Takeaways from Seattle Seahawks 16-15 preseason loss to Titans
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - AUGUST 17: Easop Winston Jr. #13 catches a touchdown pass during the first half of the game against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium on August 17, 2024 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images) (Johnnie Izquierdo / Getty Images)
The second game of the preseason for the Seattle Seahawks was an opportunity for the bottom half of the roster to try to stake their claim to roster spots.
After a pair of joint practices with the Tennessee Titans this week serving as the main event for the starters on both teams, the game Saturday night was the stage for the reserves to get their chance to shine.
And a few of those backups-to-be certainly did take advantage of the chance to play a large chunk of Saturday’s 16-15 preseason loss to the Titans.
Brayden Navreson hit a 46-yard field goal as time expired to give the Titans the victory in the penultimate game of the preseason. Seattle’s offense managed just three points in the second half with P.J. Walker at the helm at quarterback.
Sam Howell and the starting/second-team offense did have a decent night before taking a seat for the second half. Howell completed 11-of-14 passes for 153 yards and a touchdown, good for a 136.0 passer rating. A 23-yard touchdown pass to Easop Winston Jr. and a 33-yard completion to Cody White on a seam throw were the highlights of the night for Howell.
Meanwhile, Derick Hall and Tyrice Knight led the way for the defense. Hall had a sack of Malik Willis for Seattle, and Knight racked up a team-high eight tackles on the night as he played into the second half.
The Seahawks will conclude the preseason next Saturday at home against the Cleveland Browns with the starters presumably set to get a dress rehearsal before the season opener against the Denver Broncos in three weeks.
For now, here are the takeaways from the preseason loss to the Titans:
Linebackers had an encouraging performance.
The linebacker spot has been a bit of an unknown throughout training camp for the Seahawks – both with edge rushers and off-the-ball linebackers.
Will anyone step up on the edges behind Uchenna Nwosu? Can Tyrel Dodson, Jerome Baker and company maintain the standard of strong linebacker play in the post-Bobby Wagner-K.J. Wright-Jordyn Brooks era?
Saturday night felt like the most promising audition so far for both groups of players. Derick Hall backed up a strong preseason opener with a sack and three total tackles. Boye Mafe and Darrell Taylor were more effective this week as well despite notching just an assisted tackle each. Additionally, recent signing Jamie Sheriff seemed to flash a bit as well with a sack and three total tackles in the game.
Meanwhile, rookie Tyrice Knight led the team with eight tackles in the game, Jon Rhattigan appeared steady, and Patrick O’Connell chipped in six tackles with a pass defended as well.
Head coach Mike Macdonald has been trying to temper any hype about the rookie class. And as he’s done with first-round pick Byron Murphy, Macdonald tried not to make too much of Knight’s performance.
"Very pleased with tackles," Macdonald said. "Time to step it to the next level, communication wise, blitz, coverage, play recognition. It's almost like 'hey man, you're not a rookie anymore.' You gotta grow up fast. Let's not be settled with tackles in the preseason."
With Baker sidelined with a hamstring injury, the Seahawks need Knight to be ready to play for Week 1, if necessary. Macdonald said Baker is expected back in time, but he missed all of the offseason and a sizable portion of training camp with injuries. Seattle needs Knight to be ready to go for Week 1 just in case.
Sam Howell has made significant strides since the start of training camp.
Just to be clear off the top… no, there is zero threat to Geno Smith's position as starting quarterback for the Seahawks.
That being said, Howell has made quite a bit of progress with his performance since the early days of training camp and now does seem fully viable as a backup option for Seattle.
"I thought Sam was really sharp," Macdonald said. "I thought we moved the ball. I thought he made smart decisions. We were in and out of the huddle, which I felt like we could improve that in the second half. Pleased. Piggybacking on his performance last week and then in practices on Wednesday and Thursday."
Howell made two of his better throws of camp against the Titans. His touchdown throw to Winston was a perfectly played throw on a streak from Winston behind Tre Avery. He then came back with a perfectly threaded throw up the right seam to White for the longest play from scrimmage in the game for either team.
Then in a truncated two-minute drill at the end of the first half, Howell connected on three consecutive passes to Jake Bobo, Winston and Brady Russell to set up a 48-yard Jason Myers field goal to take a 12-7 lead into the break.
"I feel pretty good," Howell said. "I feel like in both these two games I have made some pretty good decisions for the most part. I’m sure looking on tape, maybe we’ll see some things I could have done differently. It’s good to have things that you can improve on, so we will look at the tape and see how we can get better for next week."
Who Stood Out?
RB Kenny McIntosh – McIntosh backed up a solid preseason debut last week against the Los Angeles Chargers with another positive showing against the Titans. McIntosh had eight carries for 46 yards and added two catches for 17 yards in making the start for Seattle. While McIntosh needs to improve a bit in pass protection still, he has flashed his ability as a ball carrier over these two weeks. A one-handed catch was a nice cherry on top as well.
LB Derick Hall – For the second straight week, Hall made his presence felt. He had a sack for the second game in a row and was constantly pressuring plays. Hall has been far more visible in training camp than Mafe has been so far, though Mafe had a solid outing against the Titans as well. Seattle will need their depth rushers behind Nwosu and Dre'Mont Jones to contribute and Hall making a leap would be a very welcome development.
WR Easop Winston Jr. – The former Coug has had a really strong training camp for Seattle. He can return kicks, can play special teams, and has shown he's a pretty capable receiver too. Winston had three catches for 47 yards and a touchdown to lead the Seahawks on Saturday. He may wind up without a seat when the musical chairs of the 53-man roster stops playing next week, but if Seattle can get him back to their practice squad, it would not be a surprise to see Winston contribute to the team this season.
Who Didn’t?
CB D.J. James – The rookie cornerback out of Auburn had a pair of penalties on a Tennessee scoring drive in the third quarter. He was called for a holding penalty on a third-and-15 that gave the Titans a free first down. Two plays later, James got a hold on a facemask that gave Tennessee a first-and-goal from the Seattle 7-yard line. James was also beaten by Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and dragged into the end zone on Tennessee’s only touchdown of the night. James did combine with Auburn teammate Nehemiah Pritchett for a stop of Bryce Oliver to keep the Titans out of the end zone on the drive, but the two penalties in three plays isn’t ideal for a player fighting for a roster spot.
QB P.J. Walker – For the second straight week, Walker is on this list. Walker has really struggled to move the ball for Seattle in his two preseason appearances. He's been inconsistent with his decisions and his accuracy. Walker completed just 4-of-8 passes for 38 yards and took a sack during his four drives at the helm. The team managed just two first downs with Walker under center.
K Jason Myers – This one is a mild collective concern rather than specifically an indictment of the performance against the Titans alone. However, Myers missed an extra point for the second straight week as his attempt after Winston's opening touchdown clanged off the right upright. Myers bounced back with three successful field goals from 27, 48, and 50 yards in the game, including the go-ahead kick with 1:55 left to play. However, Myers has been a touch more inconsistent in camp than you'd hope, and a failed kickoff into the landing zone last week resulted in a penalty as well.