The Seattle Seahawks were a half away from a disappointing 0-2 start, with much of their wounds self-inflicted. With their backs against the wall, Seattle unleashed one hell of a second half against the Pittsburgh Steelers, outscoring them 24-3 and getting a 31-17 victory to spoil the home debut of Aaron Rodgers, DK Metcalf, Jalen Ramsey, and other big-named acquisitions throughout the offseason.
It’s time for Enemy Reaction! Steelers fans are loud, proud, and always down for a meltdown when things
don’t go their way. Game thread comments are courtesy of Behind the Steel Curtain. If you’re new to this series, I try to have as many relevant highlights as possible but sometimes it doesn’t quite work out based on comment participation, and that’s the case for the latter stages of the game when it was clear Pittsburgh wouldn’t win.
Tory Horton scores his first NFL touchdown! (7-0 SEA)
Sam Darnold’s next pass is intercepted by Jalen Ramsey (7-3 SEA)
Jason Myers doinks short field goal (7-6 SEA)
Sam Darnold picked off by Nick Herbig on 4th and 1 (7-6 SEA)
DK Metcalf scores against his old team (14-7 PIT)
A.J. Barner ties the game! (14-14)
Jaylen Warren dashes his way through Seahawks defense for 65 yards (14-14)
Derion Kendrick picks off Aaron Rodgers in the end zone (14-14)
George Holani scores go-ahead touchdown on bizarre special teams play (24-14 SEA)
Sam Darnold connects with Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who beats Jalen Ramsey for huge gain (24-17 SEA)
Kenneth Walker III with the 3rd and goal dagger from 19 yards out! (31-17 SEA FINAL)
Post-Game: Steelers falter in all three phases (Brian Batko, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
Just like that, the the feel-good vibes for the Steelers from their 2025 season opener are long gone.
All the pomp and circumstance of Aaron Rodgers for the first time, DK Metcalf for the first time, Jalen Ramsey for the first time — and good things did come in threes Sunday at Acrisure Stadium, but it wasn’t for the Steelers.
It was the Seahawks, off a cross-country flight, who took it to the Steelers in all three phases. On offense, defense and special teams, they dominated in a 31-17 win in the Steelers’ home opener despite a couple of bad interceptions by Sam Darnold and a missed chip shot field goal.
The Seahawks (1-1) picked apart a highly paid Steelers defense by land and by air — no sea needed — throughout the fourth quarter. Defensively, they sacked Aaron Rodgers three times, intercepted him in the end zone and held the Steelers to just 59 yards rushing.
And even via special teams, they out-hustled and outsmarted the Steelers (1-1). Rookie Kaleb Johnson had an all-time gaffe by letting a bad bounce on a kickoff roll into the end zone. With no urgency by him — or, seemingly, anyone else on the return unit — to go recover it, Seattle’s George Holani sprinted to it, pounced on the ball and tapped an elbow inbounds for an unbelievable touchdown that made it 24-14 less than a few minutes into the fourth quarter.
Post-Game: Aaron Rodgers a dud in his home debut (Derrick Bell, Steelers Now)
The four-time MVP was sharp in the season opener, but his home debut in the steel city was rough, to say the least. He finished with a 33% passing success rate and failed to complete a pass further than 10 yards down the field until the fourth quarter, which tells the story of how restricted everything felt through the air. The biggest concern right now is the lack of mobility. There were moments when Rodgers wanted to tap into creation mode, but his legs just wouldn’t allow him to play that style any longer.
Post-Game Video: High-priced defense fails again? (Post-Gazette)
Enemy Preaction: New Orleans Saints
By no means would 0-2 have been the end of the season already for the Seahawks, but it would’ve felt like an early crisis with a not a lot of room for error. Getting a road win is always good, and Seattle if nothing else has been a much better road team than home team as of late. Next up is a return to Lumen Field to face the New Orleans Saints, a projected bottom-feeder yet one that has played the Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers to competitive home defeats. It’s time for this defense and for the crowd to rattle Spencer Rattler and company. I’m sick of seeing these Lumen Field disappointments as much as you are, and I’m not sure Seattle will face a worse team at home the rest of this year.
Thanks for reading and go ‘Hawks!
