SEATTLE (AP) — TENNESSEE (0-1) at SEATTLE (1-0)
Sunday, 4:25 p.m. EDT, CBS
OPENING LINE: Seahawks by 5 1/2, according to FanDuel SportsBook
AGAINST THE SPREAD: Titans 0-1; Seahawks 1-0.
SERIES RECORD: Seahawks lead 10-7.
LAST MEETING: Titans beat Seahawks 33-27, Sept. 24, 2017 in Nashville.
LAST WEEK: Titans lost to Cardinals 38-13; Seahawks beat Colts 28-16.
TITANS OFFENSE: OVERALL (31), RUSH (20), PASS (29), SCORING (29T).
TITANS DEFENSE: OVERALL (22), RUSH (24), PASS (20), SCORING (30T).
SEAHAWKS OFFENSE: OVERALL (18T), RUSH (8), PASS (20), SCORING (13).
SEAHAWKS DEFENSE: OVERALL (11), RUSH (16), PASS (12), SCORING (7T).
TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Titans minus-2; Seahawks even.
TITANS PLAYER TO WATCH: LT Taylor Lewan. The three-time Pro Bowler struggled in his first game back after tearing his right ACL last October. Chandler Jones didn’t get all five of his sacks at Lewan’s expense, but the tackle struggled enough he apologized on social media to the Titans and fans. He also thanked Jones for exposing his struggles and promised that he’ll be better.
SEAHAWKS PLAYER TO WATCH: CB Tre Flowers. Cornerback was the most unsettled position for Seattle during training camp and it was rarely tested in the opener against Indianapolis. That won’t be the case this week with the Titans bevy of talented receivers and Tennessee seeking a spark offensively after last week’s dismal performance.
KEY MATCHUP: Titans WR A.J. Brown and Seahawks WR DK Metcalf. The former Ole Miss teammates play their first game against each other in the NFL. Brown is coming off his first Pro Bowl season with 70 catches for 1,075 yards and 11 TDs. Brown had four catches for 49 yards and a TD in the opener. Metcalf didn’t get a target in the first half against Indianapolis, but finished with four catches for 60 yards and a TD.
KEY INJURIES: Titans OLB Bud Dupree showed up on the injury report with a knee issue after a quiet opener with just one tackle against Arizona. … Seahawks could be without WR Dee Eskridge suffering a concussion in the opener. Eskridge had two carries for 22 yards and one reception vs. Indy.
SERIES NOTES: First matchup since 2017 in Nashville when Titans built a 30-14 lead and held off Seattle’s late rally. Titans QB that day was Marcus Mariota and top running back was DeMarco Murray. … Titans last visited Seattle in 2013. Seahawks won 20-13 thanks to two Marshawn Lynch rushing TDs. … Franchises have met once in the postseason when Houston beat Seattle 23-20 in overtime in the wild-card game in January 1988.
STATS AND STUFF: Titans were routed at home last week by Arizona 38-13, while Seahawks opened the season with a 28-16 road win at Indianapolis. … Will be the first regular-season game with fans at Lumen Field since Week 17 of the 2019 season. Fans will be required to provide proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours of the game. … Titans QB Ryan Tannehill has played in two career games against Seahawks, the previous coming in 2016 with Miami. … Titans RB Derrick Henry rushed for 1,221 yards and 11 touchdowns in eight road games last season. Henry has 2,003 yards rushing in his past 16 road games. … Seahawks QB Russell Wilson needs one win to become just the second quarterback in league history with 100 or more regular-season wins in his first 10 seasons. Peyton Manning (105 wins) is the only other. … Wilson’s 152.3 passer rating last week vs. the Colts was the second highest for his career in a regular-season game. … Seahawks have won 12 straight home openers and 17 of the past 18. Only loss during that stretch came in 2008 to San Francisco.
FANTASY TIP: With Rashaad Penny not expected to play because of a calf injury there is likely to be even less of a split of carries in Seattle’s backfield. Chris Carson rushed for 91 yards and averaged 5.7 yards per carry against the Colts and now faces a Titans defense that watched Chase Edmonds and James Conner combine for 116 yards rushing last week.
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