Two of three Seahawks who had been questionable to play active for home opener vs. Titans
Two of the three Seahawks who had been questionable to play their home opener were ready to go, after all.
Starting left cornerback D.J. Reed and starting left guard Damien Lewis were active to play against the Tennessee Titans Sunday at Lumen Field. Reed had been questionable to play because of a groin injury he got in practice this past week, after he’d played all 76 defensive snaps the previous week at Indianapolis. Lewis had been iffy to play against Tennessee because of a groin issue he also got in practice after playing the team’s entire win over the Colts in the opener.
Both Reed and Lewis were starting during the team’s final pregame warm-ups, usually the indicator of who plays in the game.
The third Seahawk questionable to play Sunday was inactive. Bryan Mone missed the game with an elbow injury.
On Saturday, the Seahawks promoted Robert Nkemdiche from the practice squad to be their third defensive tackle, with Poona Ford and Al Woods. Nkemdiche, the former first-round pick by Arizona, was ready to play his first NFL game since two snaps for the Miami Dolphins on Nov. 3, 2019.
The tackles were to be the center of Seattle’s defense against reigning two-time NFL rushing champion Derrick Henry on Sunday.
Henry had just 17 carries for 58 yards last week in a 25-point home loss to Arizona for a team that reached the AFC title game in January.
Since the middle of the 2019 season, Henry has averaged 174.6 yards rushing per regular-season game the week after getting held to under 100 yards. It’s happened seven times. He’s had four 200-yard games in such situations. That includes 250 yards this past Jan. 3 against Houston.
Seattle’s other inactive players against the Titans: wide receiver Dee Eskridge (concussion), running back Rashaad Penny (calf), cornerback John Reid, rookie offensive tackle Stone Forsythe and quarterback Jake Luton.
Pregame penmanship
Sunday was the first regular-season Seahawks home game with fans inside Lumen Field in 21 months, since the NFC West title game against San Francisco in December 2019.
Quarterback Russell Wilson and wide receiver DK Metcalf recognized those returning fans at the end of early pregame work.
Wilson, not yet in uniform, walked off the field to the first row of fans in the southwest corner of the lower deck of stands. He put on a mask, signed some autographs and posed for pictures with many who were screaming his name, and wearing his number-3 Seahawks jersey.
The Seahawks are one of four NFL teams requiring fans to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test in the last 72 hours to attend a home game.
Baldwin returns
Retired Seahawks wide receiver and Super Bowl champion Doug Baldwin was back at the stadium in SoDo Sunday. He was the latest given the honor by the team of raising the 12 flag from atop the south end zone just before kickoff.
The formerly undrafted rookie free agent from Stanford became a two-time Pro Bowl selection and led the NFL in touchdown catches with 14 from Wilson in 2015. He played his entire pro career for Seattle, from 2011 through ‘18. He retired after that season, at the age of 30.
Baldwin has active in working with police unions, departments and the Washington state attorney general on police reform. He has also been partnering to build a new Family First Community Center, a recreational and health-care center for the Cascade/Benton neighborhood of Renton.
This story was originally published September 19, 2021 at 12:22 PM.
