What we learned from Tennessee Titans' 19-16 win over Seattle Seahawks

It was not easy, but the Tennessee Titans raised their preseason record to 2-0 by defeating the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks.

While a victory is always a good thing for a young franchise, the heavy lifting was done by players who will likely be on the practice squad or out of the league in a couple of weeks, and that dampens the feel. The Titans’ starters must play better in this third preseason game; there is no doubt about that.

While it was not a crisp outing by the first team, the reserves and special teams stepped up and led the comeback, and some players delivered down the stretch.

Here are a few things we learned from the victory.

Before both preseason games, the Titans had some positive outings in joint practices against the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks, and there was tangible excitement from the results; unfortunately, that production didn’t carry over into the games. Which begs the question about what can truly be taken from the game.

Yes, their opponents rested their starters, but the Titans also didn’t game-plan, review the opponent's tape, and they clearly played a base scheme on both sides of the ball. More importantly, the intensity level during the joint practice was not as high as it was against the backups instead of the starters.

In every game, fans would love to see the starters dominate in the preseason, but football is a game of emotion, and the joint practices do have an effect.

While the Titans’ offensive line didn’t look bad, there are still some areas that need to smooth out heading into the regular season, especially coming in pass protection.

Now that Fernando Carmona looks like he has seized the starting role at right guard, these final days of training camp must focus on building continuity and working on limiting penalties. The Titans had two critical holding penalties that wiped out big plays, although a review of the tape is needed to see exactly what transpired, as no replay was shown by FOX.

Chestnut took advantage of his opportunities last night and appears to have the inside track on the fourth running back role behind Tony Pollard, Tyjae Spears, and Nick Singleton. Chestnut ran with speed and power, looking like a dynamic threat.

Singleton could return this week and will likely get worked back into the rotation, but with Chestnut’s experience and special teams prowess, he could make things interesting in the final days of camp.

When the Titans drafted Anthony Hill Jr., many wondered how it would impact Barton, and after a second uneven performance, there is no doubt that Hill is coming on. Hill looked like an impact linebacker, leading the team in tackles, grabbing an interception, and notching part of a sack, while also serving as the emotional leader of the defense once the starters hit the sidelines.

On the flip side, Barton was again overwhelmed at the point of attack and looks at least a step slow in coverage. With Tennessee likely relying on their defense early, it would make some sense to stick with Barton’s experience over Hill’s youth, but the difference in athleticism is eye-opening, and at some point Robert Saleh will have to turn the job over to Hill.

While Chimere Dike hasn’t really taken many reps in the return game, the combination of Tommy Townsend and Joey Slye has been outstanding throughout the preseason and is going to pay dividends in the regular season. Slye remains perfect in two games, and his kickoffs were cleaner, and Townsend was a weapon.

This article originally appeared on Titans Wire: What we learned from Tennessee Titans' 19-16 win over Seattle Seahawks