SEATTLE – A core belief of Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald is that if a team’s process is good, then eventually the results will be as well.
That didn’t happen last Sunday when the Seahawks lost their season opener to the 49ers 17-13. Macdonald thought the Seahawks prepared well during the week and displayed the required desire and physicality on Sunday.
But when it mattered most, it was the 49ers who made more plays than the Seahawks, scoring a touchdown on a third down with 1:34 remaining, then forcing a fumble when Seattle was 9 yards away from the winning TD with 36 seconds left.
That loss means the Seahawks are already feeing some urgency to avoid falling to 0-2 as they now head to Pittsburgh to play the Steelers and former receiver DK Metcalf.
“We had a good week,” Macdonald said after practice Friday, adding that with a little more last-minute work the Seahawks will “feel great going into the game.”
The goal now is to feel just as good coming out of it.
Let’s take a closer look at the matchup:
Most recent game in series: The Steelers beat the Seahawks at Lumen Field 30-23 on Dec. 31, 2023, at Lumen Field, a game that knocked Seattle out of the playoffs and proved to be the final home game for Pete Carroll as coach.
Point spread: Steelers by 3 (via VegasInsider).
Key injuries: The Seahawks will be without safety Nick Emmanwori, who was ruled out with a high ankle sprain, and will likely be without starting cornerback Devon Witherspoon, who sat out practice all week with a knee injury. Veteran Shaquill Griffin, who was signed off the practice squad to the 53-man roster this week, may have to play significant snaps filling in for Witherspoon.
The Steelers will be without cornerback Joey Porter Jr., who was declared out on Friday with a hamstring injury, as well as safety DeShon Elliott (knee) and defensive tackle Derrick Harmon (knee), both of whom had been declared out earlier in the week.
The big story: Metcalf’s reunion with the Seahawks will be the major focus of the TV coverage. But what’s most important for the Seahawks is to win and not fall to 0-2 and already staring at a tough hill to climb to get to the playoffs.
Key matchup is in the secondary: Rodgers may be 41 and a little less mobile. But his four TD passes last week showed he still has it in him.
And suddenly the Seahawks are short-handed in the secondary with Witherspoon unlikely to play, which could require some shuffling of roles in the backend.
Metcalf had four catches on seven targets for a team-high 83 yards and is sure to want to prove a point to his former team regardless of his comments this week downplaying the reunion.
Still, on paper this could be a good matchup for the Seahawks defense.
The Steelers don’t appear to be a great running team, getting just 53 yards on 20 carries last week, 29th in the NFL, behind a Pittsburgh offensive line ranked 24th this week by Pro Football Focus.
Left tackle Broderick Jones allowed three sacks to the Jets as New York had four overall. The Steelers’ line includes former Husky standout Troy Fautanu at right tackle. The 20th overall pick in 2024, he missed all but one game as a rookie due to a kneecap injury.
Seattle’s defensive line, led by veteran Leonard Williams, is among the team’s biggest strengths but needs a more consistent pass rush. The return of Uchenna Nwosu this week should also help.
Among those who think Seattle’s DL should have a big advantage is NFL Network analyst Gregg Rosenthal, who, in picking the Seahawks to win, declared that the game is “a mismatch up front.”
Key players: Running backs Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet: It’s not fair to put all of the success or failure of Seattle’s running game on the backs, of course. But they are the most visible part of the effort. It’s one that simply has to be better than last week when Seattle’s two lead backs combined for 67 yards on 22 carries with a long of 8.
The Seahawks didn’t run as much or as well out of their outside zone scheme as they hoped; Seattle had 54 yards rushing on 19 carries when under center.
The Steelers, meanwhile, were surprisingly vulnerable against the run in Week 1, allowing 182 yards on 39 rushes against the Jets. That included giving up 107 yards on 18 carries to running back Breece Hall, taken five spots in front of Walker in 2022.
Seattle needs a similar effort Sunday.
Key stat: Third-down conversions: This feels like a game in which the Seahawks really need to keep the Steelers offense off the field for as long as possible. Seattle left the 49ers’ offense on the field a bit too long last week – 37 minutes and 58 seconds, to be exact.
Seattle went 3-for-10 on third downs last Sunday. But one of the failures was a dropped pass by Cooper Kupp for what would have been the necessary yardage. Another was a third-and-seven pass to Kupp that came up a yard short. Turn those two the other way and Seattle goes from 26th this week in third-down conversion percentage to eighth and maybe wins the game. That’s how fine the line can be.
Can the Seahawks continue their road and 10 a.m. success? As disappointing as another home loss was last Sunday, what the Seahawks need to do now is continue what has been historic road success. Seattle went 7-1 on the road last season, tied for the best in franchise history, and can win a seventh straight road game, which would be the longest streak in team history.
Last season also continued what has been a recent trend of playing well in early starts. The Seahawks went 3-0 last season in games that kicked off at 10 a.m. Seattle time and are 19-7 in the eastern time zone since 2019.
Can the Seahawks come up big when it matters most? One of Macdonald’s themes is “Though, Not Around,” which he recently explained this way: “We want to be going through stuff; we don’t want to be avoiding the right things to do at all times.”
That seemed to be lacking just a little bit at key times last weekend, such as the two big plays Woolen was in position to make and didn’t, and the final fumble when Bosa simply won a rep against Lucas.
Change one of those, and Seattle maybe wins the game. The Seahawks simply need to be the better team more often in the key moments, especially on the road.
Prediction: Steelers 21, Seahawks 16: This game is pretty much a toss-up. But those often go to the home team, and Seattle’s road luck may unfortunately run out in front of a Steelers crowd amped to greet Rodgers and Metcalf as they play their first home games in Pittsburgh.