Seahawks look to improve playoff position as they visit Titans

Updated Dec. 23, 2023 5:05 p.m. ET

Associated Press

SEATTLE (7-7) at TENNESSEE (5-9)

Sunday, 1 p.m. EST, CBS.

OPENING LINE: Seahawks by 2 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

AGAINST THE SPREAD: Seattle 8-5-1; Tennessee 6-8.

SERIES RECORD: Titans lead 23-19.

LAST MEETING: Titans won 33-30 in OT at Seattle on Sept. 19, 2021.

LAST WEEK: Seahawks beat Eagles 20-17; Titans lost to Texans 19-16, OT.

SEAHAWKS OFFENSE: OVERALL (20), RUSH (28), PASS (15), SCORING (T18)

SEAHAWKS DEFENSE: OVERALL (28), RUSH (25), PASS (24), SCORING (24)

TITANS OFFENSE: OVERALL (26), RUSH (18), PASS (24), SCORING (27)

TITANS DEFENSE: OVERALL (19), RUSH (17), PASS (22), SCORING (17T)

TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Seahawks plus-3; Titans minus-6.

SEAHAWKS PLAYER TO WATCH: QB Geno Smith hasn’t played in two weeks because of a groin injury but is expected to step back into the starting role against the Titans. Smith was close to being able to play on Monday night against Philadelphia, but Seattle started Drew Lock for a second straight game. The move paid off as Lock led the winning touchdown drive, giving Smith another week of rest. In his most recent start before getting injured in practice, Smith threw for 334 yards, tossed three TD passes and ran for another score in a 41-35 loss to Dallas.

TITANS PLAYER TO WATCH: QB Will Levis. The rookie has been dealing with an injured left foot or ankle since November, but he is questionable after his left leg was rolled up from behind when sacked for the seventh time during overtime of last week's loss. He has thrown for eight TDs with only four interceptions. He ran for his first career rushing TD last week. If he can't play, veteran Ryan Tannehill will make his first start since Oct 15.

KEY INJURIES: While Smith is expected to return, the Seahawks are uncertain about rookie DB Devon Witherspoon, who suffered a hip injury two weeks ago and didn’t play against Philadelphia. S Jamal Adams (knee) is expected to be available after missing the previous game. ... The Titans are banged up, with CB Sean Murphy-Bunting (hip) among five players out. Tennessee put starting S Amani Hooker on injured reserve Friday and added two-time Pro Bowl DL Jeffery Simmons (knee) and two others to IR on Saturday. Simmons missed the past two games.

SERIES NOTES: The Seahawks lead the series 10-8, though the Titans have won three of the past four. These teams met once in the playoffs when Seattle still was in the AFC, with the then-Oilers winning a wild-card game 23-20 on Jan. 3, 1988. This is the Seahawks' first trip to Nashville since 2017 and only their third game at Nissan Stadium.

STATS & STUFF: The Seahawks doubled their playoff chances with their comeback victory over the Eagles. ... Seattle is 23-11 in games with early kickoffs since 2013, including 15-5 over its past 20. The Seahawks are 1-2 this season in such games. ... Seattle ranks third in the NFL with 50 road wins since 2013. ... Smith needs 82 yards passing to reach 3,000 yards for the third time in his career and for a second straight season. … RB Kenneth Walker III had his 10th career game with at least 100 total yards from scrimmage against the Eagles with 86 yards rushing and 26 receiving. … WR DK Metcalf has 942 yards receiving on the season. He’s one of three players in league history — along with A.J. Green and Randy Moss — with at least 900 yards receiving and five or more TD catches in each of his first five seasons in the league. … WR Tyler Lockett needs 168 yards receiving to reach 8,000. … DT Leonard Williams had his best game since being acquired from the Giants, with two tackles for loss and a couple of key plays late against the Eagles. … LB Bobby Wagner is third in the NFL with 143 tackles in 14 games. … S Julian Love had the first two-interception game of his career against the Eagles. Love has been responsible for four turnovers in the past two games. ... The Titans are 5-1 under coach Mike Vrabel at home when hosting teams from the Mountain and Pacific time zones. The Titans are 17-9 against the NFC under Vrabel, which ranks fourth in the NFL in that span for best interconference record. ... Two-time NFL rushing champ Derrick Henry has six straight seasons with at least 1,000 yards from scrimmage and 10 rushing TDs, joining LaDainian Tomlinson (eight) and Adrian Peterson (seven) as the only players with such a streak in NFL history. ... Levis is averaging 12.19 yards per completion, which is third in NFL among all qualifiers. ... WR Chris Moore ranks first in the NFL in averaging 20.8 yards per catch among players with at least 15 catches. ... DL Denico Autry has a career-high 11 sacks this season. ... WR DeAndre Hopkins has caught a pass in each of his 159 games to start his NFL career. He also leads the NFL since 2013 with 912 catches, 12,217 yards receiving and is third with 77 TD receptions. ... LB Azeez Al-Shaair ranks sixth in the NFL with a career-high 137 tackles this season. ... CB Elijah Molden had a pick-6 last week.

FANTASY TIP: Henry is coming off his worst rushing performance as a starter after being held to 9 yards last week. But he leads the NFL in both averaging 117.2 yards rushing and with 26 rushing TDs in December and January games since 2018.

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