If you read last week’s article, you would have seen me talk about the Jets’ new run-heavy offense and how the Steelers’ offseason commitments to tighten up their defense and stop the run were the most intriguing matchup of last week’s contest. And sure enough, it’s safe to say that was the matchup that most people came away from the game talking about. Unfortunately for the Steelers, it was for all of the wrong reasons. This week, we can only hope the matchup that we talk about ends up more in favor
of Pittsburgh.
Mike Macdonald, Seattle’s head coach, is well known for his creative and deceptive defensive schemes. Macdonald should be a familiar face for Steelers fans from his time as the Baltimore Ravens’ defensive coordinator. Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers’ young line will face a tough test, as Macdonald deploys different simulated pressures and coverages that shift post-snap to disrupt Pittsburgh’s offense.
The Seahawks’ defensive unit is expected to take a step up into being one of the best in the league this year. While they may not have quite the star power that Pittsburgh has defensively, they have plenty of guys capable of disrupting what seems to be a one-dimensional Steelers offense. However, the Seahawks’ week one performance showed me how the Steelers may be able to exploit Macdonald’s defense.
The Steelers’ TE room presents a unique challenge for Seattle’s defense.
Seattle’s game plan against San Francisco was clear: stop Christian McCaffrey. They were able to hold CMC to 3.1 yards per carry. While McCaffrey was able to add 73 yards receiving, he was not able to be the dynamic player we have seen him be in week 1. Where the Niners were able to cause some trouble was with their tight ends. Arthur Smith is going to be salivating when he reads this, but 12 and 13 personnel could very well be the key to victory on Sunday.
San Francisco scored two offensive touchdowns last week against Seattle, and you guessed it, both of those came from tight ends. Although superstar tight end George Kittle exited the game in the first half with a hamstring injury that landed him on injured reserve, he was dominant before exiting the contest. The tight end usage did not stop there, and it actually ended up saving the 49ers. Jake Tonges ended up making several big catches down the stretch for the Niners, including catching the winning touchdown pass from Brock Purdy. The Seattle defense was able to stop the ground game and stifle the outside passing game for the most part, but the tight ends of the Niners ended up burning them.
Enter the Arthur Smith-led Steelers offense, which ran more 12 personnel than any other team in the NFL in week one. Both tight ends were used perfectly to their strengths in week one. A big concern of mine coming into the season was that Jonnu Smith was not going to be used creatively and be able to showcase his skills in space. He was able to do just that in week one, including his touchdown on a touch pass.
Freiermuth was also effective over the middle for Pittsburgh. A welcome sign to not only see the ball being thrown in between the hashes, but to see both tight ends being used to their strengths.
The Seahawks’ defense will have its work cut out for it against one of the better tight end tandems in the entire league this weekend. The unit is also in danger of being without star cornerback Devon Witherspoon and their athletic freak rookie safety Nick Emmanwori.
If you are expecting the Steelers to be able to get a more effective ground game going this week, I wouldn’t hold my breath. However, Rodgers should be able to find his tight ends over the middle and in the flat consistently. It is another one of those games for the Steelers where I simply think they have a better roster than Seattle. The Steelers’ defense should look very different this week as they play a less run-heavy opponent. In the home opener of the 2025 season, expect a heavy dose of Freiermuth, Smith, Washington, and who knows, maybe even Heyward, too.
