The Seahawks are favored by two touchdowns on Sunday when they host the Tennessee Titans, so I fully expect them to win. But. I do have some reservations. Here they are.
1) Huge, Disruptive DT Jurrell Casey
One of the better young defensive linemen in the game, Casey is a beast of a man at 6-foot-1, 305 pounds. 305 pounds! For a reference point, Barack Obama is 6-foot-2, 184 lbs. Casey is having a breakout season, with 12 tackles, 3 sacks and 2 passes batted down on the year. Here’s Grantland’s Robert Mays raving about him. Casey is smart, strong, and terrific against the run. The Seahawks’ line, especially right guard J.R. Sweezy, will have their hands full…if Casey proves too much to handle, he could single-handedly stymie the Hawks’ offense.
2) Quick, Elusive WR Kendall Wright
The Titans’ leading receiver is similar to the Colts’ T.Y. Hilton, who scorched the Hawks for 140 yards and 2 TDs last week. The Seahawks start two big cornerbacks in Richard Sherman and Brandon Browner; they are meant to match up against bigger receivers. A smaller guy like Hilton or Wright has an advantage. If you’re a hardcore Seattle sports fan, you may remember Wright from the batshit insane 2011 Alamo Bowl: Wright was Baylor’s leading receiver in that game.
3) Unpredictable, Risk-Taking QB Ryan Fitzpatrick
The Titans’ backup QB, starting because of an injury to former Washington star Jake Locker, is the personification of the David vs. Goliath strategy. A Harvard grad without the physical gifts needed for NFL QB stardom, Fitzpatrick stays in games with risky passes — he frequently tries to sneak passes into tight windows or attempting Brett Favre-like improvised flips — and wild scrambles. Fitzpatrick threw 54 interceptions in the past three seasons as a starter for Buffalo, third-most in the NFL. He also had 23 fumbles in that timespan, 8th-most in the NFL. Fitzpatrick tries shit, and usually fails. But against a clearly superior team like Seattle, Fitzpatrick’s style has the best chance to lead the Titans to an upset win.
The Seahawks play Tennessee at 1:05 on Sunday. The game will be televised on CBS, with Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf announcing. Tickets are going from $119-$991 on StubHub.
PRO TIP: Titans’ corner Alterraun Verner likes to jump routes and get interceptions, he leads the NFL in interceptions with 4. In my view, Russell Wilson is too smart to fall into Verner’s trap. Look for the Hawks to exploit Verner’s aggressiveness and get a long bomb against him.
And you can buy that used Titans onesie for $3.99 on eBay.
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