Seattle Seahawks Week Two Review: The King and His Men Reign Victorious

Well then… let's get this one done with, shall we? The Seattle Seahawks played host to the Tennesse Titans and their fearless 6'3 245 lb monarch—King Derrick Henry. Lumen Field acted as a battlefield for the clash between these two titanic offenses. Both teams were coming off of uncharacteristic Week One performances. The Seahawks had played an all-around complete game against the Indianapolis Colts— a game they had control of for its entirety. The Tennesse Titans suffered an ugly loss against the Arizona Cardinals and unfortunately had their home-opener soiled. So naturally, they had to fly 2,390 miles to embarrass the Seahawks and their 12s in the first Seahawks game with fans in almost two years. Let's break it down.

The game started slowly with the first two possessions by both teams being punted away. Once the Seahawks got their second chance, they made sure to draw some blood. Russell Wilson and Tyler Lockett decided that it was time to get the offense going, and Wilson found his favorite target for a massive 51-yard gain that put the Seahawks in the Titans' RedZone. It was a beautifully thrown ball and an excellent catch—nothing that we haven't seen from these two before. The next set of plays didn't result in a fresh set of downs. In the end, they needed to settle for a field goal which was made from Jason Meyers from 31-yards out.

The Titans received the ball, and they began a drive to match the points the Seahawks put on the board. Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill got to work by a balanced attack of feeding 2,000-yard rusher Derrick Henry and making decisive throws to his star wideouts in A.J Brown and newly acquired future Hall of Famer Julio Jones. The Seahawks did a decent job of containing King Henry on this drive, and thus, it forced Tannehill's hand in the passing attack. Tannehill threw some excellent completions for significant gains to A.J Brown, Julio Jones, and tight end Tommy Hudson. However, once the Titans made it to the Seattle Redzone, they couldn't get anything going and had to settle for a Randy Bullock field goal from 33-yards out—tied game.

The ensuing Seahawks possession was an odd one. The Seahawks weren't doing much with the ball offensively, and after only one new set of downs, they punted. However, the Titans were penalized for roughing the punter Micheal Dickson, so the Seahawks were given a second chance with Russell Wilson and co. to put some more coveted points on the board. But this is the Seattle Seahawks; points don't come that easy. The first play after the Titans penalty was a sack from Denico Autry—fantastic. On the next play on 2nd and 14, right tackle Brandon Shell committed a false start penalty— thank the good Lord. After a short pass to the GOAT Freddie Swain, Russell Wilson suffered another sack, this time, Denico Autry had help from Jeffery Simmons. What an exciting chain of events for the Seahawks.

The Titans saw the Seahawks' outstanding display of offensive ineptitude and were chomping on the bit to get their offense back out there. When the King and his men took the field, they were hungry for more points. Tannehill saw what Russell Wilson and Tyler Lockett did earlier in the game and decided to match it when they connected for a massive 51-yard gain to get into 'Hawks territory. Tannehill liked his new weapon, so he targeted him again for a 15-yard gain that put the Titans on the Seattle 10-yard line. The following play resulted in a loss of five yards for the Tennesse offense when they were charged with an illegal motion. The next couple of plays were a rush of seven from Tannehill and three from Henry. The next play on 3rd and goal from the Seahawks 5-yard line ended on a Bobby Wagner sack on Ryan Tannehill. The Seahawks were able to hold their own against a Titan's offense that was streaking down the field. Bullock comes out again and kicks a 30-yard field goal to give Tennesse the lead.

The Seahawks needed to get something going on offense. The defense was doing enough to keep the Titans out of the endzone, but they needed a long offensive possession to let their defense catch its breath. Instead, they did what they always do and spent less than two minutes on the field. Wilson decided it was time to find his hotheaded young wide receiver D.K Metcalf to move the sticks for a respectable 16-yard gain. In the next play, Chris Carson was given a chance to pick up some yards, putting the Seahawks at 2nd and 6 from their 37-yard line. When Russell took the snap for the third drive, he saw a broken play in the defense, and his favorite weapon, Tyler Lockett, was wide open with nothing but green in front of him. Wilson threw a great deep ball, as he always does, and Lockett hauled in the pass, as he always does, and thus the first touchdown of the game was scored. 

This is where the ball game gets misleading. The Titans now get to go back on offense and chew up some clock and bruise the Seahawks defense with Derrick Henry. However, after a short run by his majesty, Seahawks defensive end Alton Robinson came streaking across the left side of the offensive line, which just lost left guard Roger Saffold III and strip-sacked Tannehill. Former San Francisco 49ers defensive end Kerry Hyder recovered the fumble, and now the Seahawks offense was able to score again. With the ball on the Titans' 6-yard line, all it took was two handoffs to Chris Carson for the 'Hawks to find pay dirt once again.

Tennessee got the ball back quickly and made sure not to make any mistakes. The drive started with a run by Henry and then followed up with a 15-yard pass to Henry—great, they're getting him involved in the passing game now. With A.J Brown having an ineffective game, Ryan Tannehill continued to target his new toy named Julio Jones, and Julio kept making the plays he always does with a 19-yard reception. As the Titans continued to chip away at Seattle's once-vaunted defense, they found themselves knocking on the door on the Seattle 6-yard line. On 3rd and Five, Tannehill found Julio Jones in the back of the end zone for his first touchdown in a Titans jersey. Or so we thought. Upon further review, the referees decided that Jones' foot was just out of bounds and that the touchdown would not stand. I thought this was a questionable call. It was later shown from another angle not shown on T.V that Julio did have both feet in the endzone. It was a poor job by the officials, but it kept up the Seahawks' defensive pattern of holding off opponents in the RedZone. Ryan Bullock came out and kicked a chip-shot 24-yard field goal.

At this point, the first half was just about over, right? Wrong! Russell and the 'Hawks offense was not done—they wanted to keep cooking. The Seahawks began with a quick dump-off to Travis Homer, who picked up 15 yards on an excellently executed play. After some more decisive passes from Wilson to Tyler Lockett, D.K Metcalf, and Freddie Swain, the Seahawks found themselves in Titans' territory. After a pass interference call on the Titans, the Seahawks were set up on the Titans' one-yard line-- I've seen this somewhere before. The drive ended with a handoff to Chris Carson for his second score of the day--handing the ball off on the opponents' one-yard line? That's just plain ludicrous. After that drive, the Seahawks have taken a commanding 24-9 lead going into the second half. I wasn't worried because the Seahawks are great at holding onto leads. Surely they won't blow this one away after such a tremendous first half.

The second half began with Tennesse on offense. The Titans continued to do what they have been doing all game --long, methodical drives that wear out the Seahawks defense. They started the drive off with an 11-yard gain from King Henry, followed by intelligent passes from Tannehill that slowly moved the Titans down the field in eight plays. The Seahawks were able to make some moves to push the Titans back like a tackle for loss on Henry, but that was not enough to halt the King's fury. He wanted revenge for the first half. He was not pleased with the Julio Jones touchdown taken off the board or his lack of production. But that didn't matter to him. You see, like all of the great tactically sound monarchs through history, Derrick Henry was waiting for the best time to strike his feeble opponent. While he remained in the backfield towering over the Titans' offensive line, he saw weakness in his enemy-- now was the time strike. Tannehill handed off to Henry, and the 6'3 245 lb back ran up the side, running over his opponent until he got into the endzone. Ater, a Ryan Bullock PAT, the score was now 24-16 Seahawks. I would've been content with this final score, but the King was hungry for more.

The Seahawks were not aware of what was happening. They thought they still had control on this battlefield, but they slowly lost control of their destiny. The ensuing drive was longer than the drives they had been putting together. The 'Hawks were able to gain some new downs with a healthy dose of runs by Chris Carson and some methodical passes by Wilson; however, that was not enough. The drive stalled before the Seahawks could make it across midfield. This was brutal. This means that the ball would go back into the hands of the Titans, and Derrick Henry was only beginning his conquest of Lumen Field.

This Titans' drive was like all the others. It began with a handoff to Henry and was then followed by a play-action pass from Ryan Tannehill for a significant gain. They were doing it again. The Titans were gaining momentum, and they wanted to get into the endzone again. Henry had his first taste of scoring, and he wanted more. The Titans were beating the Seahawks defense on third downs and eating up more game clock. Eventually, Tennesse made it down into the Seattle 26-yard line. As usual, the 'Hawks' defense became stingy, and they could force Tannehill and the Titans' offense into third down. They did. Tennesse sent out Ryan Bullock again to make a 44-yard field goal to keep Tennesse's momentum going. Bullock took his shot and narrowly missed the three-pointer. Now the Seahawks were given the ball back and had a chance to take back the momentum in the game.

Tennessee got the ball back quickly and made sure not to make any mistakes. The drive started with a run by Henry and then followed up with a 15-yard pass to Henry—great, they're getting him involved in the passing game now. With A.J Brown having an ineffective game, Ryan Tannehill continued to target his new toy named Julio Jones, and Julio kept making the plays he always does with a 19-yard reception. As the Titans continued to chip away at Seattle's once-vaunted defense, they found themselves knocking on the door on the Seattle 6-yard line. On 3rd and Five, Tannehill found Julio Jones in the back of the end zone for his first touchdown in a Titans jersey. Or so we thought. Upon further review, the referees decided that Jones' foot was just out of bounds and that the touchdown would not stand. I thought this was a questionable call. It was later shown from another angle not shown on T.V that Julio did have both feet in the endzone. It was a poor job by the officials, but it kept up the Seahawks' defensive pattern of holding off opponents in the RedZone. Ryan Bullock came out and kicked a chip-shot 24-yard field goal.

At this point, the first half was just about over, right? Wrong! Russell and the 'Hawks offense was not done—they wanted to keep cooking. The Seahawks began with a quick dump-off to Travis Homer, who picked up 15 yards on an excellently executed play. After some more decisive passes from Wilson to Tyler Lockett, D.K Metcalf, and Freddie Swain, the Seahawks found themselves in Titans' territory. After a pass interference call on the Titans, the Seahawks were set up on the Titans' one-yard line-- I've seen this somewhere before. The drive ended with a handoff to Chris Carson for his second score of the day--handing the ball off on the opponents' one-yard line? That's just plain ludicrous. After that drive, the Seahawks have taken a commanding 24-9 lead going into the second half. I wasn't worried because the Seahawks are great at holding onto leads. Surely they won't blow this one away after such a tremendous first half.

The second half began with Tennesse on offense. The Titans continued to do what they have been doing all game --long, methodical drives that wear out the Seahawks defense. They started the drive off with an 11-yard gain from King Henry, followed by intelligent passes from Tannehill that slowly moved the Titans down the field in eight plays. The Seahawks were able to make some moves to push the Titans back like a tackle for loss on Henry, but that was not enough to halt the King's fury. He wanted revenge for the first half. He was not pleased with the Julio Jones touchdown taken off the board or his lack of production. But that didn't matter to him. You see, like all of the great tactically sound monarchs through history, Derrick Henry was waiting for the best time to strike his feeble opponent. While he remained in the backfield towering over the Titans' offensive line, he saw weakness in his enemy-- now was the time strike. Tannehill handed off to Henry, and the 6'3 245 lb back ran up the side, running over his opponent until he got into the endzone. Ater, a Ryan Bullock PAT, the score was now 24-16 Seahawks. I would've been content with this final score, but the King was hungry for more.

The Seahawks were not aware of what was happening. They thought they still had control on this battlefield, but they slowly lost control of their destiny. The ensuing drive was longer than the drives they had been putting together. The 'Hawks were able to gain some new downs with a healthy dose of runs by Chris Carson and some methodical passes by Wilson; however, that was not enough. The drive stalled before the Seahawks could make it across midfield. This was brutal. This means that the ball would go back into the hands of the Titans, and Derrick Henry was only beginning his conquest of Lumen Field.

This Titans' drive was like all the others. It began with a handoff to Henry and was then followed by a play-action pass from Ryan Tannehill for a significant gain. They were doing it again. The Titans were gaining momentum, and they wanted to get into the endzone again. Henry had his first taste of scoring, and he wanted more. The Titans were beating the Seahawks defense on third downs and eating up more game clock. Eventually, Tennesse made it down into the Seattle 26-yard line. As usual, the 'Hawks' defense became stingy, and they could force Tannehill and the Titans' offense into third down. They did. Tennesse sent out Ryan Bullock again to make a 44-yard field goal to keep Tennesse's momentum going. Bullock took his shot and narrowly missed the three-pointer. Now the Seahawks were given the ball back and had a chance to take back the momentum in the game.

The second half began with Tennesse on offense. The Titans continued to do what they have been doing all game --long, methodical drives that wear out the Seahawks defense. They started the drive off with an 11-yard gain from King Henry, followed by intelligent passes from Tannehill that slowly moved the Titans down the field in eight plays. The Seahawks were able to make some moves to push the Titans back like a tackle for loss on Henry, but that was not enough to halt the King's fury. He wanted revenge for the first half. He was not pleased with the Julio Jones touchdown taken off the board or his lack of production. But that didn't matter to him. You see, like all of the great tactically sound monarchs through history, Derrick Henry was waiting for the best time to strike his feeble opponent. While he remained in the backfield towering over the Titans' offensive line, he saw weakness in his enemy-- now was the time strike. Tannehill handed off to Henry, and the 6'3 245 lb back ran up the side, running over his opponent until he got into the endzone. Ater, a Ryan Bullock PAT, the score was now 24-16 Seahawks. I would've been content with this final score, but the King was hungry for more.

The Seahawks were not aware of what was happening. They thought they still had control on this battlefield, but they slowly lost control of their destiny. The ensuing drive was longer than the drives they had been putting together. The 'Hawks were able to gain some new downs with a healthy dose of runs by Chris Carson and some methodical passes by Wilson; however, that was not enough. The drive stalled before the Seahawks could make it across midfield. This was brutal. This means that the ball would go back into the hands of the Titans, and Derrick Henry was only beginning his conquest of Lumen Field.

This Titans' drive was like all the others. It began with a handoff to Henry and was then followed by a play-action pass from Ryan Tannehill for a significant gain. They were doing it again. The Titans were gaining momentum, and they wanted to get into the endzone again. Henry had his first taste of scoring, and he wanted more. The Titans were beating the Seahawks defense on third downs and eating up more game clock. Eventually, Tennesse made it down into the Seattle 26-yard line. As usual, the 'Hawks' defense became stingy, and they could force Tannehill and the Titans' offense into third down. They did. Tennesse sent out Ryan Bullock again to make a 44-yard field goal to keep Tennesse's momentum going. Bullock took his shot and narrowly missed the three-pointer. Now the Seahawks were given the ball back and had a chance to take back the momentum in the game.

The Seahawks' drive began with an offensive pass interference call on D.K Metcalf (don't worry, we'll talk about him later). So now, Wilson and his unit are backed up another 10 yards to their 24-yard line. After a measly eight yards gained on first and second down, the 'Hawks were facing a 3rd and 12. They haven't been particularly good on third down this game, but that didn't matter. Russell Wilson takes the snap and quickly sees a weakness in the Titans' coverage when second-year wideout Freddie Swain burst through two defenders that didn't communicate well. Russ throws a stunning ball to Freddie, which is carried into the endzone for a 68-yard touchdown. The Seahawks now look primed to win the game. There is no way the Titans can catch up to them even if Jason Meyers missed his first PAT in over a year. Right?

Derrick Henry and his offense noticed the Seahawks' have been scoring quickly and leaving a lot of time on the clock. After a solid 15-yard reception by A.J Brown, Derrick Henry took the handoff from his quarterback, rushed to the left of the offensive line, and saw nothing but green. He used his opponent's strategy of scoring quickly against them to know what they were messing with. That score let the Seahawks know that this would not be as easy a win as initially thought. 

Surprise, surprise, the Seahawks fail to do anything with their next offensive possession. After they punt back to the Titans after only gaining eight yards, their defense tightened up. They reverted to the bend-don't-break identity they've had all game. The Titans strung together an effective drive, but when they got down to the Seattle 29-yard line, they faced a 4th and 2. Tannehill and the offense stayed on the field and ran a no-huddle from the shotgun--the pass went incomplete. The Seahawks had the ball in their possession again, and now with a few minutes left on the clock, they could play the Titans at their own game and run the game away. But that would be too easy, right? Russell Wilson can't get credited with late-game heroics if the Titans don't get closer-- so the ball gets punted back to the Titans after gaining five yards.

The Titans now have the ball back down 30-23, and they have all the momentum in this game. The 'Hawks offense has been failing to make anything out of the opportunities their defense was giving them. It was inevitable that the Titans were going to get into the endzone on this drive. They wanted to win more than the Seahawks did. The part that sucks is knowing that they're going to score and then watching them effortlessly march down the field and find paydirt. Oh, and Derrick Henry scored another touchdown. Is this a good time to mention that King Henry had more yards in the second half than the entire Seahawks' offense-- good Lord.

With the game all-tied regulation completed, it's time for overtime! The Titans got the ball first and were not doing much of anything, and the worn-out Seahawks' defense had them right where they wanted them at 3rd and 4, but Jamal Adams had to hit Ryan Tannehill and extend the drive. Lucky for the Seahawks, the Titans had penalty problems with a false start and could not get the ball into 'Hawks territory. What was unlucky for the Seahawks was that they were pinned deep by the Titans' punt and had to get the drive started from their 13-yard line. Do you want to know where the Seahawks wound up before they punted the ball back to the Titans? Please, take a second to guess before continuing. Have you made your guess? If you guessed their 1-yard line, you are correct! They had -12 yards on a three-play possession that miraculously lasted a minute. Even if they have a phenomenal punter Micheal Dickson, the Titans were not getting pinned deep. They did what they did all game on the next Titans' drive and got in field goal range to put the final dagger in the Seahawk's heart with a Ryan Bullock 36-yard field goal. That's the game.

So, there is a lot to talk about here. This was not a good game for Shane Waldron. This felt a lot less like the balanced offense we saw last week against the Colts and more like the infamous 'Let Russ Cook' offense under Brian Schottenheimer. The tight ends and running backs were nowhere to be seen all game. The 'Hawks were only able to move the ball on failed assignments on the Titans' defense and couldn't get any rhythm going. The longest possession they had all day on offense was a little over four minutes. That is not acceptable. When you are playing against the most physical running back in the NFL, you need your defense to be refreshed as much as possible. By not giving the defense time to stay fresh, they doomed them to the scourage of Derrick Henry.

This may not be a widespread consensus amongst 12's, but I thought the defense did well Sunday. Granted, I would've liked some more pressure from the defensive line, especially with the Titans down two starters on the o-line. But I liked how the defense could get the Titans off the field and hold them to three-point attempts when it mattered--the offense only took advantage of defensive opportunities with the touchdown after the forced fumble. Quandre Diggs and Bobby Wagner were great. They were both all over the field making plays, and they will continue to all year. Ken Norton Jr. needs to scheme closer to the ball because it keeps these men on the field too long and wears them out. They should try playing for some more turnovers.

Now, the last thing that I would like to say is that I have concerns about D.K. He has been very hotheaded and irrational to the start of this season. He has been taking costly penalties that are killing plays. Also, he is getting very annoyed with opposing defenders. If the Titans' defensive backs are getting under his skin, imagine how he's going to act when he lines up against Jalen Ramsey later in the season. This is something that has to get cleared up. D.K's got a good head on his shoulders, so I know this isn't going to be a problem, but it's something worth mentioning.

I wasn't too upset about this loss. The Titans played excellent football, taking advantage of the Seahawks' inability to get things going. Sure it sucked that we didn't win our home opener, but there are 15 games left in the season to find offensive rythym and also execute discipline, we can still be the top team we are expected to be. Go 'Hawks!