Things couldn’t have gone much better for the Seattle Seahawks in their season opener. And things couldn’t have gone much worse for the Tennessee Titans.
Which should make an intriguing matchup in Week 2 as the Titans travel to Seattle for a game Sunday afternoon.
The Titans, who reached the AFC title game in 2019 and won the AFC South last year, played host to Arizona in the opener and suffered a 38-13 defeat as Ryan Tannehill was sacked six times.
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“It is a wake-up call for us,” Titans offensive lineman Rodger Saffold said. “You can’t just show up and win a game, so I am hoping we take this and we come out with our hair on fire (in Seattle).”
Derrick Henry, the two-time defending NFL rushing leader who had 2,027 yards and 17 touchdowns last season, managed 58 yards on 17 carries as the Titans accumulated just 248 yards of total offense.
“We’ve just got to play better,” Henry said. “Looking lackadaisical, just walking around, not playing how we play. Not playing up to the standard we all talk about that we try to do each and every day.”
The Titans allowed Arizona’s Kyler Murray to throw for 289 yards and four TDs, which doesn’t bode well considering they’ll have to face Russell Wilson this week.
“We’re not going to sit here, mope around, keep our heads down,” Titans safety Kevin Byard said. “We’re going to keep battling, keep fighting and get ready for Seattle.”
Wilson was 18 of 23 for 254 yards and four touchdowns as the Seahawks won their opener 28-16 at Indianapolis in the first game for new offensive coordinator Shane Waldron.
“I just think we were really sharp first time out,” Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said. “A lot of guys contributed and there’s a lot more there. It was a really efficient, good first ballgame.”
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Wilson, who didn’t play in the preseason, had a QB rating of 152.3, the second-highest of his 10-year career. He got rid of the ball quickly in the new short-yardage passing game yet still hit Tyler Lockett for a 69-yard TD.
“There’s so much that we can do. We have a lot more that we can do, to be really precise on everything we wanted to do,” Wilson said. “The guys were hitting all their details. Just the small details of what we wanted to do. Guys really taking the coaching points and kind of feeling what I’m seeing, and this is why we have to do it this way right here because it’s going to, boom, there it is.”
The Seahawks’ defense limited Indianapolis’ Jonathan Taylor, the NFL’s third-leading rusher last season, to 56 yards on 17 carries. They also had three sacks and 10 quarterback hits on Carson Wentz.
Seattle wide receivers Dee Eskridge and Penny Hart both suffered concussions in the opener. Hart was back at practice Wednesday while Eskridge remained in the concussion protocol. Carroll said running back Rashaad Penny would likely miss a couple weeks after suffering a calf injury against the Colts.
Titans outside linebacker Bud Dupree didn’t practice Wednesday and receiver A.J. Brown and tight end Anthony Firkser were limited participants, all because of knee injuries. Linebackers Harold Landry III (groin) and David Long Jr. (groin) were also limited.
–Field Level Media