What we learned from Seahawks on Sunday vs. Titans

The Seahawks lost their second game of 2017 on Sunday to the Tennessee Titans. The way Seattle lost, however, was a bit unexpected. What happened and what’s next?

Going into Sunday, I did not have a lot of faith that the Seahawks would win. Winning on the road in the NFL is always tough no matter who the opponent is. Plus, Seattle’s offense has been putrid so far this year. I was at the game. I expected the Titans to run the ball with some success.

What happened, however, was not what I thought would happen. The Seahawks defense did not get worn down by being on the field too long. They simply got beat at the line of scrimmage. Seattle lost to a team whose running scheme was well-suited to defeat them, which it did.

The Titans scored on five straight drives in the second half. One was a one-play and 75-yard run from DeMarco Murray. This is not allowed by the Seahawks’ teams we know. They limit big plays and make teams work their way down the field. Tennessee has several big plays on Sunday. They were a better team than Seattle. And in a way that is very concerning: Tennessee’s offense was better than the Seahawks defense.

Seattle got no sacks and they had just two pressures. The Titans had 420 total yards, almost evenly split between passing and rushing. Seattle gave up 195 rushing yards. For the second time in 2017, the Seahawks allowed 150 yards rushing or more to an opponent. In 2015 and 2016 combined, only four times did that happen.

What we learned

What we learned from the Seahawks versus Titans is that 12s not only have to worry about their offense, but they have to stress about the defense as well. And the defense will always be perceived as the saving grace in Seattle.

For the Seahawks to somehow regain a form that will get them back to the Super Bowl, the defense needs to stop teams from running on them. When was the last time we saw Seattle physically intimidate another team? When was the last time we saw Kam Chancellor just pummel someone? Teams are starting to no longer fear the Seahawks, and they know they can run on them.

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Of course, it is easy to overreact as a fan. And maybe that is what I am doing. But everyone can see what is happening on the field with the Seahawks. And what is happening is Seattle will be lucky to win nine games at this point. Unless, strangely, the defense starts to play better immediately.