By Mazvita Maraire Posted on

Studs and Duds from Seahawk’s loss to the Titans

With most starters resting on both sides of the ball, Saturday’s preseason contest between the Seahawks and Titans allowed the backups to cement their position on the depth chart and, for some, a place on the final roster.

STUDS

SAM HOWELL

 Howell took a big jump from last week’s game with the Charges regarding his accuracy. He finished the half 11 of 14 for 153 yards and one touchdown. On the first drive of the season, Howell had his worst pass of the game on third and three. He overthrew a wide-open Jake Bobo. On the Seahawks’ next offensive possession, Howell was sacked on a  2nd and 14, and it looked like Howell was headed in the wrong direction.

During the Seahawk’s third drive, Howell settled down and took control of the offense and the game. Howell went 4-4 on the drive with passes to  81 Laviska Shenault Jr, Dareke Young, and rookie tight AJ Burner. The best pass of the drive was the 23-yard pass reception to Easop Winston Jr. for the touchdown. Howell continued his marksmanship on the Seahawk’s fourth drive of the game, engineering another scoring drive, completing 3 of 4 passes for 61 yards. The drive ended in a 27-yard field goal by  Jason Myers.

COMMAND OF THE OFFENSE

Howell showed his mastery of the two-minute offense when he completed three of four passes in 38 seconds to set up a 48-yard field goal by Myers as time expired in the first half. Saturday was undoubtedly Howell’s best day as a Seahawk. While patient in the pocket, Howell did an excellent job stepping up to avoid the rush and find the open receiver.

KENNY McIntosh


With Ken Walker II  and Zach Charbonnet sitting round two of Kenny McIntosh and George Holani, they were the main attraction in the backfield. Like an overmatched heavyweight match, McIntosh took the initiative and kept punching. McIntosh showed the running ability the Seahawks knew he had in when they drafted him out of Georgia. McIntosh had eight carries for 46 yards, averaging 5.8 yards a carry. His runs were punishing and eloquent.

His best run was a 12-yard bolt down the right side during the Seahawk’s third drive of the game. McIntosh was given the ball on the next play and gained just two yards. His two carries on the drive complemented Howell’s passing and helped engineer the Seahawk’s first scoring drive of the game. In addition to the running yards, McIntosh had two receptions for 17  yards.   In all fairness, McIntosh’s success does not detract from Haloni’s chances of making the team. Haloni will most likely be placed on the practice squad.

DEE WILLIAMS

The undrafted free agent continues to turn heads with his worth as a special teams player. Williams did not catch a single pass in Saturday’s game but was in punt return formation for all of the Titan’s four punts. He returned one punt return for five yards and shared the kick return duties with Dareke Young. Williams returned two kickoffs for 68 yards, including an impressive 41-yard return that gave the Seahawks a decent position to start the game. Young had one return for 27 yards. Given the logjam at wide receiver, William’s best chance to make the roster is to be a special teams contributor.  

DUDS

OFFENSIVE LINE

The continued battle for right guard between  Christian Haynes and Anthony Bradford saw a strange twist. Both Haynes and Bradford started the game. Stone Forsythe was at left tackle, Haynes was at right guard, Olu Oluwatimi was at center, Bradford was at right guard, and McClendon Curtis was at left tackle. The shuffled lineup played like it.   The first offensive possession was a three and out, and in the second, Hayens was flagged for a false start,  and Stone Forsythe was left for dead by the Titan’s Jaylen Harrel, who sacked Howell. The unit found their footing on the offense’s third possession, which ended in a score. 

Curtis was beaten by the Titans   Isaiah Iton on the team’s fourth possession on 3rd  and 4th and penalized for face masking to add insult to injury.   The Titans declined the penalty, and the Seahawks escaped the drive with a 27-yard field goal. 

D.J. JAMES

James had a tough day at the office or, more accurately, a tough third quarter. The rookie cornerback from Auburn was flagged for two crucial penalties that sustained the Titan’s drive. On a third and 15, Titans QB Malik  Willis was four yards short after an 11-yard scramble. James was called for defensive holding, giving the  Titans offense an automatic first down. Two plays later, James was flagged for a face mask penalty after giving up a 17-yard reception at the Seattle 15-yard line. The penalty moved the ball to the Seattle seven-yard line. The Seahawks defense held the  Titans to a 21-yard field goal.

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