That preseason 'win' was alarming for the Titans, huh? | Estes

• Don’t let the final score of this ugly game deceive you. This was an embarrassing evening for the Titans players that’ll matter most in 2026. Nearly all the team’s starters played three possessions to start this game. During that stretch, they got dominated by Seahawks backups, who took a 16-3 first-quarter lead while Seattle’s top players wore shorts and cheered from the sideline.
• The Titans’ No. 1 defense was terrible, allowing Seattle’s backup quarterback Drew Lock to complete 12-of-14 throws and direct touchdown drives of 74 and 79 yards. Tight end Elijah Arroyo was wide open for a 36-yard touchdown catch. Then a running back named Jacardia Wright was hardly touched while sprinting through the middle of the Titans’ defense for a 69-yard touchdown. That caused the Seahawks to get a penalty for players jubilantly running off the bench to celebrate. Like I said: Embarrassing.

• The Titans’ No. 1 offense wasn’t much better. Quarterback Cam Ward was 8-for-12 for 69 yards (with 33 of those being a short pass and run by Tony Pollard). Despite a solid week of practice leading into this game, much of Ward’s shakiness from the preseason opener was still apparent. Hits he took on back-to-back plays just before exiting were a result of his holding the football. They were also a clear indication that it was past time to get him out of this game. Counterpoint: Can’t say Ward doesn’t need the work.

Don’t let the final score of this ugly game deceive you. This was an embarrassing evening for the Titans players that’ll matter most in 2026. Nearly all the team’s starters played three possessions to start this game. During that stretch, they got dominated by Seahawks backups, who took a 16-3 first-quarter lead while Seattle’s top players wore shorts and cheered from the sideline.

The Titans’ No. 1 defense was terrible, allowing Seattle’s backup quarterback Drew Lock to complete 12-of-14 throws and direct touchdown drives of 74 and 79 yards. Tight end Elijah Arroyo was wide open for a 36-yard touchdown catch. Then a running back named Jacardia Wright was hardly touched while sprinting through the middle of the Titans’ defense for a 69-yard touchdown. That caused the Seahawks to get a penalty for players jubilantly running off the bench to celebrate. Like I said: Embarrassing.

The Titans’ No. 1 offense wasn’t much better. Quarterback Cam Ward was 8-for-12 for 69 yards (with 33 of those being a short pass and run by Tony Pollard). Despite a solid week of practice leading into this game, much of Ward’s shakiness from the preseason opener was still apparent. Hits he took on back-to-back plays just before exiting were a result of his holding the football. They were also a clear indication that it was past time to get him out of this game. Counterpoint: Can’t say Ward doesn’t need the work.

<1 / 13

<2 / 13

<3 / 13

<4 / 13

<5 / 13

<6 / 13

<7 / 13

<8 / 13

<9 / 13

<10 / 13

<11 / 13

<12 / 13

<13 / 13

• Plenty of other troubling signs: A Titans team that chronically struggled to turn drives into touchdowns last season had to resort to a bunch of field goals. The first-string offensive line – again, versus Seattle’s reserves – couldn’t generate a push as Tyjae Spears was stuffed for no gain on fourth-and-short. An illegal contact penalty by Cor’Dale Flott nullified an interception by Kevin Winston Jr., and once the No. 2s were out there, a holding penalty by Jackson Slater wiped out a third-down TD pass from Mitch Trubisky to Xavier Restrepo. Oh, and Femi Oladejo nearly took someone’s head off during perhaps the most obvious facemask penalty you’ll ever see.

• It was tough to see the Seahawks’ second-round safety Bud Clark carted off with what appeared to suffer a serious leg injury on the Titans’ first offensive play.

Plenty of other troubling signs: A Titans team that chronically struggled to turn drives into touchdowns last season had to resort to a bunch of field goals. The first-string offensive line – again, versus Seattle’s reserves – couldn’t generate a push as Tyjae Spears was stuffed for no gain on fourth-and-short. An illegal contact penalty by Cor’Dale Flott nullified an interception by Kevin Winston Jr., and once the No. 2s were out there, a holding penalty by Jackson Slater wiped out a third-down TD pass from Mitch Trubisky to Xavier Restrepo. Oh, and Femi Oladejo nearly took someone’s head off during perhaps the most obvious facemask penalty you’ll ever see.

It was tough to see the Seahawks’ second-round safety Bud Clark carted off with what appeared to suffer a serious leg injury on the Titans’ first offensive play.

0 – Receptions for Titans’ first-round receiver Carnell Tate during two preseason games despite being targeted five times.

25 – Combined penalties for the Titans and Seahawks, totaling a whopping 229 yards.

Far as I know, none of the Titans starters were injured while getting outplayed. The coverage units were good and recovered a muffed punt. Joey Slye hit a 55-yard field goal. Tony Pollard caught a 33-yard pass. Rookie linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. picked off Seattle’s Jalen Milroe in the third quarter. Julius Chestnut ran well. In the late stages, the guys the Titans are probably going to cut were better than the guys the Seahawks are probably going to cut.

Way too many Titans first-stringers on both sides of the football did not look like first-stringers. That’s a problem. And it was alarming the extent to which they were overmatched by Seahawks backups. Especially for a Titans defense that is supposed to be a lot better in 2026 under Robert Saleh. Not so fast on that.

Reach Tennessean sports columnist Gentry Estes at gestes@tennessean.com and hang out with him on Bluesky @gentryestes.bsky.social.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: That preseason ‘win’ was alarming for the Titans, huh? | Estes