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# Key Matchups to Watch as Seahawks Take on Titans in Nashville
- URL: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/key-matchups-seattle-seahawks-tennessee-titans-week-12/
- Published: 2025-11-23T15:00:14.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-08T05:54:37.000Z
- Author: Corbin Smith
- Tags: Analysis, Game Day, Seahawks, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Rashid Shaheed, Ken Walker III, George Holani, Patrick O'Connell, Ernest Jones, Uchenna Nwosu, Boye Mafe, Demarcus Lawrence, Derick Hall, Nick Emmanwori, Ty Okada, Coby Bryant, Christian Haynes, Grey Zabel, Anthony Bradford

Seeking a bounce back win to stay in the hunt in the NFC West after a disappointing loss in Los Angeles, the Seattle Seahawks will hit the skies once again for another road trip to square off with the Tennessee Titans, who enter Sunday’s contest with a dreadful 1-9 record.

Plagued by four interceptions thrown by Sam Darnold, the Seahawks nearly still managed to pull off an improbable comeback against the Rams in Week 11, only for a Jason Myers 61-yard field goal attempt to fall short as the clock expired in a 21-19 defeat. Meanwhile, the Titans fought valiantly against the Texans in their own interdivisional AFC South battle, hanging tough before ultimately losing by three points to drop their ninth game in 10 tries.

Set to duke it out in Nashville, which matchups will carry the most weight in regard to who earns the victory in Week 12? Here are six crucial positional battles to watch at Nissan Stadium as the Seahawks look to avoid a second straight loss:

**Seahawks guards Grey Zabel/Christian Haynes and Anthony Bradford versus Titans defensive tackles Jeffery Simmons and T’Vondre Sweat**: After starting the same lineup in each of the first 10 games, the Seahawks suddenly have durability concerns in the interior of their offensive line. Already down starting center Jalen Sundell, who will miss at least two more games on injured reserve with a knee injury, Zabel crumpled to the turf in Los Angeles last weekend on what appeared to be a significant knee injury. Fortunately for Seattle, scans showed those fears weren’t founded after all, and he was back practicing in limited capacity by Thursday, a sign he could be ready to play by Sunday. But with a questionable designation, it’s possible the team will opt to hold him out, which would thrust Haynes into the lineup for his first career NFL start after playing the final 10 snaps and allowing a pressure against the Rams.

To this point, Haynes has yet to prove himself as a viable NFL guard, losing out competitions to Bradford each of the previous two training camps, and he missed the first nine games on injured reserve with a pectoral injury. The former All-American out of UConn won’t be given any leeway if he does start in Tennessee, and neither will the inconsistent Bradford, as Simmons remains one of the best defensive tackles in the game and already has 5.5 sacks this season despite facing constant double teams. Next to him, Sweat has rare athleticism at 360-plus pounds and has generated two sacks and four pass breakups in five games this year, offering the power and penetration ability to be a real problem on his own accord. If there’s a way that the Titans can keep this game close and make it tough on the Seahawks offensively, it will start and end with a strong interior defensive line mucking up the game plan seizing matchups against an undermanned line.

**Seahawks linebackers Ernest Jones/Patrick O’Connell and Drake Thomas versus Titans tight ends Chig Okonkwo and Gunnar Helm**: Linebacker has been a surprising area of strength for the Seahawks thus far this season, at least in the sense that Thomas as vastly outperformed expectations since passing Tyrice Knight on the depth chart in Week 4, providing Jones with steady, reliable play from his running mate in the middle. But like the offensive line, potentially for precautionary reasons against an inferior opponent, depth at the position could be tested more than it has at any point so far. Jones still has a sore knee and even though he returned to face the Rams, he went from a full participant on Wednesday to a non-participant on Friday, suggesting he could need another week to get healthier. Meanwhile, Knight, who started in Jones’ place two weeks ago, has a concussion and won’t be active.

If Jones and Knight both can’t play, Thomas will slide to the MIKE position and take on the green dot as defensive on-field play caller, something he has only done for a handful of plays in his career. As for who will play next to him, O’Connell likely would the favorite with a grand total of eight career defensive snaps in NFL regular season games. That lack of experience could open the door for the Titans to maximize their tight end duo of Okonkwo and Helm, as the former leads the team in receptions and the latter has scored two touchdowns as a complementary weapon in his rookie season. Down several receivers on the outside due to injury, if Tennessee wants to keep things close, this may be the matchup that creates the best opportunity to move the ball and sustain drives at minimum if Seattle is down multiple ‘backers.

**Seahawks receivers Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Rashid Shaheed, and Cooper Kupp versus Titans cornerbacks Jalyn Armour-Davis, Darrell Baker Jr., and Marcus Harris**: With Tory Horton heading to injured reserve, the Seahawks aren’t quite 100% on the outside, but they will have most of their firepower available, headlined by Smith-Njigba, who continues to lap the rest of the league in receiving yards and still has a shot at catching Calvin Johnson Jr.’s single season record in that department. Shaheed had his first explosive reception - a 21-yard snag - against the Rams along with a near-touchdown that was swatted away by cornerback Emmanuel Forbes, so he appears to be getting more comfortable working with Sam Darnold. Kupp has been quiet at times, but remains a viable slot who can gobble up targets in a hurry when the opportunities present themselves.

All of those weapons at Darnold’s disposal will be facing off against a beleaguered Titans’ secondary that will be down to fourth and potentially even fifth-string boundary corners from the beginning of the season due to injuries and trades. Armour-Davis has allowed two touchdowns with no interceptions in coverage, while Baker and Harris have yielded two touchdowns in limited action with starters L’Jarius Sneed and Roger McCrary injured and traded respectively. All three players have passer ratings against north of 112.0 with no turnovers between them, presenting a prime opportunity for Smith-Njigba, Shaheed, and Kupp to feast as long as the offensive line provides the quarterback enough time to take advantage of the mismatch.

**Seahawks outside linebackers Demarcus Lawrence, Uchenna Nwosu, Boye Mafe, and Derick Hall versus Titans tackles Dan Moore and JC Latham**: In some ways, the Seahawks’ edge rush has been a case of the whole being better than the sum of the parts, including a wide range of production in the sack category. Nwosu has rebounded nicely after two injury-marred seasons, leading the group with 5.5 sacks and 35 pressures thus far, while Lawrence has been rock solid with four sacks of his own along with six quarterback hits. But while Mafe and Hall have combined to produce a single sack, Mafe has only three fewer pressures than Lawrence and Hall has an impressive 18% Pass Rush Win Rate, suggesting either could have a breakout game coming any given week in a group that has been more effective than simple sack numbers would indicate.

With Seattle’s quartet of edge defenders ready to roll, Tennessee will be hoping for better performance from its bookends on the offensive line to keep Nwosu, Lawrence, and company away from Cam Ward than what the team has received most of the season. Latham, a former first round pick out of Alabama, has yielded 14 pressures and six sacks in just six starts this year, while Moore has struggled even more with eight sacks allowed in 10 starts. Both players rank near the bottom of the NFL in Pass Block Efficiency rating with Latham ranking 60th (95.4%) and Moore ranking 64th (95.2%) out of 77 qualified tackles. Those numbers have been influenced to an extent by a rookie quarterback with a propensity for trying to extend plays, but either way, the Titans have had as hard of a time keeping their signal caller upright as any team in the league and the battles off the edges could swing heavily into the Seahawks’ favor.

**Seahawks running backs Ken Walker III, Zach Charbonnet, and George Holani versus Titans linebackers Cedric Gray and Cody Barton**: Though he’s listed as questionable with a new glute injury, per Mike Macdonald, Walker should be fine to start on Sunday, looking to build off a stellar 100-plus all-purpose yard performance in Los Angeles that included a 25-yard run and 23-yard reception out of the backfield. Even if his workload takes a slight dip due to being below 100%, the duo of Charbonnet and Holani also offers the flexibility to be able to run both between the tackles and off the edges while also contributing as receivers as well, though the Seahawks haven’t made much of a priority to this point using their running backs in that capacity. That could potentially change based on the opponent in Week 12, however.

A familiar face for Seahawks fans, Barton - who the team drafted in the third round in 2018 - has been quite the thief this season with three interceptions in coverage. He also has generated three pass breakups and only allowed one touchdown in coverage, posting a strong stat line across the board. On the flip side, Gray’s play defending the pass has been far more problematic with opponents completing north of 80% percent of their throws in his direction for 389 yards, two touchdowns, and a 114.3 passer rating. The ex-North Carolina star has a tendency to bite on play action with his aggressive, downhill style attacking run plays, allowing quarterbacks to consistently beat him over the top on crossing patterns. Darnold will have to keep tabs on Barton, whose instincts as a former college safety show up in his drops even if he isn’t the most fleet of foot, but plays should be there to be made in the middle, including utilizing Walker and the rest of Seattle’s backs with schemed up one-on-one opportunities against Tennessee’s linebackers.

**Seahawks safeties Coby Bryant, Ty Okada, and Nick Emmanwori versus Titans quarterback Cam Ward**: Still not at full strength with Julian Love at least one week away from returning to the lineup from a hamstring injury, the Seahawks have received excellent play from a triad of safeties picking up the slack without the Pro Bowler, continuing to excel at mixing and matching versatile players at multiple positions. Tackling has been hit and miss for Bryant, but he has two interceptions and executed a perfect “Peanut Punch” for a forced fumble last Sunday in Los Angeles. Meanwhile, Okada has kept playing above-average football in the secondary in Love’s stead and Macdonald continues to find new ways to unleash Emmanwori by week, using the rookie frequently in the box and sending him regularly as a blitzer from the slot or off the edge.

With several force multipliers on the back end who can handle numerous roles beyond simply being interchangeable free/strong safeties, Macdonald has the tools at his disposal to make deciphering coverages and which players are playing different spots a muddy situation for any quarterback. This is especially true for a rookie such as Ward, who, to his credit, has only thrown six interceptions over the course of his first NFL season despite having a dearth of talent around him and a midseason coaching change. Still, the No. 1 overall pick has uncorked 12 turnover-worthy throws this year and his desire to extend plays and hold onto the football has created significant issues behind a shaky offensive line with him fumbling a league-high eight times. Mixing and matching a “position-less” safety group and emphasizing pre and post-snap disguising could lead to more indecisiveness with the football, giving the defensive line a chance to tee off and in turn create turnover chances for the secondary.