Studs and more studs from Seattle Seahawks miraculous Week 16 win over the Titans

The Seahawks defense came up with more fantastic plays

Just curious. Does anyone want to tell Bobby Wagner that he's supposed to be getting old? I've mentioned a few times that it's wise to take the ratings from Pro Football Focus (subscription required) with the minimum daily requirement for sodium. Well, sodium chloride, otherwise you'll probably burn to death from the inside. Unpleasant, much like how I imagine Tre Avery must have felt today. But for the most part, the site is quite useful.

For example, they rate Wagner's run defense at 90.9. Only one other Seattle player even tops 80, and that's Devon Witherspoon at 82.8. Wagner is rated just as highly for his tackling, coming in at 90.6. We all know that hasn't exactly been the Hawks' strong suit this season, but it's embarrassing that the second-highest grade is only 73.1. That rating belongs to Dre'Mont Jones, by the way.

So it should be no surprise that Bobby Wagner lit up the Titans today. He finished with 11 total tackles, eight of those solo. That led the team in both categories. Two of those tackles were for a loss. BWagz also had a quarterback hit and a sack. I know, what else is new, right? Just because we expect Wagner to do this every game doesn't mean we shouldn't acknowledge an outstanding game, though. The league needs to acknowledge it: Bobby Wagner is the Meryl Streep of linebackers. And I'm pretty sure if he somehow ever reads that comparison, I'll have to move to another country. Again.

Not to be left out, another Seahawks linebacker came back with a vengeance. Okay, technically he didn't come back as he hasn't missed a game since Week 1. But it's been a few weeks since Boye Mafe has wreaked havoc in the opposing backfield. And man, did he ever wreak. I'm pretty sure that by the time the game was over, Ryan Tannehill reeked a bit himself when he caught a glimpse of Mafe. All number 53 did was rack up six tackles with two of those for a loss, add two sacks, and tally four more quarterback hits. Tannehill dropped back 32 times, and Mafe was in his face on nearly twenty percent of those plays. That, my friends, is a stud.

As for the final defensive play to seal the win, I'm not about to say it was as spectacular as Julian Love's second interception that slammed the door on the Eagles last week. By the way, major congratulations to the Love family on the birth of their son Noah on Friday. 20 hours of labor, and some NFL players think they have a tough job. Still, there's denying the significance of Riq Woolen's huge hit on Titans wide receiver Colton Dowell. You have to feel for Dowell, at least a bit. It was just his second target all season and his first catch. It's second and 20, as Dre'Mont Jones had just sacked Tannehill for a 10-yard loss.

Now at his own 40 with just 11 seconds left and desperate to get within field goal range, Tannehill found Dowell in the flat outside the left hashmarks. The seventh-round pick and Tennessee native had his chance to be the hero. Instead, Woolen absolutely blasted him and drove him backward out of bounds. By rule, the clock continues to run if a player going out isn't making forward progress. That's why Woolen made the winding motion after the play.

Lord knows the refs need all the help they can get. Now, I'm sure most 12s don't know Nashville that well but trust me when I say that after that hit, I think Dowell landed in the parking lot of Ryman Auditorium. That was the final stud play of a stud effort by the Seahawks.

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