Reporter Bob Condotta grades the Seahawks’ win at the Titans in Week 16

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — For all the raucousness in the Seahawks locker room after Sunday’s 20-17 win over the Tennessee Titans, there also was also the knowledge that as quickly as things have changed for the good the past six days is how swiftly things could also reverse course.

“It feels great,” tight end Colby Parkinson said after Seattle’s second last-minute win in two weeks. “But we know the work is not done. We’ve got two weeks left to get us a spot in the playoffs, and we’ve got to go earn it.”

But they can, at least, go earn it themselves.

postgame coverage Seahawks 20, Titans 17

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Wins in the last two games against Pittsburgh and Arizona, and Seattle is in — simple as that.

What a turnaround that is from even just seven days ago when Seattle’s playoff hopes were dangling precariously, if not quite hanging totally by a thread.

On to the grades:

Quarterback

The timing seemed a bit off early on as Smith was 10 for 16 for 69 yards in the first half, a rating of 72.1. Smith could hardly have been better in the second half, going 15 for 20 for 158 yards, two touchdowns and a rating of 130.8. He also avoided taking killer sacks and didn’t have a turnover. He now has a 9-to-2 TD-to-INT ratio his last five games.

Grade: A-minus

Running back

This wasn’t quite the dominant rushing game Seattle wanted — 58 yards on 20 attempts, with 24 coming on one Kenneth Walker III run in the first half. Seattle managed just 28 yards rushing on 12 carries in the second half which almost makes what Smith and the passing game did at the end seem that much more impressive. There might have been a time or two Walker seemed to run his way out of a few yards, but he seemed to make far more on his own than he had given to him. Zach Charbonnet had no yards on two carries with the team now leaning on Walker with the season near its end.

Grade: B-minus

Receiver

This game might be the prototype for the value in having three strong receiving threats. Tyler Lockett finished with a team-high 81 yards on eight receptions, several coming at clutch times to convert first downs. DK Metcalf had 56 yards on four receptions, including a spectacular 11-yarder in the fourth quarter to put Seattle ahead. Jaxon Smith-Njigba continues to show why team took him where it did, with six receptions for 61 yards, moving him into second in team history for catches by a rookie with 59 for the season.

Grade: A

Tight end

The numbers here don’t necessarily seem all that big — four catches for 23 yards on five targets — but Colby Parkinson made the biggest play of his career with his 5-yard TD to win it with 57 seconds left. Will Dissly’s lone reception was a gutty 6-yarder on a second-and-12 play that helped set up a Seattle field goal. Parkinson also just missed on another possible TD in the first half.

Grade: A

Offensive line

The line continues to be hit and miss. Seattle doesn’t appear to be run blocking all that well, as the rushing stats show, but boy that pass protection, especially down the stretch. Smith was hit only once in the second half. That looked for a minute like it might be a big one — a 6-yard loss that set up third-and-14 at the 38 with 2 minutes remaining. From there, Smith was kept clean in leading the Seahawks the rest of the necessary 62 yards for the winning TD. 

Grade: B-minus

Defensive line

Another sort of tale of two halves for the defensive line. Seattle allowed 115 rushing yards on 15 carries in the first half — 7.5 per attempt — but held that to 49 on 16 in the second, 3.1 per carry. Seattle had six sacks — three coming from interior defensive linemen, with Jarran Reed getting his seventh of the year (which momentarily tied him for the team lead), Mario Edwards Jr. getting one against the team he played for last season, and Dre’Mont Jones then turning in maybe his biggest play as a Seahawk with the sack of Ryan Tannehill for a 10-yard loss with the clock rolling after the Titans had reached midfield with 29 seconds remaining. Leonard Williams also had five tackles. 

Grade: B-minus

Linebacker

Devin Bush got an official start — his second with the Seahawks — as Seattle began the game with three linebackers, essentially playing a base 4-3 defense on early downs to combat Tennessee’s rushing game. That plan went out the window when Jordyn Brooks left with an ankle injury late in the first quarter. Bush played the rest of the game at weakside linebacker alongside Bobby Wagner. Wagner finished with 11 tackles, eight coming in the second half when he led the effort to slow down Tennessee’s rushing attack. Bush finished with six tackles, tying what he had for the entire season coming in.

Grade: B

Secondary

There were a few more changes to the ever-evolving secondary. Riq Woolen returned to the starting spot on the right side with Michael Jackson moving to the left with Tre Brown dealing with a heel injury. Brown rotated in for a few series, but Woolen got most of the work, a week after he did not start and was limited to rotational duty in favor of Jackson. Seattle had to again go with Artie Burns as the nickel with Devon Witherspoon missing another game while using Coby Bryant in six-defensive-back formations, an offshoot of Jamal Adams missing another game. And, oh yeah, Julian Love returned after missing all week to be with his wife, who gave birth to their first child on Friday. There were a few rough moments, the most notable being Burns being called for a personal foul that gave Tennessee a first-and-goal at the 2 on its final drive and led to the Titans’ final TD. Had Seattle not rallied that would have been a really memorable faux pas. The secondary also got fooled on Derrick Henry’s second-quarter TD pass. 

Grade: C

Special teams

DeeJay Dallas’ 30-yard return coupled with a personal foul on Tennessee set up Seattle at the 45 and led to a field goal to start the second half and began to tilt the game in Seattle’s favor. Dallas got a personal foul later in the third quarter after catching a punt which forced Seattle to start at its own 4, but the Seahawks responded with their longest TD drive of the year to take their first lead. Myers made both of his field goals and punter Michael Dickson uncorked a 63-yarder early.

Grade: B

Coaching

This is the time of year when the win-loss column delivers the biggest grade of all. This was a challenging week with Seattle coming off the big expenditure of emotion and energy Monday night, as well as continuing to work with some injuries in the secondary. An early challenge of a pass to Jake Bobo didn’t go Seattle’s way, but the Seahawks won a big challenge on Metcalf’s TD. Carroll is now 3-for-5 on challenges this season.

Grade: A-minus