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:
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
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.
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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.
Seahawks defense improved over week one
The Good:
- The linebacker group as a whole had themselves quite a game. K.J. Wright finished with a team-high eight tackles. He also forced two different plays out of bounds. Bobby Wagner had a beautifully timed pass deflection, as well as seven tackles. However, Mychal Kendricks was the linebacker who really impressed me today. He did give up the defensive pass interference call. However, he showed he is a very instinctual player. There were a few trick plays that he sniffed out and made the play before the ball could even get rolling. He is a real asset for the team and a great complement to Wagner and Wright’s game. I’m excited to see what’s in store as the three continue to gel together as a unit.
- Bradley McDougald had a great defensive play in the second quarter where he made a leaping dive to intercept a pass that had bounced off the Steelers wide receivers’ arms. Ball hawking was a staple of the 2010’s Seahawks. It’s a breath of fresh air seeing the trend continue in the post Earl Thomas era.
- Jadeveon Clowney was an absolute menace in the first quarter. While he just had two tackles in the period, he also perfectly timed a pass deflection to help end a key drive in the beginning of the game.
The Bad:
- Clowney more or less disappeared after the first quarter. It took a conscious effort to be able to spot Clowney on the field in the second half. Its unclear if being out of football for 9 months is playing a role, or if he is taking plays off. We need him to be 100% every time he is on the field in order for us to succeed and have a chance for another Superbowl run.
- For the second straight week the secondary has allowed multiple big plays. With Tedric Thompson sidelined Lano Hill filled in at the strong safety. The Steelers pulled a flea flicker and rifled a pass 45-yard pass to JuJu Smith-Schuster. The inability to contain deep passes is proving to be a problematic area on defense. This may be more than enough to push GM John Schneider into making a move for the Dolphins do it all secondary player Minkah Fitzpatrick.
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Seahawks special teams were rock-solid
The Good:
- Michael Dickson continues to improve on his already impressive rookie campaign. The second-year punter averaged 51.3 yards with two of the four punts landing inside the 20. The balance of ball placement and power truly makes him a weapon for the Seahawks.
- Jason Myers has continued his week one trend with not allowing a single kick-off return.
The Bad:
- There really is not much of anything bad to note. Jason Myers did miss a field goal. However, it was a 58 yarder and missed by just a hair. This is a shot that he would like to have back, but given the degree of difficulty, it’s hard to hold it against him. He also made the 46-yard field goal before a personal foul on the defense reset the downs giving the offense a first-down, negating the make.
Final Notes:
- This win is the first time the Seahawks have won in Pittsburgh since September 26th,1999. The Seahawks, however, now lead the series between the two teams 10-9 after last night’s win. The previous three games in Pittsburgh:
- 9.18.11 Steelers 24, Seahawks 0
- 10.07.07 Steelers 21, Seahawks 0
- 2.05.06 Steelers 21, Seahawks 10.
This win marks number 100 for Coach Carroll with the Seahawks, including playoffs. Couldn’t have asked for a better birthday present than that. Let’s hope many more wins are to come for the oldest coach in the NFL.