The Steelers suffered their first loss of the season on Sunday in a frustrating performance against the Seahawks in Week 2. The sky isn’t falling just yet, but there are still plenty of takeaways to be had.
1. Jaylen Warren is RB1
Believe it or not, some things improved for the Steelers from Week 1 to Week 2, including the run game.
Pittsburgh was still far from perfect in that phase, with just 72 team rushing yards on the ground and an underwhelming 3.4 yards per carry. But it was an improvement from last week’s 53 rushing yards with a 2.7-yard
average.
Baby steps, right?
While the Steelers’ offensive line did look better as a whole against the Seahawks in both the run and pass game, the increase in carries for Jaylen Warren was also a plus.
While his yards per carry weren’t anything to write home about, Warren had five rushing first downs on second- or third-and-shorts. For a team that’s struggled so much in short yardage recently, it was especially good to see.
Despite just 48 yards on the ground, his hard-nosed running style, burst, and contact balance were a clear upgrade over Kenneth Gainwell, who actually out-snapped Warren in Week 1.
Gainwell’s receiving ability was likely one of the main reasons why the Steelers were interested in him this offseason, but Warren outshined the former Eagle in that part of the offense as well. Warren added another 86 yards off of receptions, including an entertaining pinball-esque catch and run that put the Steelers in great position for a go-ahead score (spoiler alert: they never scored).
He also kept Najee Harris’ signature move alive with a run-after-catch hurdle in the first quarter.
Yeah, this guy is pretty good at football. Maybe he should be treated more like a lead running back going forward.
On an offense struggling to find consistent playmakers, Warren looks the part. Rotating running backs is the name of the game in the modern NFL, but the Steelers can do a bit better than just 18 touches for No. 30. The team’s current situation on offense demands it.
2. The Steelers have a middle of the field problem
The Pittsburgh defense has been flat-out poor to start the season. A group that looked elite on paper is currently the fourth-worst in the NFL in points per game through two weeks pre-Monday Night Football.
Despite giving up another 30-plus points in Week 2 (a certain kickoff failure contributed as well, to be fair), the Steelers defense did show a bit of promise against the Seahawks. But it felt like every time they’d get the Seahawks behind the chains, Seattle would make a big third-down conversion and prolong the drive.
And a lot of those conversions looked eerily similar: right through the heart of the Pittsburgh defense.
Per Next Gen Stats, Darnold was a near-perfect 13/14 for 169 yards and a touchdown when targeting the middle of the field. (Shoutout to the user who commented “Reverse Russell Wilson” under the post).
While some of it was due to Jalen Ramsey having a hard time keeping up with Jaxon Smith-Njigba in man coverage, most of the struggles were the Steelers’ middle linebackers and safeties in zone.
Look, there are very few middle linebackers in the NFL who are truly great in coverage. It’s a weakness for most teams. But the Steelers were a special case on Sunday, presenting the Seahawks with a giant “easy” button whenever they needed a big conversion.
On the flip side, the Steelers’ inside linebackers looked a lot more decisive and effective (there were still some gaffes) against the run. There’s no easy answer to fix the middle of the Steeler defense.
3. It’s time for a change on kick returns
This isn’t a hot take. It’s so obvious I debated even putting it in the article.
It’s been a rough regular season debut for rookie running back Kaleb Johnson, who currently has two games under his belt, two carries for -1 yards, a 24-yard kickoff return average, and a special teams error in each game.
I was worried Johnson’s kickoff return fumble against the Jets last week would put him in the doghouse, and his failure to down a live ball that gifted Seattle a touchdown in Week 2 looks like the nail in the coffin. It was a mistake that wrung out any remaining momentum Pittsburgh had in what would balloon into a 14-point loss.
While any calls for Johnson to be cut are laughable overreactions, the talk that he might’ve played his way onto the inactive list isn’t out of the question. The Steelers seem averse to playing him on offense, and if he can’t even contribute on special teams, why not activate a practice squad running back who can?
A few things can be true. Even before Johnson’s mistake, I had written in my notes that the Steelers need to reevaluate who they have returning kicks. Johnson is not and will never be a speedster of a running back — that’s just not his game — and his skill set hasn’t meshed well on returns. Add in his mental miscues, and it’s clear he’s not cut out for that role.
While it was cool to see Jaylen Warren earn the veteran treatment of getting to sit out kickoffs, it might be time for Mike Tomlin put him back out there.
But on offense — you know, where Johnson was drafted to play — the Steelers have barely given him a chance. Sure, failing to do the little things in his current limited role have hurt his case, but there’s an argument to be made he still might offer more than Kenneth Gainwell at running back.
Ultimately, some of the blame for Johnson’s rough start to his NFL career should go on the Steelers’ coaches as well as the rookie. He hasn’t been put in a place to succeed. It’s a horrible look to apparently not know kickoff rules as a professional player — but why was this not coached in the first place?
4. The Steelers have to sleep in the bed they’ve made
I’m stealing a Tomlinism here.
The Steelers have as many household names as any elite team in the NFL. Aaron Rodgers! D.K. Metcalf! T.J. Watt! Jalen Ramsey! Cameron Heyward! And the list goes on.
But all those stars and more, minus the 27-year-old Metcalf, are in the final chapters of their respective careers. And they looked the part on Sunday. Rodgers still has a high-caliber arm, but he was skittish in the pocket the entire game. He was playing like he knew he no longer had the mobility — or willingness to get hit — that he had in his prime.
Watt, Ramsey, and Heyward all had moments, but they weren’t as all-around elite as they used to be. In Watt and Ramsey’s case, specifically, there’s an element of speed to their games that used to be there and has clearly diminished.
There’s some nuance here, to be clear. The Steelers’ aging stars aren’t necessarily “washed up.” Pittsburgh wasn’t wrong paying homegrown stars like Watt and Heyward in recent years. And Jalen Ramsey, despite some coverage lapses on Sunday, has been nothing short of an impact player. The Steelers might very well win the Minkah Fitzpatrick trade!
The problem is that the Steelers are paying too much money to too many past-their-prime veterans at once. Each individual move can be defended — Rodgers still has some gas in the tank, for one — but all together it’s clear that the Steelers’ offseason plan was woefully unbalanced.
While Pittsburgh got better from 2024 to 2025, the changes they made — Rodgers for Justin Fields, Metcalf for George Pickens, Ramsey for Fitzpatrick, etc. — had the team marginally improving and becoming noticeably older. In free agency, the three starters signed were the 34-year-old Darius Slay, 29-year-old Juan Thornhill, and 41-year-old Rodgers.
That’s the source of frustration with the front office’s approach. This version of the Steelers is currently at the best it’ll ever be. They’re not young and exciting but getting older and slower. That’s why the one-dimensional Week 1 win over the Jets felt so hollow, and why it was difficult to get too excited over the Ramsey and Jonnu Smith trade — each were fun moments, but the short term didn’t show Super Bowl potential and the long term had even less.
And the Steelers’ roster, populated with Pro Bowlers, All-Pros, and future Hall of Famers (and coached by one as well), looked unacceptably disjointed and unprepared in Sunday’s 31-17 loss. Arguably the top benefit of being veteran-heavy in the first place is avoiding such problems. Pittsburgh’s current issues are more worrisome than just a slow start.
But while it is disappointing, it shouldn’t be surprising. This is the roster the Steelers built. This is the one they’ll have to play this season.
5. But the Steelers aren’t dead — yet
All that to say, it’s only Week 2. Gauging solely off of social media reactions, you’d think the Steelers just went 0-17 and Bane made a second visit to Acrisure Stadium.
Yeah, the Steelers lost in an infuriating way on Sunday. It’s a sign of more systemic problems with the team that won’t be easily fixed in-season.
But the Steelers aren’t doomed to be a horrible team just yet. We’ve seen plenty of similarly brutal, frustrating losses in past seasons — saying “they do this every year” is not a compliment, I get that — and the Steelers still find ways to escape with a winning record and a playoff berth.
Against the Seahawks, the final score was ugly, but the Steelers were in the game for most of it. And their two most fixable errors, the Johnson kickoff gaffe and Calvin Austin III freelancing his way into an Aaron Rodgers red zone interception, provided the two-possession swing that put the Seahawks on top.
All Sunday’s game did was remind fans what most already knew: The 2025 Pittsburgh Steelers are not a Super Bowl contender. It reinforced some of my grumpier takes from the summer. But the sky cannot be falling after a singular early-season loss. If you’re already “out” on this team — what exactly were you expecting?
6. Odds and ends
- Aaron Rodgers had a beautiful deep throw on the run early in the game that was ruined by a drop by Pat Freiermuth. But Rodgers’ arm still has plenty of juice even if he can’t quite drive throws the way he used to (see his last interception on a floated seam ball).
- The Steelers lived and died at times with their inside linebacker blitzes, but it’s still a wrinkle I’m a fan of. Patrick Queen and Payton Wilson have their faults, but they can certainly shoot through the A-gap in a hurry with their athleticism.
- The “Alex Highsmith is always injured” takes aren’t entirely off base, but some of the concerns are a bit overblown. Up until 2024, he had played in 16-plus games every season. He still managed 11 last year. Highsmith has been on the injury report a lot lately, but it’s still too early to break out the injury prone label.
- That being said, Nick Herbig is about as good of a reserve pass rusher as it gets. His speed stood out in a big way against the Seahawks. He might not be a complete player, but he provides plenty of splash (first career interception on Sunday!) and impact on a defense that’s lacked it this season.
- D.K. Metcalf opened up the game with two tough but very catchable drops, and then followed it up with a pair of contested grabs. One even went for a touchdown. While Metcalf still looks like a firm improvement over George Pickens, the Steelers’ inconsistencies at WR1 haven’t gone away.
- Roman Wilson had another quiet week, but he did record one of the game’s more underrated plays: preventing what should’ve been a Rodgers pick by playing the defender. Should it have been pass interference on Wilson? Maybe. But it was a heads-up play by the youngster.
- The Steelers running their “Darnell Washington is bigger than you” play is always a treat to watch.
- The Tory Horton touchdown catch versus Jalen Ramsey to open the scoring for Seattle was very similar to the score Darius Slay gave up to Garrett Wilson last week. While Pittsburgh has good corners, the veterans have lacked the speed to keep up on deep crossers in one-on-one coverage.
- I’m still not sure if Seattle ever possessed the ball in bounds on the Kaleb Johnson kickoff miscue. Regardless, it was one of those plays Pittsburgh deserved to give up a score on.
- Side note: The new kickoff rules, or the debate of whether or not Johnson touched the ball on his kickoff mistake, don’t matter at all. Kickoffs have been live footballs since before the rule change.
- While Broderick Jones draws most of the negative publicity when the Steelers’ offensive line underperforms, Troy Fautanu at the other tackle spot has had his fair share of losses this season, especially against Seattle. I’m still incredibly bullish on him, but it’s important to remember that this is essentially his rookie season.
- It’s only Week 2 and the defensive injuries are starting to pile up for Pittsburgh. That was one of the main factors that led to their demise last season; it’ll be an early test to see if the team’s depth is improved in 2025.
The Steelers will next take the field against the New England Patriots at 1 p.m. EST on Sunday, Sept. 21.
What are your takeaways from Steelers vs. Seahawks? Agree/disagree with the ones above? Join the Behind the Steel Curtain community and let us know in the comments!
