5 Key Moments That Led to Seahawks' Brutal Loss to Titans
After building a 14-point advantage early in the fourth quarter, the Seahawks were unable to sustain their lead and allowed 17 unanswered points to the Titans, dropping their home opener by the score of 33-30 in overtime. Unfortunately, they performed poorly for the fans, who got to watch a game in person in Seattle for the first time since 2019.
Here are five moments in the game that led to Seattle's gut-wrenching overtime defeat:
Fourth quarter: Jason Myers misses PAT
The Seahawks scored on a 68-yard touchdown pass from Russell Wilson to Freddie Swain to go up 30-16 with 13:16 left in the fourth quarter, but Myers missed the ensuing extra point. This opened the door for the Titans to tie the game. Had he made the extra point, at some point during the Titans’ comeback, they would’ve had to convert a two-point conversion to force overtime. Given how the Seahawks defense played on Sunday, that might have been moot, but it would have at least made it a bit more challenging to knot up the score.
Fourth quarter: Derrick Henry runs for a 60-yard touchdown
Just two plays after Myers’ missed extra point, the Titans officially made Seahawks fans nervous. Derrick Henry bounced a run to the left and found a crease for a 60-yard, momentum-swinging touchdown run, which cut the lead to just seven. With the Titans scoring in just 49 seconds, with 12:17 left in the fourth quarter, it left plenty of time to finish the comeback.
Fourth quarter: False start on 4th and 1 on SEA 49
With the Seahawks clinging to a 30-23 lead late, they lined up to go for it on fourth and short. With four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, had they been able to convert the first down, they would have been able to milk much more time off the clock or even seal the game. Instead, upon lining up, Damien Lewis flinched, causing a false state penalty, backing Seattle up five yards. This forced Pete Carroll's hand into punting instead of going for it. After receiving the punt, the Titans drove down the field with ease to tie the game right before the end of regulation to force overtime.
Overtime: Jamal Adams called for roughing the passer
The Seahawks were pressing to try and stop Henry and the Titans from scoring and winning the game on the first possession of overtime. On 3rd and 15 from the Tennessee 24-yard line, Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill dropped back and was rushed by several Seahawks. Safety Jamal Adams came in high and knocked Tannehill to the ground right after he released a throw. Flags came in for a roughing the passer call that would allow the Titans to move up 15 yards with an automatic first down.
Even though the Titans eventually punted, this penalty allowed them to punt from the 34-yard line instead of the 24, 10 yards farther. This allowed punter Brett Kern to pin the Seahawks deep on their own 13-yard line. Seattle's drive unraveled from there and the offense wasn't able to pick up a first down. Perhaps the strategy would have been different had Seattle fielded the punt farther upfield.
Overtime: Russell Wilson sacked for -12 yards on 3rd and 10
After Seattle took over on its own 13-yard line, nothing went right. Russell Wilson threw two straight incompletions, quickly making it 3rd and 10. Then the Titans brought the rush and Wilson could not escape and took a back-breaking sack on Seattle's own one-yard line. On 4th and 22, Carroll had little choice but to punt the ball back to the Titans, giving them a short field. The visitors took full advantage and won the game in overtime on a field goal by Randy Bullock moments later.
