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Takeaways from Seahawks' bounce-back Week 12 win vs. Titans

It was too close for comfort, but the Seahawks left Nashville with a 30-24 win.
Connor Benintendi|
Nov 23, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Seattle Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon (21) celebrates after a sack with linebacker Drake Thomas (42) during the first half against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium.
Nov 23, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Seattle Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon (21) celebrates after a sack with linebacker Drake Thomas (42) during the first half against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium. | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

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Seattle Seahawks

Nearly surrendering a 20-point second-half lead against the NFL’s worst team, the Seattle Seahawks hung on to beat the Tennessee Titans 30-24 on Sunday, Nov. 23, at Nissan Stadium.

A potentially dominant win ended up as a narrow one, but the Seahawks moved to 8-3 overall (2-2 NFC West) to keep pace in the playoff and divisional races with the Los Angeles Rams (8-2, 2-1 NFC West). 

The Titans dropped to 1-10 on a day where Seahawks superstar wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba added to his laundry list of 2025 accolades. 

Here’s what we learned from a bounce-back Seattle victory over Tennessee in Week 12.

Closer than it needed to be

With the Seahawks controlling a 16-3 lead at halftime, the Titans didn’t have much juice heading into the locker room. A three-play, 76-yard touchdown drive by the Seahawks to open the second half pushed Seattle’s lead up even further.

Against the worst team in the NFL, fans would hope that would signal a cruise-in victory. But it wasn’t that easy.

Titans wide receiver Chimere Dike returned a third-quarter punt 90 yards for a touchdown, and that gave Tennessee life. That led to a 14-point period for the Titans, and the belief was there that they could get back into the game.

The injuries took a toll on the Seahawks’ defense. They lost starting safety Ty Okada and backup linebacker Chazz Surratt during the game, in addition to the key pieces that entered the game as inactives. 

Titans rookie quarterback Cam Ward put together one of his most impressive professional performances as a result. Ward made plays down the stretch that kept his team in the game, and the Titans still had a chance at the end to recover an onside kick and win the game.

Ward completed 28 of 42 passes for 256 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed six times for 37 yards and a touchdown. Sam Darnold was quiet for the Seahawks in the second half after the third-quarter score, but he finished 16-of-26 passing for 244 yards and two touchdowns.

The positive: Darnold had zero turnovers after a four-interception day in Week 11.

Considering the early difference on the scoreboard and between the two rosters, that should’ve never even been a possibility in this game. Even in a win, Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald likely won’t be thrilled with the second-half performance.

Another week, another step for Smith-Njigba

The Seahawks’ superstar wide receiver adds something new to his resume every week, and he picked up three new impressive accolades against the Titans on Sunday.

Smith-Njigba surpassed DK Metcalf’s 2020 season (1,303 receiving yards), breaking Seattle’s single-season receiving yards record in just 11 games. He became the first player in NFL history to record 75 or more receiving yards in the first 11 games of a season. Finally, the third-year wideout logged a career-long 63-yard touchdown catch in the first half.

Seattle has 10 plays of 40 or more yards on offense this season, which ranks second in the NFL (Buffalo Bills). That’s almost entirely thanks to the Sam Darnold-Smith-Njigba connection.

Smith-Njigba now has 80 catches for 1,313 yards and seven touchdowns on the season. He totaled eight receptions for 167 yards and two scores against the Titans. 

Although he already shares the single-season reception record (100) with Tyler Lockett, Smith-Njigba will likely take sole ownership of that mark by the end of the season as well. The touchdown record will be tougher, as he still needs seven to tie Doug Baldwin’s 2015 season (14 touchdowns) and eight to break it.

Regardless, Smith-Njigba remains on pace for 2,029 receiving yards this season, which would make him the first player in NFL history to surpass the 2,000-yard mark.

A win despite the injuries

Injuries played a big role for Seattle. Linebacker Ernest Jones IV — the defense’s engine — was inactive due to a knee injury he suffered three weeks earlier. Second-year linebacker Tyrice Knight was also out with a concussion, and the Seahawks lost Surratt early in the game.

That left the Seahawks with only Drake Thomas and Patrick O’Connell at the middle linebacker spots, and third-string safety D’Anthony Bell saw extended snaps once Okada, who is already the reserve to Julian Love (injured reserve), went out.

O’Connell, who has been on the practice squad all season, still finished second on the team in tackles (nine) and added a sack. But the defense overall was less effective — especially in pass coverage.

Offensively, the Seahawks were fortunate to get a full game out of rookie left guard Grey Zabel (knee) and running back Kenneth Walker III (glute). Walker had one of his best games of the season, rushing for 71 yards on just 11 carries.

They’re still without rookie wide receiver Tory Horton, who landed on injured reserve, and they lost third-string running back George Holani during the game.

Up Next

Seattle hosts the Minnesota Vikings (4-7) on Sunday, Nov. 30, at 1:05 p.m. The Vikings have lost three straight games and five of their last six.

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Connor Benintendi
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