NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Blame it on Antwan Odom’s blocked field-goal attempt, Chartric Darby’s injury or Matt Hasselbeck’s gang-like hand signs.
Whatever the catalyst, the Seattle Seahawks’ road to a third straight blowout victory nearly ended up in a head-on collision.
After holding the Tennessee Titans to 14 yards and one first down on two first-quarter drives, the Seahawks gave up 403 total yards and 24 first downs over the final three quarters of Sunday’s game. They saw an early 14-0 lead turn into a 24-14 deficit before the end of the third quarter, only to end their roller-coaster ride with a 28-24 win.
“In the beginning, it came too easy for us,” Seahawks linebacker Kevin Bentley said. “We went down, scored, stopped them; we scored again, stopped them. It was kind of a letdown for us because it was easy early. We should have been able to keep jumping on them, but we didn’t.
“They kept fighting and worked hard. But the thing is, we continued to fight too.”
The blocked field goal 1:12 into the second quarter got the Titans untracked, and two plays later Darby suffered a knee injury that sidelined him the rest of the day.
But the burr in the Titans’ saddle might well have come in the form of a hand sign.
After Titans linebacker Keith Bulluck helped thwart a third-down play late in the second quarter, with Seattle clinging to a 14-7 lead, he unleashed a few words in the direction of quarterback Matt Hasselbeck. Seattle’s signal caller responded by holding up four fingers on his right hand, followed by a total of nine on both hands.
Four and nine – as in that’s your record, Bulluck, so stop talking trash.
Seemed kind of funny at the time, but none of the Seahawks were laughing when Tennessee’s run of 24 unanswered points and four consecutive scoring drives left Seattle trailing by 10 points nine minutes into the second half.
“In years past, we have not been able to bounce back from something like that,” Seattle coach Mike Holmgren said afterward. “But this team’s different. We put together a couple nice drives in the second half, then our defense made some nice plays and we came out on top.”
Hasselbeck shrugged off his rally-inspiring gesture by saying that he and Bulluck have been longtime competitors since both played at Big East schools – Hasselbeck at Boston College, Bulluck at Syracuse.
The quarterback joked that his hand signal was actually a gang sign – “Eastside,” he cracked, referring to the area near the team’s Kirkland practice complex – and refused to admit that it had anything to do with Tennessee’s record going into the game.
A more likely inspiration came from Odom’s blocked field-goal attempt early in the second quarter. While Seattle would have had a 17-0 lead had Josh Brown converted the 36-yard attempt, the play instead helped Tennessee close to within 14-7 after the Titans took the ball and drove 84 yards in 12 plays.
“It really gave them momentum,” Seahawks fullback Mack Strong said. “They blocked that field goal and really went down and scored a touchdown.
“It was like being in a prize fight. We took their best shot and never went down. We got our composure together and were able to make the play at the end.”
Not so coincidentally, Seattle’s defensive meltdown came with Darby watching from the sideline. The defensive tackle injured his knee on Tennessee’s second offensive play of the second quarter, and he never returned.
While the Seahawks allowed 30 yards on 10 plays (3.0 per play) while Darby was on the field, they yielded 387 on 55 plays (7.0 yards per play) after his injury.
“We really hit a lull there,” defensive end Bryce Fisher said. “It might have been coincidental. But Chuck’s a good player, and he definitely keys the middle of our defense.”
After taking a 14-0 lead in just 9:06, the Seahawks saw their comfortable lead evaporate almost as quickly.
But they were able to eventually finish what they started.
“Last year we probably would have lost that game,” defensive tackle Rocky Bernard said. “It just shows the character of the team this year. We take pride in winning games like that.”
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