With the 2013 Seahawks off their first loss of the season the week before at Indianapolis, the NFL world undoubtedly wondered how a team with high expectations would respond when they hosted the Tennessee Titans in Week 6.
And for a while, the answer was a little uncertain.
The Seahawks punted after each of their first three possessions and fell behind 10-7 at halftime thanks in large part to one of the more bizarre plays of that, or any, season.
The Seahawks shook off their slow start to score on three straight possessions while the defense didn’t allow an offensive touchdown.
Week 6: Seahawks 20, Tennessee Titans 13
Star of the game
On a day when Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson had some early struggles, it was running back Marshawn Lynch to the rescue.
Lynch had 155 total yards including 78 receiving on four receptions.
Recall that this was the game Lynch referenced in a recent interview with Shannon Sharpe in which he told a story of trying to reach out to Wilson afterward, but didn’t have his phone number.
Play of the game
While Lynch might have been the star of the game, he got a more-than-able assist from Wilson to help the Seahawks avert potential disaster.
Lynch fumbled early in the fourth quarter at the Tennessee 2-yard line, and Tennessee linebacker Zach Brown appeared momentarily as if he was going to get a scoop-and-score long TD run with the score tied at 10.
Brown couldn’t control it cleanly, and Wilson dived quickly on the ball to recover it for Seattle back at the 11. Moments later, they got a field goal that put them ahead for good.
“I got the big hop and went and got it,” said Wilson, then just two years removed from his minor league baseball career. “That’s what they teach you in baseball.”
What it meant
The win not only improved Seattle’s record to 5-1, but showed that it could gut out a win on a day when a lot went wrong.
The Titans scored their only touchdown on a 77-yard fumble return by Jason McCourty on the final play of the first half to take a 10-7 lead.
The fumble came on a field-goal attempt by punter Jon Ryan, who was filling in for kicker Stephen Hauschka, who had been injured a few minutes earlier while trying to make a tackle on a kickoff. Reserve safety Chris Maragos took Ryan’s spot as the holder. But Maragos bobbled the snap and then fumbled when he tried to take off and run. Hauschka returned to kick two field goals in the second half.
“We had some fluke plays out there today,” Wilson said.
But when it was over they also had their 11th straight win at home.
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