5 things Seahawks can learn from week 2 loss to Titans

The Seahawks lost to the Titans in week 2 33-30 in overtime. This was a game Seattle should have won as they led 24-9 at halftime. But just like in week one, Seattle faltered in the second half. In week two, however, the opposing team was able to catch up and defeat Seattle.

Seattle needs to learn from its mistakes in week 2 and make a quick turnaround or this season could go south very quickly.

5 things Seahawks can learn from week 2 loss

Clean up the penalties

My concern coming into this game was the Seahawks would come in flat following an amazing victory over the Colts in week one. Turns out the Seahawks were too amped up for this game as the team consistently committed serious penalties which helped keep the Titans alive in this game.

Unnecessary roughness penalties and unsportsmanlike conduct penalties should not happen and cannot happen if Seattle wants to beat good teams like the Titans. Overall, the Seahawks committed 10 penalties for 100 yards which led to 6 Titans first downs.

Go back to being inclusive on offense

The Seahawks really struggled at incorporating their tight ends into this game and handing the ball off to their running back. The Seahawks tight ends combined for just 1 reception, for 3 yards, and no TDs in this game. In week one the Seattle’s tight ends combined for 5 receptions, for 57 yards, and 1 TD. In week one the Seahawks rushed for 140 yards on 27 carries, and Chris Carson had 91 yards on 16 carries.

Against the Titans, Seattle rushed for 77 yards on 18 carries, and Chris Carson had 31 yards on 13 carries. Carson needs to get more carries, so the offense can have a more balanced approach, and can burn the clock with a lead late in the game.

Focus on stopping the run

The Seahawks really struggled at stopping the run in this game, as Derrick Henry had his way. Henry rushed for 182 yards, on 35 carries, and 3 TDs against the Seahawks defense, including an explosive 60-yard TD run. Seattle will struggle against teams like the 49ers who like to run the ball if they do not come up with a better defensive scheme against the run.

Since the Titans had so much success running the football, it allowed them to set up the play-action and pass game with QB Ryan Tannehill, who was 27-40 passing and threw for 347 yards.

In-Game Adjustments

Pete Carroll and the rest of the Seahawks coaching staff need to be better at their in-game adjustments. Clearly, the Titans adjusted to the Seattle passing game and defense which helped them to a come-from-behind victory against the Seahawks. They focused more on their ground game in the second half instead of abandoning it.

They also used the play-action to protect their quarterback who was left with a beleaguered offensive line following injuries to key starters at those positions. The Seahawks did not adapt when the Titans defended the deep ball better in the second half. Then they abandoned the run game for most of the second half, as Carson had just 4 carries.

Clock Management

The Seahawks were playing with a lead for most of the second half and failed to control the clock with the running game. Losing time of possession is never a good thing, and the Seahawks did a bad job of sustaining long drives in this game. The Seahawks also had a chance to use the clock to their advantage with the lead late in the fourth quarter.

After an amazing defensive stop on fourth down, the Seahawks had the ball with a little over five minutes to play in the game and only ran the ball once. They had two timeouts with the Titans driving inside the red zone with over a minute left and did not call one. Which allowed the Titans to bleed the clock to 29 seconds before they went in for the game-tying score.