Pete Carroll Preview: The challenge Henry, Titans present Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks snapped a four-game losing streak on Monday with a comeback 20-17 win over the Philadelphia Eagles.

Seattle Seahawks rookie WR Smith-Njigba talks through game-winning TD

The win was big for a Seattle team still looking to make it to the playoffs, and the Seahawks now enter this Sunday’s matchup with the 5-9 Tennessee Titans at 7-7.

Getting a victory on Monday was a big deal for the Seahawks, head coach Pete Carroll said on Friday.

“There was so much riding on that game to kick us into this final mode here to make something special of this season,” he said during this week’s Pete Carroll Preview on KIRO Newsradio 97.3 FM. “And it took us all the way down … We were getting better as the game went on. We were getting cleaner and sharper and we were getting more command of the game, and you could feel it.”

Backup quarterback Drew Lock, who started in place of the injured Geno Smith, led the Seahawks on a 92-yard drive with under 2 minutes remaining and gave Seattle a late lead.

The Eagles still had a chance to go tie the game with under 30 seconds to go, but Julian Love recorded his second interception of the game to seal the deal for the Seahawks.

“What’s really cool is to go down and score, that’s awesome. But then to come back and to finish it on defense the other way – and they started to move it (when Jalen Hurts) scrambled to make some yards and they were only 15 yards away from kicking a tying field goal,” Carroll said. “And the crowd went so nuts in that fourth quarter. It was just one of the real memorable games that we’ve had. We’ve had a handful of them, particularly on Monday nights, so we put another one in the books. I’m really proud of that.”

This week, the Seahawks go to Tennessee to face a struggling Titans team. A win would get the Seahawks back over .500 at 8-7 with two games to go.

For the Titans, they want to run the ball. And they have one of the top running backs in the NFL in Derrick Henry, who is 6 foot 3 and about 250 pounds.

Henry has been in the NFL since 2016, but he’s not slowing down, Carroll said, despite a real heavy workload. He’s closing in on his fifth 1,000-yard season in the past six years.

“He’s never looked like he’s flashy. He’s just looked like he’s just a stud,” Carroll said. “So strong and so adept at breaking tackles and making the most of plays and then finishing. And then when he gets out on the edge, he’s fast. He still runs fast. He’s got a big stride, so he doesn’t look like the little jitterbug guys. He’s got a whole different way about him. Very, very unique, but very powerful and a great competitor. He can do everything … He’s really a guy that you can build your team around, which they have.”

So what must the Seahawks do to prevent Henry from running wild?

“You have to finish your individual tackles,” Carroll said. “And then what we really need is we need team tackling. We need pursuit that gets to him so it isn’t a one-on-one situation because he wins a lot of those. He’s got one of the most ferocious stiff arms of anybody that’s ever played the game, and he’s famous for it. And sure enough, we’ve got to make sure that we don’t let him get us.”

Listen to the full Pete Carroll Preview at this link or in the player near the top of this story.

More on the Seattle Seahawks

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• Should Adams play again this year for Seahawks? Wyman weighs in
• Wyman: Williams and Jackson were ‘unsung heroes’ for Seahawks
• Bumpus: How Seahawks limited explosive plays vs Eagles
• Huard: Grading Drew Lock’s play in Seahawks’ win over Eagles

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