Key observations of the Seahawks ugly win over the Steelers

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Russell Wilson and Rashaad Penny of the Seahawks

PITTSBURGH, PA – SEPTEMBER 15: Rashaad Penny #20 of the Seattle Seahawks celebrates his touchdown with Russell Wilson #3 during the third quarter against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field on September 15, 2019 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images) /

This was another ugly win for the Seahawks, but it was a step in the right direction. These are the keys to both the ugly and the win.

The Seahawks nearly doubled the Steelers in yards, 426 to 261. They had a better completion percentage, 82% to 58%. The Hawks dominated the time of possession, 35 minutes to 25. It would seem from looking at the numbers that the Seahawks were the clear winner in a potential blowout. However, they won by just two points. Costly penalties, losing the turnover battle, poor offensive play calling in the first half, and disastrous offensive line play nearly doomed Seattle. Yet, for the first time since the 2013-14 Superbowl winning season the Seahawks have started the year 2-0.

Seahawks offense was driven by Wilson’s greatness

The Good:

Russell Wilson had himself quite the game. Russell completed 29-35 attempts for 300 yards, 3 touchdowns, no interceptions, and a 131 passer rating. After his 3 touchdowns, he is just the second QB under 6’0” to throw for over 200 touchdown passes. The other being Hall-of-Famer Sonny Jurgensen, who finished at 255 touchdowns. Russell wasn’t just good in the pocket; he ran for 22 yards including 2 late-game runs that help clinch the game.

Rashaad Penny had just his third game as a pro with 10 or more carries. With his extra carries, he really showcased what made him the first-round pick back in 2018. Penny averaged a game-high 6.2 yards per carry including a touchdown on a beautiful 37-yard run. Penny is showing he is more than capable as the 1B to Carson’s 1A.

Seattle Seahawks /

Seattle Seahawks

Tyler Lockett had a career night, catching 10 of 12 targets. Lockett’s 10 catches surpass his previous high in targets, nine. He is showing he is more than capable of being the new go-to wide receiver in the Seahawks offense. Lockett played the game beautifully in the slot. We should see increased usage here going forward.

Pete Carroll loves big WRs/ TEs. Carroll has been searching for his big man since day one, Whether it be Sidney Rice, Brandon Marshall or Jimmy Graham. Carroll’s redzone efforts consistently run through the big pass catchers. Fortunately, the Seahawks have two players that are really making a name for themselves that fit the mold. Will Dissly caught all five of his targets for 50 yards, including two touchdown catches. DK Metcalf caught three of seven targets for 61 yards. That included an impressive catch and even better footwork in the endzone. The Seahawks are now 4/4 in the redzone this season.

https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1173323047832453120

The Bad:

The Seahawks offensive line has continued to show disfunction through the first two games. In the first half of the game, Wilson was sacked four times, with four QB hits and five more pressures. This in part was due to Schottenheimer’s egregiously predictable play-calling in the first half: run-run-pass. The offensive line got better as the game went on. However, the unit still ended up with seven penalties for 52 yards.
Pete Carroll preaches that to win the game, the team needs to win the turnover battle. It can be argued that last week’s win was largely due to winning the turnover game 3-1 despite losing many individual battles. This week we lost that battle, giving up two fumbles to our lone interception. Ball security can make or break the games. Through the two fumbles, the Steelers gained the ball in very favorable field position. This allowed them to stay in the game far too long. If Chris Carson wants to continue being the 1-A in the backfield, he will need to improve drastically on ball security.

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