Breakdowns late send Seahawks to 33-30 overtime loss to Titans in Seattle fans’ return

Tyler Lockett just stood there, hands on hips, in front of the bench.

For three quarters, Russell Wilson and Lockett did what they are paid hundreds of millions to do.

Until they and the Seahawks’ offense didn’t.

After 30 points built largely on two huge plays and defensive breakdowns by Tennessee, Wilson, Lockett and Seattle’s offense went silent with Sunday’s home opener on the line. That was while Derrick Henry, Ryan Tannehill and the Titans’ offense stormed Seattle’s back-pedaling defense for 14 points late to tie the game.

In overtime, Wilson got sacked by Titans linebacker Ola Adeniyi for a 12-yard loss back to Seattle’s 1-yard line to end the Seahawks’ possession. The Titans’ drive start of the Seattle 39 was already basically in field-goal range.

Another big run by the mammoth Henry (35 carries, 182 yards) set up Randy Bullock’s 46-yard field goal with 4:45 left in overtime. That doomed the Seahawks to a 33-30 loss, which happened blowing a 24-9 halftime lead.

Lockett and 68,585 vaccinated or recently testing-negative-for-COVID-19 fans stood stunned at previously roaring Lumen Field.

The first real Seahawks home game with fans in 21 months was remarkable for more big plays by Wilson, Lockett (eight catches, 178 yards, a 63-yard touchdown) — and the largest blown lead in a home loss for Seattle in 17 years.

Tennessee forced the overtime by taking the open space Seattle’s defense gave receivers in front of them for dump-off completions. The Titans drove to Henry’s 1-yard touchdown run with 28 seconds left. Tennessee coach Mike Vrabel chose to kick the tying point after touchdown and go to overtime instead of winning it there with a 2-point conversion.

In overtime the Seahawks defense appeared to get off the field with a three and out on an incomplete pass on Tennessee’s opening possession. But blitzing Jamal Adams and end Kerry Hyder hit quarterback Ryan Tannehill two steps after he threw, resulting in a 15-yard penalty for roughing the passer.

Three plays later, third and 15, Tannehill picked an opportune (for Seattle) to misfire wide of Chester Rogers. Tennessee punted, but the field position was in the Titans’ favor.

The Seahawks’ first drive of overtime began at their own 13-yard line. Wilson tried to create a play under pressure on third down. He narrowly avoided a game-ending safety while getting sacked for the third time Sunday, this time at the goal line.

Lockett and second-year defensive end Alton Robinson had made two quick, marvelous plays to give the Seahawks a 17-6 lead in the second quarter.

Robinson broke in on Tannehill and sacked him while forcing a fumble that fellow Seahawks end Kerry Hyder recovered inside the Titans’ 10-yard line. That set up the first of two short touchdown runs by Seattle’s Chris Carson.

Lockett made two NFL defensive backs, CB Elijah Molden and former Seahawks safety Bradley McDouglad, look like Keystone Kops running into each other as Lockett ran past them both the other way to finish 63-yard catch and run for a touchdown in the second quarter.

The press box was shaking. The sputtering Seahawks suddenly led 10-6.

Lockett had five catches on his first six targets by Wilson Sunday, for 144 yards. That gave him 244 yards through the first seven quarters of play this season, a new Seahawks record. Hall of Famer Steve Largent held the previous Seahawks record for most yards receiving through the first two games of a season with 215 in 1978, the third season in franchise history.

Then, with the Seahawks tenuously holding a one-score lead early in the final quarter, the Titans defense just gave Seattle a crushing touchdown.

Third and 12, after a holding foul on DK Metcalf on a screen pass. Wilson had two receivers on each side of his formation, including Freddie Swain split no-so-wide left. Tennessee’s secondary was so preoccupied with more trouble from Lockett and a route underneath by Metcalf, no Titan covered Swains down the left seam. There was no defender from Seattle to Nashville when the stunned Wilson found Swain as open as a receiver can be for a 68-yard touchdown.

That touchdown became huge two scrimmage plays later.

Henry, the reigning two-time NFL rushing champion coming off a 58-yard game the previous week in Tennessee’s 25-point home loss to Arizona, cut outside left from the Titans 40-yard line. Seahawks Pro Bowl safety Quandre Diggs was the only defender with a chance to stop him.

For the second time Sunday, that was a bad proposition for Seattle.

The 247-pound Henry ran through Diggs with a stiff arm and down the left sideline for his second rushing touchdown of the second half, this one 60 yards. Seattle’s lead was down to 30-23 with 12:17 remaining.

STEALING POINTS

The Seahawks’ defense was reeling in the second quarter, after right cornerback Tre Flowers got beaten deep for the second time in the first half. The second time was on a 51-yard pass from Tannehill to Julio Jones on a post route easily inside Flowers. Tennessee had a first and goal.

Two plays later, on third down from the 5-yard line, Bobby Wagner made an All-Pro play. He perfectly timed a blitz over the guard-center gap from his middle-linebacker spot. No Titan picked him up. Wagner’s clean hit and sack of Tannehill had the home crowd roaring again, and forced a short field goal for Tennessee. Seattle trailed only 6-3, instead of 10-3.

It could (should) have been at least 13-3 Titans.

A.J. Brown broke into the clear in the first quarter, 3 yards past Flowers down the yard-line numbers near the left sideline, with no Seahawk behind them. Tannehill’s accurate pass hit both of Brown’s hands, but he dropped the ball. Instead of a 72-yard touchdown, Tennessee trudged on to its first field goal by Randy Bullock. That tied the game at 3.

Then late in the second quarter, Jones leaped and made a tremendous catch while appearing to have a first foot down and dragging his second heel inside the back line of the end zone. Officials initially ruled a touchdown that would have cut the Seahawks’ lead to 17-12. But inside of 2 minutes left in the half, per NFL rule, the league headquarters ordered an extended review of Jones’ touchdown. The NFL officiating office in New York overturned the call on the field, and ruled Jones second foot did not come down inbounds.

Tennessee settled for another consolation field goal instead, and trailed 17-9.

The Titans also left 1:09 on the clock. It was a key sequence in the game. Tennessee was to receive the second-half kickoff. Seattle had two time outs remaining.

Wilson and new play caller Shane Waldron then went to their best: hurry-up, somewhat improvisational offense. They flat stole seven points to end the half doing it.

Wilson completed four consecutive passes to begin the drive, in a hurry. The fourth, to DK Metcalf, got Seattle to the Tennessee 36 with 51 seconds left in the half. Then Alex Collins surprised the blitzing Titans with an inside run of 25 yards. Tight end Gerald Everett didn’t have a target into the third quarter, but he did pick off the blitzing-free Titans cornerback that cleared the lane for Collins’ run.

Lockett then deftly drew a pass-interference penalty on Tennessee’s Chris Jackson by making the contact look worse than it was. Chris Carson converted that into the second short touchdown run of the first half, this time from 1 yard.

The Seahawks took that 24-9 lead into halftime.

The previous week in their opening win at Indianapolis, Waldron’s new offense went for a gaudy 7.2 yards per play. Seattle was even better to begin Sunday. The Seahawks averaged a whopping 8.3 yards per play in the first half. And that was with two sacks of Wilson.

The Seahawks stole three more points at the end of the third quarter. They got away with sending only four pass rushers at Tannehill on a third and 5 from the Seattle 26-yard line in a 24-16 game. Tannehill couldn’t find anyone open then finally got pressured by Seattle defensive end Kerry Hyder into an errant pass incomplete.

Then Bullock, who had made his first three field-goal attempts, missed wide right from 44 yards. The Seahawks still led by eight entering the final quarter.

FIVE-MAN D-LINE. AGAIN.

Seattle debuted five defensive linemen last week instead of their usual four in its base defense. That was to stop early running by Indianapolis’ Jonathan Taylor, with an extra defensive tackle.

Early against the Titans Sunday, the Seahawks used five linemen including an extra end. Kerry Hyder was an inside, hybrid tackle next to traditional tackles Poona Ford and Al Woods.

Tennessee’s response was much like the Colts’ the previous week. The Titans passed on four of their first six plays on a 13-play drive to a tying field goal late in the first quarter.

The Seahawks mixed their five defensive linemen. Sometimes it was with three ends, other times with three tackles. Robert Nkemdiche Nov. 3, 2019, two plays on defense for the Miami Dolphins in his final game for them. Nkemdiche had a bad personal-foul penalty for hitting Tannehill three steps after the quarterback had thrown a pass incomplete in the second quarter.

Robinson’s huge play gave him more snaps in the second and third quarters. It appeared to be at the expense of edge-rushing end Carlos Dunlap.

BALDWIN RETURNS

Retired Seahawks wide receiver and Super Bowl champion Doug Baldwin was back at the stadium in SoDo Sunday. He was the latest given the honor by the team of raising the 12 flag from atop the south end zone just before kickoff.

The formerly undrafted rookie free agent from Stanford became a two-time Pro Bowl selection and led the NFL in touchdown catches with 14 from Wilson in 2015. He played his entire pro career for Seattle, from 2011 through ‘18. He retired after that season, at the age of 30.

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