Hawks' defense returns to prominence in 20-13 win over Titans

Courtesy Seahawks.com



SEATTLE -- Ahh, there's the defense Hawks' fans have come to know and love.

The Hawks' defense held the Titans offense to just three points and 223 yards in the Seahawks' 20-13 win over the Tennessee Titans Sunday afternoon at CenturyLink Field.

Following a week where the defense and the Seahawks' secondary -- the Legion of Boom -- showed some weakness against a strong Andrew Luck and Indianapolis Colts, the Hawks returned to form. The defense was led by a strong pass rush and a couple of opportune plays from star cornerback Richard Sherman, holding the Titans and backup quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick to 179 yards passing and just 66 yards rushing.

The Hawks offense took awhile to pick up steam. Marshawn Lynch was held to under a hundred yards to the fifth time this season, going 77 yards on 21 carries.

Wilson and the Hawks failed to muster much in the first quarter, with a slow start compounded by a bizarre end to the 2nd quarter. John Ryan was in to kick a 31-yard field goal in an attempt to put the Hawks up 10-3. But the punter -- Steven Hauschka was out briefly in the second quarter following an injury -- never got the chance as the snap was botched and fumbled, leading to a 77-yard touchdown return for Jason Mccourty to put the Titans up 10-7.

But the Hawks picked things up in the second half, especially the fourth quarter. After tying the game on a 31-yard field goal, the Hawks kicked another Steven Hauschka field goal to go up 13-10 with 11:26 left to go. They followed up with a 7-play, 59-yard drive that ended in a 3-yard touchdown run from Lynch, putting the Hawks up 20-10.

The Hawks led in 1st downs, total yards, passing and rushing. The team also improved on 3rd down conversions stat, going 5-for-13. Wilson was boosted by a stronger offense line with the return of Center Max Unger, only being sacked twice and having more time in the pocket. The team was benefited from some lucky rolls of the ball, with Marshawn Lynch losing the ball deep in Titans territory, but Wilson was able to recover.

Wilson finished the day 23-for-31 with a passer rating of 98.5.

Following the game, coach Pete Carroll said the team will get more help next week as some players, including Tight End Zach Miller, will be back following injuries.

The Hawks will face off against division rival Arizona Cardinals on Thursday in Arizona.

Live updates from the game 

-- Titans don't go for the onside kick and the Hawks get the ball near midfield after a great Kearse return.

-- Titans put up a field goal with 2:18 left in the game. We'll see if they go for the onside kick.

-- Titans have a first and 10 on the Hawks' 26. Definitely driving with four minutes left.

-- Kendall Wright gets the first down. Titans are driving with 6:06 left in the game. They are near midfield.

-- What a catch from Sidney Rice. And Lynch follows it up with at touchdown! The Hawks go up 20 10 with 7:33 left in the game.

-- Hawks pick up the first down and are driving at the Titans' 32. WIlson rolls outside to pick up a few yards.

-- Richard Sherman with the interception! He's got our vote for the best cornerback in the league. Hawks takeover on their own 40.

-- Wilson has nothing but time but no one to throw to. Hawks have to settle for a 29-yard field goal with 11:23 left in the game.

-- #Phew. Russell Wilson recovers after Lynch loses the ball.

-- Hawks get out of bounds at about the 2. They'll be looking at first and goal.

-- There we go! Wilson finds Marshawn Lynch to get to the Tennessee 25.

4th Quarter-- Nevermind going for it on fourth down. The Titans punt after a delay of game penalty. Hawks get the ball on their own 20.

-- Hawks hold Titans on 3rd and 1 and the Titans go for it on fourth down. They call a timeout before the play clock expires.

-- Titans get a little bit of a running game going. Chris Johnson has 12 carries for 33 yards. Still averaging less than 3 yards a carry for this game.

-- Hauschka back on the field after leaving the game in the 2nd quarter. Nails a 31-yard attempt to tie the game at 10-10 with 4:30 left to go in the third quarter.

-- Wilson goes for a long run. Gets 23 yards on the carry. This drive has lasted 48 yards and gone six plays.

-- Marshawn Lynch with a big gain in yards. Beast Mode Lynch has been curing what ails us for years.

-- If the Hawks could hold on to the football, that'd be great. Insert Office meme here.

-- Hawks defense holds the Titans and the Hawks will get the ball back at about their own 10. Titans D is looking really good.

-- Man, some calls have really gone against the Hawks in this game. Seahawks fumble, Titans recover and there is a dead-ball foul. The play is under review.

-- Hawks get an automatic first down on a holding.

-- Hawks look to recover after that bizarre ending to the first half. 3rd and five at their own 28. Wilson has all kinds of time.

-- Hauschka is back on the field. Reports say he is available for play. #GoHawks #LOUDER

Titans lead the Hawks 10-7 at the half. 

-- What a turn of events. Hawks get their field goal ripped away from them and the Titans recover for a touchdown. Second quarter ends with the Titans up 10-7 at halftime. Two weeks in a row the Hawks have a botch field goal returned for a touchdown.

-- Baldwin gets to the endzone and gets a facemask to boot. The Hawks are trying to get it in their endzone because Hauschka id out of the game.

-- Looks like Steven Hauschka had to head to the locker room. He may have suffered a concussion. We'll have more on this soon.  Meanwhile, the Hawks blocked, or the Titans' punter dropped a punt, a punt. The Hawks get the ball on the Titans' 40.

-- Michael Bennett comes from the outside to get a sack. Great rush from the side. Dances after the sack with some classic jelly rolls. Looks like the Titans will have to punt on fourth and 17.

-- Hauschka has quite the nosebleed following a big tackle on a kickoff. It's OK, Hauschka's a beast.

-- Titans have a strong return to get to their own 35 with a little more than two minutes left in the first half.

-- Touchdown Seahawks! Lynch gets his fourth rushing touchdown of the season on a 1-yard rush on fourth down. Hawks go up 7-3 with 2:41 to go in the 2nd quarter.

-- Wilson comes up short on third down. Hawks are going to go for it. Here we go! Touchdown Lynch!

-- Wilson hits Doug Baldwin to get the Hawks at the Titans 2. The Hawks are heating up.

-- Lynch picks up the third down and gets to the 30 of the Titans. Got to love that second effort, even though he was marked down.

-- Wilson is doing a lot of work with his feet. He has 26 yards on on three carries to get the first third down conversion for the Hawks of the game.

-- Titans will be forced to punt on fourth and 17.  Tate takes it to the Hawks' own 25-yardline. Wilson looks to get something going here with the offense.

-- Titans complete on third down. Fitzpatrick completes to Kendall Wright to bring the Titans out near the 50-yardline.

2nd Quarter -- Hawks can't get anything off the interception and are forced to punt. Again, the team is struggling on third down, going 0-for-3.

-- Interception Seahawks! Earl Thomas picks it off and takes it to the Hawks' 40. #GoHawks

-- Looks like Hawks will have to punt from their own 35 yard line. It's a touch-back and the Titans will get the ball on their own 20.

-- Read Option play gets Russell some good yardage on first and 10. Hawks are out to their own 33.

-- Jermaine Kearse runs the kick out of the endzone to get to the 20.

-- Tennessee hits a field goal to put up the first points of the game. It's Titans 3-0 with 5:16 left in the first.

-- Penalty flags fly on a Richard Sherman unneccessary roughness call for a 15-yard penalty. The Titans are in the Hawks' territory at about the 30.

-- Titans are pushing it out to the midfield.

-- Kendall Wright jukes Brandon Browner for a long gain.

-- Another high snap pushes the Titans back to their own three. Can we see the second safety in two weeks?

-- Hawks are forced to punt and they pin Tennessee back within their own 10 yard line.

-- Wilson has 10 wins in 10 starts at CenturyLink Field. Right off the gate he completes to Luke Wilson for a first down. Though Wilson is rushed in the play after, early reports look like the line is holding up better with Max Unger.

-- Golden Tate goes back to receive the punt after the Hawks defense holds the Titans. Russell Wilson takes the field for the first time. Here we go Hawks at their own 29 yard line.

-- Titans' QB Ryan Fitzpatrick runs on second down for a first down. Misses his mark on 2nd down of the next possession. We'll see how they do on third and long.

-- The Hawks won the toss and they will defer. Let them get a hit of the 12th Man early.

--  Kickoff! Hawks have a one game lead in their division. Lets hope they can keep it!