Grading the Seahawks’ 33-27 loss to the Tennessee Titans

Here’s how the Seattle Seahawks grade out in their 33-27 loss to the Tennessee Titans on Sunday at Nissan Stadium:

OFFENSE

For the first 28 minutes, the Seahawks’ offense was stuck in neutral the way it was in the first two games of the season. But then Seattle came to life to produce by far its best offensive game of the season. Quarterback Russell Wilson ended up with a career-high 373 passing yards to go along with four touchdowns, and for the first time this season tight end Jimmy Graham was a factor. The Seahawks weren’t able to get much going in the run game, however, as Seattle’s running backs combined for just 44 yards on 15 carries.

Grade: B

DEFENSE

It was a rare sight watching Seattle’s usually-dominating defense get steamrolled in the second half. The Seahawks allowed the Titans to rush for 195 yards — 165 of which came in the second half — which was the most Seattle has allowed in a game since 2013. Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota was rarely troubled as he wasn’t sacked only once. Seattle was stout early on, forcing three-and-outs on Tennessee’s first four possessions, but the Seahawks appeared to tire under the combination of heat and a heavy workload.

Grade: D+

SPECIAL TEAMS

Not a lot happening in special teams, as the Seahawks didn’t make any major mistakes — Tennessee’s punt return for a touchdown was called back by a penalty — but also didn’t make anything happen. However, Seattle missed out on an opportunity for a last-ditch miracle when its punt-block team was flagged for having 12 men on the field, giving the Titans a first down that allowed them to run out the clock.

Grade: C-

COACHING

The pros: Seattle’s switch to Oday Aboushi over Mark Glowinski at right guard seemed to help the pass protection; the Seahawks picked their spots well for the no-huddle offense, which was effective; and whether it was the coaches or players, someone was able to calm Richard Sherman down enough to avoid a total meltdown. The cons: too many undisciplined penalties; no answers for Tennessee’s run game in the second half; and a questionable decision to go for it on fourth-and-22 rather than kick a field goal when trailing by 13 with 7:20 remaining.

Grade: C

OVERALL

It was as if the Seahawks gave different itineraries to their offense and defense. The offense showed up late, playing poorly in the first half but well in the second half. The defense checked out early, playing strong in the first half before disappearing in the second. So while it was encouraging to see the offense finally arrive, it was discouraging to see the defense collapse. Seattle is now 1-2, and although the Seahawks made the playoffs in 2015 after starting out 1-2, that’s the only time in franchise history they’ve managed that feat.

Grade: C-