lions four times had leads of either 14 or 15 points only to see the Seahawks’ Geno Smith-led offense rise up every time to respond with a score of their own and hang in it.

Smith finished with career highs of 395 yards, 38 completions and 56 attempts.

Finally, a penalty on Tyler Lockett negating an apparent fourth-down completion when Seattle was driving for a potentially tying score midway through the fourth quarter proved too much to overcome.

The Lions used the flag to drive the field for one final TD and cement a the win and finally end Seattle’s hex on Detroit — the Seahawks had beaten Detroit each of the last three years.

And when the game was over the Lions had a little bit of history, having completed all 19 passes they threw.

Quarterback Jared Goff was 18 of 18 for 292 yards while Goff also caught a seven-yard TD pass from receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown. It was the most passes thrown by a QB in NFL history without throwing an incompletion.

Detroit’s offensive success was disheartening against a Seattle defense that entered the game having allowed just 43 points in its first three games.

But it wasn’t altogether surprising considering Seattle entered the game playing without five key defensive players — defensive linemen Leonard Williams and Byron Murphy II and linebackers Jerome Baker, Uchenna Nwosu and Boye Mafe — and then lost safety Julian Love to a thigh injury in the first half.

Still, head coach Mike Macdonald was surely hoping for better than allowing the Lions to score touchdowns on six of eight possessions in one stretch while never throwing an incompletion.

Smith led Seattle on touchdown drives of 75, 80 and 70 yards the first three times the Seahawks had the ball in the second half, each time cutting Detroit’s lead to a touchdown.

The Seahawks finally got the stop they appeared to need to try to tie the game when linebacker Tyrel Dodson raced quickly over to tackle Montgomery for a two-yard loss on a third-and-1 pitchout.

After the punt, Seattle took over at its own 21 with 12:49 remaining, down just 35-27.

At that point, Smith was 28 of 38 for 290 yards and a touchdown.

An incomplete pass on a slant to Lockett made it fourth-and-3 at the Lions 39 with 9:18 remaining.

Seattle momentarily appeared to have it when he threw to Jaxon Smith-Njigba to the 27.

But Lockett was called for offensive pass interference, with Lockett appearing to initially try to block his receiver rather than running a route.

The Seahawks argued the call vehemently, with Smith shown continuing to shout as he walked to the sidelines.

Seattle punted, and that appeared to prove too much for the Seahawks as the Lions easily moved 80 yards in seven plays for a TD on a Goff pass to St. Brown of eight yards to make it 42-27 with 5:23 left.

Even then, the Seahawks came right back, driving to Detroit’s 3-yard line with 2:33 left before four straight Smith incompletions.

That appeared as if it might finally, actually end the suspense.

But on second-and-10 Seattle’s Dre’Mont Jones sacked Goff in the end zone for a safety to make it 42-29 with 2:01 left. Finally, a Smith pass in the end zone was picked off with 1:00 left and that was that.

The loss dropped Seattle to 3-1 and left just two unbeaten teams remaining in the NFL. It also meant Seattle couldn’t match its best start in history of 5-0 in 2020.

Seattle was down 15 entering the fourth quarter thanks to a decision that will undoubtedly spur discussion all week.

After cutting Detroit’s lead to 28-20 on a Kenneth Walker III 1-yard run with 3:03 to play in the third quarter, the Seahawks decided to go for two.

The first attempt was no good when a Smith pass to DK Metcalf was ruled incomplete, though some thought the replays showed he might have caught it.

However, Lions cornerback Carlton Davis III was called for defensive pass interference, moving the ball to the 1, and the Seahawks did not challenge the ruling.

Seattle again tried to throw it and a pass to the left side to Jake Bobo was incomplete.

The move kept up with a recent trend of teams going for two at some point before the end of the game to move the score off an obvious potential overtime margin.

Once again the Lions struck quickly this time on the first play — a 70-yard pass from Goff to Jameson Williams. Goff found Williams wide open in the middle of the field. Seattle cornerback Devon Witherspoon was moving in the opposite direction and couldn’t turn around quickly enough to try to make a play, leaving Williams free to saunter down the side line, high-stepping into the end zone and then dunking the ball over the cross bar, earning a personal foul penalty.

No matter as Detroit kicker Jake Bates nailed a 48-yard PAT to make it 35-20 with 2:25 remaining in the third quarter.

That seemed like it might be enough for Detroit to finally put Seattle away.

But the Seahawks came right back with another long drive to cut it to 35-27 with 14:48 left it the game on a 21-yard run by Walker as Seattle got its running game going in the second half.

But then came Seattle’s stop, and then the Lockett penalty.

For a moment early in the game it looked like maybe the Seahawks could overcome the defensive losses.

Detroit won the toss and elected to receive, hoping to make an early point.

Instead, the Seahawks forced a three-and-out, capped by a Jarran Reed sack for a 10-yard loss.

But the Seahawks could get only one first down before being forced to punt.

And then the trouble began.

Detroit drove 93 yards in 12 plays to take a 7-0 lead.

Then with Seattle driving, Metcalf fumbled while trying to gain extra yards after a catch that took it to the Detroit 34.

Davis scooped it up and returned it 49 yards to the 14, where the Lions needed just three plays to score and take a 14-0 lead.

But foreshadowing what they would do all night, the Seattle offense quickly responded, going 70 yards in 10 plays, with a 29-yard pass from Smith to Metcalf setting up a 1-yard run by Walker to make it 14-7.

The Lions responded with their own 70-yard drive to retake a two-touchdown lead at 21-7, which is where the game stood at halftime.

The Seahawks had 177 yards to Detroit’s 158 at the half.

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