PITTSBURGH (AP) — George Holani pounced on a live ball in the end zone for an improbable touchdown, and the Seattle Seahawks took advantage of sloppy play by the Pittsburgh Steelers to pull off a 31-17 surprise on Sunday.
The Seahawks had taken a 3-point lead early in the fourth quarter on Jason Myers' 54-yard field goal when the ensuing kickoff bounced over the hands of Steelers rookie Kaleb Johnson and into the end zone.
While Johnson turned his back and walked toward the bench, Holani raced to the end
zone and fell on the ball just before it rolled out of bounds to give the Seahawks (1-1) a 24-14 lead. That was enough on a day Aaron Rodgers and the rest of Pittsburgh's offense delivered a dud in the Steelers' home opener.
Sam Darnold passed for 295 yards and two touchdowns, overcoming a pair of first-half interceptions. Kenneth Walker III ran for 105 yards, including a 19-yard touchdown with 3:41 to go that secured Seattle’s third-ever victory in Pittsburgh.
The Seahawks outgained Pittsburgh 395 yards to 267. Only the two early picks by Darnold allowed the Steelers to hang around.
Rodgers completed 18 of 33 passes for 203 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions a week after a nearly flawless four-touchdown debut in a win over the New York Jets. DK Metcalf caught three passes for 20 yards, including a 2-yard touchdown, but was largely a non-factor against his former team.
Jaylen Warren ran for 48 yards and caught four passes for 86 more, but the crispness that defined Pittsburgh's triumph against the Jets vanished against a Seattle defense that didn't miss a beat, even with starting cornerback Devon Witherspoon sidelined by injury.
The Seahawks sacked Rodgers twice and hit the 41-year-old a handful of other times as Pittsburgh (1-1) struggled to find a rhythm.
Pittsburgh took a 14-7 lead late in the first half on a 2-yard lob from Rodgers to Metcalf that was set up by a long interception return by Steelers linebacker Nick Herbig.
Yet the Seahawks steadied themselves after the half and let Pittsburgh endure a series of pratfalls, the most notable by Johnson, a third-round pick out of Iowa who was expected to battle Warren for playing time.
Instead, Johnson found himself on the bench after turning and walking away from a live ball to swing momentum Seattle's way for good.
Holani's recovery came in almost the same spot where teammate Derion Kendrick picked off Rodgers on a tipped ball late in the third quarter to thwart a potential Steelers scoring drive.
Rodgers' pass actually hit Calvin Austin and Pat Freiermuth before settling into a diving Kendrick's hands on a play that defined the afternoon for both teams.
Seahawks: Linebacker Derick Hall limped off the field in the final minutes while chasing after Rodgers.
Steelers: Outside linebacker Alex Highsmith left in the second quarter with an ankle injury and did not return. Veteran defensive lineman Isaiahh Loudermilk was lost for the game in the first quarter with an ankle injury.
Seahawks: Host New Orleans next Sunday.
Steelers: Visit New England next Sunday.
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