Inside the matchup Seahawks vs. Titans

This week Seattle hosts the Tennessee Titans in their first home game of the season. The early schedule for the Seahawks looks like a typical division one school’s three-game tune-up against junior colleges. Last week, the Seahawks won 28-16 against the Indianapolis Colts. It would be hard to find anything wrong with the previous week’s performance. Solid running game. Check. Russell Wilson accurate and in control. Check. New tight end fitting in seamlessly. Check. Dominating wide receivers. Check. Improved defensive play. Check.

The Titans Ryan Tannehill is in his ninth season as a quarterback. Last week did not go well against the Cardinals. He threw an interception, fumbled twice, and was sacked six times for the loss. He only fumbled four times total last season. Tannehill did spread the ball around, finding six different receivers for three or more passes.

Derrick Henry, the Titans’ primary running back, also had a bad week against the Cardinals. He gained only eight yards in the first half. Henry finished the game with fifty-eight yards on seventeen attempts. His 3.4 yards per carry last week is well below his career average of 4.9 yards per carry. Last year Henry led the NFL in rushing yards with 2,027. That places him fifth on the single-season rushing record and makes him only the eighth running back to go over two thousand yards in a single season.

Wide receivers A.J. Brown and Julio Jones are the Tennessee receivers to keep an eye on. In Brown’s first two seasons, he averaged over one thousand yards receiving. He has scored twenty touchdowns in his first thirty-one games for the NFL. Jones is in his eleventh year in the NFL and is twentieth on the all-time list for receiving yards at 12,925. To put that in perspective, he is only one hundred sixty-four yards behind Steve Largent after fourteen years with the Seahawks.

Even the Titan’s kicker Michael Badgley had a disappointing week. He missed his only field-goal attempt and one out of two of his extra points. Over his career, Badgley has a perfect 30-30 for field goals inside forty yards but just 22-36 at forty yards or farther.

The primary cause for the Titans’ issues last week was their offensive line. The Cardinals’ ability to push the Titans line back behind the line of scrimmage resulted in turnovers, sacks, and problems with the running game. Should they have a similar performance against the Seahawks, this game could be over very quickly.

Seattle is in good health going into next week’s game. Only running back Rashaad Penny is listed as doubtful with a calf injury. Three others are listed as questionable, wide receiver Penny Hart with a concussion, center Ethan Pocic with a sprained knee, and rookie wide receiver Dee Eskridge also with a concussion.