SEATTLE – Just when it looked like the start of the 2021 season was for the birds, the Titans staged a furious comeback here on Sunday, and they walked out of Lumen Field with a 33-30 overtime win over the Seahawks.
In the end, a 36-yard field goal from kicker Randy Bullock won it.
"I found out that they're willing to compete, willing to battle and fight," Titans coach Mike Vrabel said of his team after the game. "I was proud of them … I felt like that was our identity. You have to stop talking about your identity and hoping and wishing about an identity, you have to go out there and play to it and find out what it is.
"I think that (performance) was certainly who we are. … These guys are excited, and they should be. All the credit to the players."
Running back Derrick Henry scored on a one-yard touchdown run with 29 seconds left in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 30-30, and send it into overtime. The run capped a 12-play, 68-yard scoring drive in the final four minutes and helped the Titans erase a two-touchdown deficit.
The Titans, who trailed 30-16 early in the fourth quarter, are now 1-1.
"Last week, we didn't play to our standards, and that was on us," Henry said after the game, referencing the season-opening loss to some different birds, the Cardinals. "I don't think anybody expected us to come out here and get a W. But we stuck together … and I'm glad we came out here and got a win."
Henry ran for 182 yards and two touchdowns on 35 carries for the Titans, including a 60-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
Titans receiver Julio Jones has six catches for 128 receiving yards in the contest.
"For me, it's all about the team," Jones said. "It feels good just to come out here with a win, a team win. We kept going, kept playing for one another."
After punting the ball away in their first possession in overtime, the Titans got a big stop on defense. Linebacker Ola Adeniyi nearly sacked Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson for a safety, and Seattle had to punt the ball out of its own end zone.
When the Titans got the ball for their second possession in overtime, they got in position for Bullock to win in.
Bullock, promoted from the practice squad to the active roster leading up to the contest, delivered.
"It's been a crazy week, just to get here and get acclimated," Bullock said. "To be able to cap it off like that, and have the locker room going wild and crazy after last week and everything, it has been a lot of fun."
The two teams traded field goals at the start.
After the Seahawks took a 3-0 lead in the first quarter on a 31-yard field by kicker Jason Myers, the Titans answered back with a 13-play, 70-yard drive that was capped off with a 33-yard field goal by Bullock.
The Titans put together another nice drive when they got the ball back, and it featured a pair of completions to Jones, including a 52-yarder. But once again the drive fizzled near the goal line, and the Titans had to settle for another field goal from Bullock, this one from 30 yards out.
The Titans defense got burned on a big play on the next series, however, as Wilson connected with receiver Tyler Lockett for a 63-yard touchdown pass with cornerback Elijah Molden and safety Bradley McDougald in coverage.
Disaster struck on Tennessee's next series, as Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill was sacked, and he lost the football in the process. The Seahawks recovered, and two plays later Seattle running back Chris Carson scored on a two-yard touchdown run to make it 17-6 with 5:20 left in the second quarter.
Late in the first half, the Titans appeared to close the gap with a seven-yard touchdown pass from Tannehill to Jones, who made a remarkable catch in the back of the end zone. Officials ruled it a touchdown on the field, but the call was ultimately reversed, and the Titans settled for another field goal, this one from 24 yards.
It didn't take Seattle long to drive the field on their ensuing possession, and they took a 24-9 halftime lead on a one-yard run by Carson, which capped a seven-play, 75-yard drive that took just 48 seconds off the clock.
The Titans started the second half with a bang, driving 80 yards on eight plays and capping it off with a nine-yard touchdown run by Henry to make it 24-16.
The Titans had a chance to cut the lead further, but another stalled drive resulted in another field goal attempt by Bullock, and this one was no good from 44 yards out and the game remained 24-16 heading into the fourth quarter.
Seattle didn't waste much time to get in the end zone again, as Wilson with receiver Freddie Swain for a 68-yard touchdown pass, thanks to a blown coverage by the Titans, and it was 30-16 after a missed PAT by Seattle.
Just when it appeared the Titans were done, Henry busted loose for a 60-yard touchdown run to make it 30-23 with 12:17 left in the contest.
Then came the late-game rally, and the improbable win.
The Titans return to action next Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts at Nissan Stadium.
"It was a great win," Titans safety Kevin Byard said. "You have to bring a warrior-like mentality on the road, and it was a great win.
"We talk about finding out what type of team we're going to be, when facing adversity. We were able to come back, and stick together as a family, and that's what you want to see."
