Tennessee Titans Defense, Special Teams Must Beat Seahawks
Mandatory Credit: Thomas Campbell-USA TODAY Sports
The Tennessee Titans now head to Seattle after suffering a 26-17 loss to the Kansas Chiefs at LP Field this past Sunday.
The Seattle Seahawks also suffered a loss to the Indianapolis Colts over the weekend and now get back to playing the Titans at CenturyLink field where it is nearly impossible for opposing teams to win on. Seattle has one of the best defenses in the league and it’s something they take pride in. They have created the 12th man by having the loudest stadium of fans in the league.
The Titans head into Seattle as 14-point underdogs. This game could be closer than people think. While the Seahawks have a dominating defense, the Titans have a defense that ranks in the top ten. Apart from running back Marshawn Lynch, the Seahawks offense should not be an impossible challenge for the Titans defense. The Titans have struggled to stop the run this season. A part of it could be the loss of Sammie Hill at nose tackle.
Russell Wilson is a good quarterback who is very mobile, however, the Seahawks are not elite by any means at wide receiver. Jason McCourty and Alterraun Verner should contain their average receivers while the front focuses on stopping the run and getting after Wilson.
Now comes the tough part.
Tennessee’s offense is one of the worst in the league. Don’t expect the run game to get any better against this front seven. That leaves the ball into Ryan Fitzpatrick’s hands to get it to his receivers or Chris Johnson to make plays in the open field. If Rob Bironas can wake up and make some field goals, it could be up to the defense to get key takeaways and even score off a fumble or interception.
This is one of the toughest games on the Titans schedule. With the way the offense has looked, it may be the perfect time for a punt or kick return from Darius Reynaud.
If Fitzpatrick can manage the game correctly with a lead, the defense and special teams could take care of the rest. It’s going to take a bit of luck to pull this one off.
The Kansas City Chiefs got some last week—why not the Titans?