Defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons #98 of the Tennessee Titans celebrates a sack during the game between the Tennessee Titans and the Arizona Cardinals at Nissan Stadium on September 12, 2021 in Nashville, TN. (Photo By Donald Page/Tennessee Titans)
The Tennessee Titans hosted the Arizona Cardinals last week to begin the 2021 season. Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray accounted for five touchdowns (four passing and one rushing), and outside linebacker Chandler Jones totaled five sacks to help the Cardinals fly out of Nissan Stadium with a 38-13 victory.
Quarterback Ryan Tannehill completed a touchdown pass to wide receiver A.J. Brown and rushed for another score. Dating back to the 2020 season, Tannehill has 14 consecutive games with one or more touchdown passes (tied for fifth in franchise history). He has registered four consecutive games with at least one touchdown pass and at least one rushing touchdown (tied for second in the NFL since 1970).
Titans running back Derrick Henry, the NFL’s back-to-back reigning rushing champion, began the season with a team-high 58 rushing yards on 17 attempts.
On defense, the Titans got sacks from outside linebacker Harold Landry III and defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons, and safety Kevin Byard recorded his 19th career interception to move into a tie for 15th place on the franchise’s career interception list.
The Seahawks head coach, Pete Carroll, is in his 12th year on the Seattle sideline. He led the Seahawks to the playoffs in nine of his first 11 years on the job, including last year’s division championship after finishing 12-4.
Quarterback Russell Wilson has started every game for the Seahawks since he was a third-round draft pick in 2012. At the conclusion of the 2020 campaign, he ranked second in NFL history for the most passing touchdowns in a player’s first nine seasons with 267 (Peyton Manning, 275), and he became the only quarterback in NFL history with a winning record in each of his first nine seasons.
The Seahawks opened last week at Indianapolis. Wilson passed for four touchdowns, including two to wide receiver Tyler Lockett, as the Seahawks rolled to a 28-16 victory.
