Seattle Seahawks studs & duds from comfortable win over Tennessee Titans

The Seattle Seahawks have bounced back from last week's narrow loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Facing the Tennessee Titans on the road, the Seahawks got a good fight from the team with the league's worst record (1-9) but in the end were just a little too much, coming out on top, 30-24.

Here are the studs and duds for the Seahawks this week.

Stud: WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba

It's not hard to sus out who the best player on the Seahawks is these days. Superstar wide receier Jaxon Smith-Njigba dropped a 63-yard touchdown catch on Tennessee early, putting the Titans on their heels for the rest of the game. JSN later torched the Titans for two more explosive plays on the opening drive of the third quarter. He finished with eight catches for 167 yards and two touchdowns. In the process, he passed DK Metcalf and set a new franchise record for receiving yards in a season.

WR/PR Rashid Shaheed

Offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak is still getting Seattle's newest weapon fully-integrated into the offense. You can see Rashid Shaheed's incredible game speed on display every time he touches the ball, though. In addition to getting continued work as a rusher, Shaheed is showing his jets as a punt returner, including a a brilliant 20-yarder today against the Titans. He posted 40 yards on three returns.

Dud: QB Sam Darnold

The numbers look strong here, but they're also deceivig. Sam Darnold looked a whole lot better than he did last week in LA. That's a bar that couldn't possibly be any lower, though. Darnold was smoother with his operation than his interception-fest last Sunday. However, Darnold has also looked much better than what we saw today. Outside of JSN, he was out of sync with his receivers more often than not and threw multiple dicy aggressive passes that could have been picked off. Seattle is lucky to be in a relatively soft part of the schedule, but they'll want Darnold to be back on point by Week 15.

Stud: DL Byron Murphy II

The stupendous second year for Seattle's young defensive tackle Byron Murphy continues. Murphy got stuck doing the dirty work as a rookie, but he's shined with opportunities to get to the quarterback and be generally disruptive as hell in 2025. Murphy added another sack, bringing his season total to six.

Stud: OLB DeMarcus Lawrence

DeMarcus Lawrence may not make a lot of high-impact plays at this point in his career, but you definitely take notice of the ones he does - as does the opponent. Lawrence made a clutch stop to effectively stall the Titan's first drive. If that possession had ended in a touchdown instead of a field goal, the entire complexion of the game could have been different.

Stud: DE Leonard Williams

At some point when a player balls out every week you start to take them for granted. We do our best to avoid that with Leonard Williams, who makes dominance look routine. Williams was brilliant again, leading Seattle with four QB hits.

Stud: LB Patrick O'Connell

With starters Ernest Jones (knee) and Tyrice Knight (concussion) ruled out due to injuries, the Seahawks needed somebody to step up at linebacker. Practice squad regular Patrick O'Connell answered the call, setting the tone from the first possession with some thundering hits and strong tackles in the box. O'Connell ended up with nine tackles, tied with Drake Thomas for the team high.

Stud: DB Nick Emmanwori

There are a lot of very talented players performing at a high level for Seattle's defense right now, which makes it hard for any one to stand out. Rookie Nick Emmanwori is special, though - and he's positively popping off the screen every week. Emmanwori wound up posting eight tackles.

Stud: Titans QB Cam Ward

Normally these spots are reserved for Seahawks, but every now and then the enemy earns a tip of the hat. Rookie quarterback Cam Ward deserves one for playing Seattle's defense better than most veterans have this year. Showing shades of peak Cam Newton, Ward ended the game 28/42 for 256 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions, plus 37 yards and another score rushing. We will watch his career with great interest.

Patrick O'Connell — Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward (1) scrambles during the first quarter against the Seattle Seahawks at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025. | Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images