The Pittsburgh Steelers host the Seattle Seahawks in their season home opener. The Steelers come off an exciting week one victory in New York, while the Seahawks still search for their first win of the season after coming up short last week against San Francisco.
The Steelers’ new faces stood out in their exciting week one win. Aaron Rodgers had a performance that reminded fans of his Green Bay days. Rodgers threw for 244 yards and four touchdowns. One of those throwing touchdowns went to fellow new addition Jonnu Smith. DK Metcalf snagged four balls for 83 yards, 67 of which came after the catch. Jalen Ramsey also made some noise in his first game as a Steeler after coming up with a huge hit to force an incompletion on the Jets’ last offensive play.
While Aaron Rodgers displayed that he can still lead a team, of his 244 passing yards, only 75 of those were through the air. Arthur Smith, Pittsburgh’s offensive coordinator, favored an offensive scheme that got the ball out of Rodgers’ hands quickly and to many different targets. The Steelers’ offensive line struggled against New York, allowing four sacks and seven tackles behind the line of scrimmage.
The defense for Pittsburgh struggled at times, too. Justin Fields threw for 218 yards and added another 48 on the ground. Breece Hall was the biggest game changer for the Jets as he rushed for 107 yards. However, when it mattered most, the Steelers’ defense stepped up. After a touchdown drive in the fourth quarter, Pittsburgh’s special teams forced a fumble on the kickoff return that gave Aaron Rodgers and the offense great field position to score again. Later in the game, after a lead-taking 60-yard field goal from Chris Boswell, New York got the ball down only two. The Steelers defense forced a turnover on downs, and Aaron Rodgers returned to the field in victory formation.
The Seahawks had a struggle-filled week one against the 49ers. Sam Darnold, coming off a Pro Bowl year in Minnesota, couldn’t get anything going in Seattle. He threw for only 150 yards and couldn’t find the end zone. Seattle’s defense did a solid job holding San Francisco to only 17 and forcing two turnovers, but they gave up a late fourth-quarter touchdown that sealed the win for Brock Purdy and company. The Seahawks’ offense was the main problem. Jaxon Smith-Njigba opened eyes with his performance, with 9 catches for 124 receiving yards, but the offense only produced 230 yards of total offense and gave the ball up twice.
Another defensive-minded team faces Pittsburgh; this time, they’ll be at home. Aaron Rodgers gave fans optimism with his four-touchdown game in New York and hopes to impress again. If the Pittsburgh offensive line can give its quarterback enough time in the pocket, Rodgers can lead them to another win. Seattle’s defense was strong against San Francisco’s passing game, but it gave up a lot of yards on the ground. Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell will look to have a better day rushing than they did against New York, where they only managed 56 yards.
Pittsburgh’s defense will be tested by Seattle’s running backs. Zach Charbonnet and Kenneth Walker split carries in week one, combining for 67 rushing yards. Sam Darnold hopes to bounce back and prove his hefty contract with the Seahawks. The Steelers’ secondary looks to shut down the Seattle receivers, while the defensive line pressures Darnold.
While the last game was not low-scoring at all for Pittsburgh, this game is more likely to be. Despite coming off a great performance, Rodgers won’t be the game-changer in week two. That’ll be the running backs, Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell, who will get fed the ball early and hope to run Seattle out of Pittsburgh. The Pittsburgh Steelers will start their season 2-0 as they’ll beat Seattle 24-10.