NASHVILLE—For the additional beeline week, the Seahawks bare some late-game avowal to get a win and accumulate their playoff hopes alive, and for the additional beeline game, the breach came through with a acceptable drive.
After Drew Lock led the improvement aftermost week, it was Geno Smith, aback from a two-game absence, arch the breach on the acceptable drive this time around, and in the end the Seahawks able with a 20-17 win over the Titans.
With the win, the Seahawks bigger to 8-7, and acknowledgment to Detroit’s win over Minnesota, the Seahawks now ascendancy their own playoff destiny.
Here are bristles accelerated reactions to the Seahawks’ Christmas Eve achievement over the Titans:
1. Geno Smith and the breach came animate in the additional half.
Facing a boxy Titans defense, the Seahawks couldn’t get abundant activity on breach aboriginal on, punting three times in the aboriginal bisected while accepting one acreage goal. A able drive to accessible the third division adjourned out in the red zone, arch to addition abbreviate acreage goal, but backward in the bold Geno Smith, aback afterwards a two-game absence, and the blow of the breach got going.
Late in the third quarter, the Seahawks were affianced at their own 4-yard line, but put calm a season-best 96-yard touchdown drive to booty the lead, hitting DK Metcalf for an 11-yard touchdown to finish. Afterwards the Titans answered with a touchdown of their own to aback ahead, Smith led a 14-play 75-yard touchdown drive, capped by a 5-yard touchdown canyon to Colby Parkinson.
On that final drive, Smith went 7 for 10 for 57 yards and a touchdown, including an 18-yard achievement to Jaxon Smith-Njigba on third-and-14.
2. The receiver leash of DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett and Jaxon Smith-Njigba all came through in big moments.
When the Seahawks drafted Jaxon Smith-Njigba in the aboriginal round, it gave the Seahawks one of the best accepting trios in the league, and the leash of DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett and Smith-Njigba all had big moments to advance the Seahawks’ breach backward in the game.
Lockett led the way with eight catches for 81 yards, including three catches on the final drive, while Metcalf angry in a amazing touchdown drive, as able-bodied as a hurdle to set up a acreage ambition in the aboriginal half, and accomplished with 56 yards on six catches. Smith-Njigba, meanwhile, had 61 yards on six catches, including a 20-yarder to bang off the 96-yard drive, and the above 18-yard bolt on third-and-14 on the game-winning drive.
3. DK Metcalf put on a appearance in advanced of some appropriate guests.
Seahawks Put Together Another Game-Winning Drive
DK Metcalf began demography online American Sign Language courses at the alpha of the season, again began demography those acquaint to the field, signing celebrations afterwards touchdowns. Metcalf’s ASL teacher, Darrell Utley, lives in Knoxville, Tennessee, about a two-and-half-hour drive from Nashville, so Metcalf arrive Utley and his ancestors to the game, briefly affair up with them afore the game.
And with Utley and ancestors in attendance, Metcalf came through with some big plays on a day area credibility and yards were boxy to appear by. Metcalf, who accomplished with four catches for 56 yards, helped set Seattle’s aboriginal score, a Jason Myers acreage goal, with a 26-yard bolt and run that featured him hurdling a arresting aback to get added yards. In the fourth quarter, Metcalf denticulate Seattle’s aboriginal touchdown of the game, an 11-yard grab in the aback of the end area on which he initially bobbled the one-handed attempt, again acquired ascendancy while accepting two anxiety in to accord the Seahawks their aboriginal advance of the game. Metcalf additionally drew the canyon arrest amends on the final drive to set up the bold acceptable score, and he may accept denticulate the champ himself had he not been tackled on that play.
4. Boye Mafe and the canyon blitz showed up in a big way.
Second-year alfresco linebacker Boye Mafe had a franchise-record band of seven amateur with a sack beforehand this season, but with teams advantageous added absorption to him with bifold aggregation and added blockers chipping him, his assembly cooled off, and Mafe went bristles amateur after a sack.
Mafe got aback in the sack cavalcade on Sunday, recording two of Seattle’s six sacks on a day area the canyon blitz was a big agency for the defense. Mafe’s additional sack came on the final drive of the game, causing the Titans to use their final timeout, again Dre’Mont Jones added a sack after in the drive to all but end the game.
5. Bobby Wagner had a big day.
More than a decade into his career, Bobby Wagner is still accepting the job done at a aerial level, and he came through with addition big day for the Seahawks on Sunday. In a concrete matchup, Wagner led the way for Seattle’s aegis with 11 tackles, giving him 154 for the season. This is Wagner’s fourth time in 12 seasons with 150 or added tackles. Wagner additionally added a sack and had a accouterment for loss.
