Seahawks studs & duds from wild Week 2 road win over Steelers

The Seattle Seahawks have defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers in their second game of the year, 31-17. The win improves their record to 1-1 and avoids the always-dreaded 0-2 start to the season. It was a wild game with several huge swings, but for the most part the Seahawks looked like a more complete team - and potentially a playoff contender.

Here are our studs and duds for Seattle from Week 2.

Dud: First half Sam Darnold

Darnold's second start with the Seahawks got off to a pretty inauspicious start. After throwing his first Seattle touchdown to rookie wide receiver Tory Horton, Darnold relapsed into some of the sloppier tendences that defined his first few years in the NFL. First, Darnold underthrew Cooper Kupp and got picked by Jalen Ramsey, then he had a pass tipped and picked. Despite dominating the first half, the Seahawks trailed 14-7 at halftime thanks mostly to his two interceptions.

Stud: Second half Sam Darnold

Fortunately, Darnold turned things around after the break. He led a scoring drive on Seattle's first possession, ending it with a short throw to second-year tight end AJ Barner in the end zone. Darnold played much cleaner in the second half, and even showed off some of the highlight reel type plays that we saw in 2024. In one sequence he escaped a certain sack and moved the chains, followed by a lethal 43-yard deep ball to Jaxon Smith-Njigba that put the game out of reach. Darnold finished 22/33 for 295 yards, two touchdowns, two INTS and an 89.8 passer rating.

Stud: RB Kenneth Walker III

Last week it was Zach Charbonnet who was the most-efficient rusher for the Seahawks, scoring their only touchdown and averaging nearly twice as many yards per carry as Ken Walker. Today it was the other way around, with Walker back in his featured rusher role and taking full avantage. He broke off several impressive runs, ending with 105 yards on 13 carries and the nail-in-the-coffin touchdown.

Dud: RB Zach Charbonnet

While Walker was rolling over the Steelers, Charbonnet was stuck in neutral every time he got the rock. The Steelers seemed to be more prepared against Charbonnet and gave him little room to work with. Charbonnet ended up managing just 15 yards on 10 carries.

Studs: WRs JSN, Cooper Kupp

The Seahawks' passing game was much more balanced this week after Jaxon Smith-Njigba was a one-man-show against the 49ers in the season opener. JSN still did his job, totaling eight catches on 10 targets and a team-high 103 yards. Cooper Kupp got involved as well this time, posting seven receptions on nine targets and 90 yards.

Stud: Mike Macdonald

The final score makes this game seem closer than it actually was. While it's over our pay-grade to explain exactly how Mike Macdonald's defense confused Aaron Rodgers, it was clear that the four-time MVP was flummoxed by the coverage and under constant pressure from Seattle's pass rush. Credit Macdonald for a sharp defensive game-plan.

Stud: DT Byron Murphy II

The Seahawks' defensive front-seven was almost perfect all-around. One defender who managed to stand out was second-year defensive tackle Byron Murphy II, who got a lot of those pressures on Rodgers. He wound up with five tackles, 1.5 sacks and three quarterback hits.

Stud: OLB Derick Hall

Even though you won't see his numbers jump out in the box score, the guy who was perhaps the most disruptive to Pittsburgh's offense was edge rusher Derick Hall. He totaled just one tackle but he managed three QB hits and a ton of pressures on Rodgers, contributing to several incompletions.

Dud: LB Tyrice Knight

Not everybody had a great outing, defensively. The Seahawks' biggest lapse came with five minutes to go in the second quarter when Steelers running back Jaylen Warren slipped away from linebaker Tyrice Knight and then broke a tackle. He kept going for a 65-yard catch and run that could have swung the game the other way, but fortunately the drive ended with an interception in the end zone.

Stud: CB Derion Kendrick

With Devon Witherspoon out and Riq Woolen glitching again, the Seahawks needed somebody to step up at cornerback. That aforementioned end zone pick was pulled off by cornerback Derion Kendrick, who was playing his first game since the 2023 season. Kendrick almost had another pick over the middle and finished the game with two PBUs.