Enemy Reaction 2023: Tennessee Titans (with bonus Broncos, Chiefs, Vikings, and 49ers meltdowns!)

The Seattle Seahawks were supposed to defeat the Tennessee Titans to get themselves back above .500. Was it easy? Hell no! Did they win? Hell yes! And it was another last-minute, heart-thumping victory, which is almost the standard way for the Seahawks to succeed these days.

Titans fans over at Music City Miracles are understandably a bit checked out after this season, so the Tennessee portion of this Enemy Reaction will be truncated. We will instead focus on the Minnesota Vikings falling out of a playoff spot, the Kansas City Chiefs failing to clinch the AFC West, the Denver Broncos getting owned by Bailey Zappe and the New England patriots, and, of course, the Brock Purdy disasterclass against the Baltimore Ravens.

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Derrick Henry throws a touchdown to Chig Okonkwo (7-0 TEN)

DK Metcalf makes fantastic grab for the touchdown (13-10 SEA)

After Artie Burns personal foul, Derrick Henry gives the Titans the lead again (17-13 TEN)

Colby Parkinson gets the go-ahead score! (20-17 SEA)

Riq Woolen makes game-ending tackle, Seahawks win! (20-17 SEA FINAL)

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Post-Game: Titans show some pride in defeat to Seahawks (Gentry Estes, The Tennessean)

Meaningless late-season NFL games will take some getting used to around here. This game was the first of the Mike Vrabel era that didn’t carry playoff implications for the Titans.

But it wasn’t that bad.

The game was entertaining. The weather was nice. The crowd at Nissan Stadium was surprisingly solid on Christmas Eve — albeit heavily shaded in Seahawks neon green. And the Titans played with pride. They carried a lead into the fourth quarter, lost it, regained it and then finally succumbed in the final minute to an opponent that needed the win a lot more.

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It was a loss, but it was an admirable performance for a badly shorthanded Titans team. A defense full of relative no-names stepped up and played well, especially up front, keeping Seattle out of the end zone for the first three quarters.

Offensively, the Titans got the run game rolling after struggling mightily in that area a week ago, which allowed them to shorten the game and limit possessions. Derrick Henry finished with 88 rushing yards and touchdowns both throwing and running.

Though the Titans’ effort Sunday wasn’t surprising, it reflected well on Vrabel and the coaching staff, given the circumstances.

Bonus Reactions from the...

...Minnesota Vikings!

Denver Broncos!

Kansas City Chiefs!

San Francisco 49ers!

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Enemy Preaction: Pittsburgh Steelers

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It’s taken a lot for the Seahawks to claw their way back into a playoff spot. The Vikings have dropped 4 out of 5, the Packers have lost 2 of 3, and the Seahawks have obviously helped themselves by winning these last two games.

The job isn’t done yet. Winning out is the only way to guarantee a playoff berth, and the home finale is a tricky one. The Steelers are fighting for their playoff lives (admittedly much slimmer than Seattle’s), and obviously a win would keep Mike Tomlin’s streak of non-losing seasons alive. There will be a lot of Steelers fans in attendance, but ideally their 2023 will end on a losing note, and they can comfort themselves with nonstop “Renegade” by Styx until the calendar flips to 2024.

Thanks for reading and go ‘Hawks!