Our Super Bowl champion Seahawks offense, y’all, they only punched it into the end zone *twice* across ten periods of full-throttle, best-on-best work against the Titans on Friday. Yeah, you read that right. Our champs, only two scores against a team that, let’s be real, needed a morale boost against the defending world champions. The Titans beat writers and players are straight-up *encouraged* by how they stood tall on their own turf, and honestly, you can’t blame them after that showing from our first-team O.
A Gut Check for the Champs’ Offense
Head Coach Mike Macdonald put it best when he said, “I think we’re going to watch the tape and like a lot of things we saw, and then we’re going to watch the tape and not like some things.” He even admitted there are things “off the top of my head that are not above the line” that they’ll attack. When your Super Bowl champion first-team offense only finds the end zone twice in heavy rotation, that’s not just “not above the line,” that’s a wake-up call louder than the 12s on game day. The report from Nashville clearly states the Titans’ Cam Ward and their offense looked good in the red zone and two-minute drills, emphasizing a “short game” that supposedly played into their hands against us. Look, it’s practice, sure, but a two-touchdown output from our champs’ top unit still makes you squint at the film a little longer.
The Dark Side’s New Shine
Here’s where you gotta breathe deep, Emerald City. While the offense was finding its footing, our defense was out there showing why they’re called “The Dark Side.” Despite the Titans’ attempts to play a short game, relying on quick dump-offs, the Seahawks defense recorded at least two “sacks” and, get this, a Ty Okada pick-6 against Ward! Think about that, a practice interception returned for a score. That’s a flash of what’s to come. We know Nick Emmanwori is coming back, and this unit already plays with swarming pursuit. The chatter about the Titans’ run game thriving? Not a long-term worry. Mike Macdonald has *fortified* our rush defense in his short time. Since Ernest Jones IV arrived, it’s been consistently dominant, and with Drake Thomas being very good and Tyrice Knight waiting in the wings, plus Byron Murphy II and Leonard Williams being absolute studs in the middle, our front is legit. Macdonald’s defense played zone at a 72% rate, which can leave spacing for short throws, but with more complex blitzes and drops coming in the regular season, that short game will look a lot less appealing.
This was just a joint practice, a chance to “go against a different operation” as Coach Macdonald said. But it’s also a peek behind the curtain for our Super Bowl champs. We’ve got the official season kick-off just around the corner, and you know the target on our back is only gonna get bigger. This team’s got to iron out those offensive wrinkles, but if the defense keeps flexing like this, the Emerald City is in for another wild ride.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Field Gulls.
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