Halftime Observations: Sam Darnold, Jaxon Smith-Njigba Key Seahawks 16-3 Lead vs. Titans
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Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (14) throws during the first half against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images [/caption]
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Though they trailed briefly in the opening quarter, jumpstarted by a 63-yard touchdown pass from Sam Darnold to Jaxon Smith-Njigba, the Seattle Seahawks scored 13 unanswered points to take a 16-3 lead into the half against the Tennessee Titans.
Following two quarters of play, here are three quick observations from a fast-paced first half at Nissan Stadium:
1. Darnold to Smith-Njigba fireworks display returns after a quiet week in Los Angeles.
On the heels of a four-interception performance in a loss to the Rams last weekend, it only took Darnold two drives to get his mojo back, at least in terms of airing it out to his favorite target. After a false start on a 3rd and 1 quarterback sneak knocked the Seahawks back five yards early in the second quarter, he dropped back from shotgun and let it fly downfield to Smith-Njigba, who had a couple steps on his defender on a deep corner route heading towards the right sideline. While the throw may have been slightly underthrown, the receiver boxed out the cornerback as he tracked the ball over his shoulder, reeling it in and breaking a tackle to coast into the end zone for a 63-yard touchdown strike, putting Seattle in front 10-3. For the half, Smith-Njigba caught two passes for 74 yards and added a four-yard run on a jet sweep, producing more than half of Seattle’s total offense as the third-year receiver continued a historic season to help the Seahawks jump out to a two-score advantage.
2. Decision making process still a work in progress as Darnold tries to get back on track.
While Darnold’s drop into the bucket to Smith-Njigba provided instant offense as the pair have offered throughout the course of the season, the veteran quarterback still had a couple questionable choices that fortunately broke his way in the first half. On Seattle’s opening possession, he tried to squeeze a third down throw to Ken Walker III out in the flats, and the running back thankfully got a piece of the football to stop the cornerback from intercepting the football. With no other players in the vicinity, if picked off, that could have been six points for Tennessee. Two possessions later, Darnold again tried to force the issue, this time in the red zone. Facing second and goal, he rolled out to his left and looked to have some room to run, but instead tried to thread the needle to tight end AJ Barner with two defenders on him in the end zone. The pass got tipped up into the air for what seemed like an eternity, only for it to fall harmlessly to the turf for an incompletion that certainly generated sighs of relief on the Seattle sideline.
3. Defense puts a sluggish first drive behind them in solid, yet unspectacular, half of football.
Down a couple of starters on defense, including linebacker Ernest Jones, the Seahawks appeared to have a bit of jet lag coming out of the gate, allowing rookie quarterback Cam Ward to dazzle a couple times with his legs maneuvering the pocket and scrambling to extend plays. On just the second play from scrimmage, the No. 1 overall pick took off and pump faked, leaving linebacker Patrick O’Connell in the air as he bolted past him for a 14-yard gain. Later in the drive, he rolled out on a play fake on 4th and 2 and threw back across the formation to Gunnar Helm, connecting on a 10-yard first down completion to the rookie tight end. Tennessee ended up working more than nine minutes of clock to open the game on 15 plays before an O’Connell sack chasing down the quarterback on a scramble led to a short field goal. From there, the Titans couldn’t get much going, punting twice - including after a sack by Byron Murphy II - and getting stuffed on a 4th and 1 run by nose tackle Brandon Pili, leaving Mike Macdonald feeling a bit better about things going into the break.
