Steelers vs. Seahawks: 5 Surprises in Sunday’s Loss

Each week, our SCU crew breaks down the unexpected moments from the latest Steelers matchup—whether it’s a breakout performance, a game-changing play, or a head-scratching decision. Scroll down to see what caught us off guard and why it matters.

The Steelers entered Sunday’s matchup against the Seahawks looking to build momentum, but instead walked away with more questions than answers. A 31–17 loss exposed glaring issues across all three phases—defensive breakdowns, offensive line struggles, and a costly special teams error.

Here’s a closer look at five surprises that shaped Pittsburgh’s Week 2 loss.

Defense Gives Up Points and Yards

The Steelers defense had a total collapse on Sunday, struggling to contain the Seahawks from making any explosive plays. Missed tackles and blown coverages in the secondary were frequent, and the lack of pressure on Sam Darnold allowed him to make clean reads and capitalize on chunk gains.

Seattle scored 31 points—the first time a Mike Tomlin led team has allowed 30-plus points in the first two games to open a season. Seattle dropped 395 total yards on Pittsburgh, rushing for 117 and allowing Kenneth Walker III to average 8.1 yards-per-carry.

The Steelers defense allowed several long scoring drives, including two in the fourth quarter—a 10-play 55-yard drive that ended in a lead change that the Seahawks would never look back on. A 7-play, 73-yard drive sealed the deal with a Walker 19-yard touchdown run on a third-and-nineteen play.

Even with the Steelers missing starters such as DeShon Elliott, Joey Porter Jr. and Alex Highsmith (who was injured in the first quarter) the gaffs were shocking. For a second-straight week, the Steelers gave up a 100-yard rusher, with Walker joining Jets RB Breece Hall from Week 1. Defensive line coach Karl Dunbar will have to figure out how his tackles are being beaten at the point of attack.

Jaylen Warren

One lone bright spot was Warren, who led the team in total yardage with 134 yards. Warren’s 65-yard catch-and-run was a perfect answer to the Seattle’s game-tying touchdown drive in the third quarter, but that series would end on an awkward ping-pong pass that hit Pat Freiermuth‘s hands and landed into the clutches of Seahawk DB Derion Kendrick, who was filling in for the injured Devon Witherspoon.

On the ground Warren struggled for a second-straight week, but was able to gain short yardage when called upon. He would finish the game with 14 carries for 48 yards rushing, a 3.4 average. His four receptions for 86 yards was one of the few bright spots in an otherwise sluggish offensive performance for Pittsburgh.

Cooper Kupp

After catching two passes for 15 yards in Week 1 against the 49ers, Kupp bounced back against the Steelers—who seemingly had zero answer for him in the middle of the field.

Kupp racked up 90 yards on seven receptions (9 targets) matching Jaxon Smith-Njigba‘s 12.9 yards-per-reception. (Smith-Njigba would finish the day with 8 receptions for 103 yards.)

The Steelers need to quickly tighten up their coverage on quick slants and open zones across the middle, where they were repeatedly burned for first downs. On the rare occasions they stopped the run, it only left them vulnerable to easy completions through the air.

Offensive Line: Rodgers Under Siege

While Rodgers was only sacked three times, the Steelers offensive line allowed a 48% pass rush win-rate against the Seahawks. To date, Rodgers has been hit 15 times, which is unacceptable through any two-game span within a season.

With Rodgers under constant pressure, the veteran quarterback struggled, completing only 54.5% of his 33 passes for 203 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.

For fans wanting to blame Broderick Jones, this game had more than its fair share of o-line issues. Mason McCormick and Isaac Seumalo were routinely beat in the middle, while inconsistent run blocking limited both the passing game and Jaylen Warren’s upside. Rodgers was forced into quick throws and poor decisions throughout the game.

Special Teams Miscue

Despite the aforementioned offensive and defensive woes, the Steelers were still in the game. Pittsburgh went into halftime up 14-7 and receiving the ball to begin the second half. A brief series to start the third quarter gave Seattle the ball back, as they drove 80 yards to tie the game 14-all.

Then game would remain tied into the fourth quarter, broken by a Jason Myers 54-yard field goal. With the Steelers waiting to respond, rookie RB Kaleb Johnson awaiting the kickoff. Special teams had tilted the Week 1 back-and-forth matchup with the Jets, and a third phase of football play would alter the outcome here as well, to the detriment of Pittsburgh.

Johnson would watch the impending kick drop in the “landing zone” and then bounce into the endzone untouched. Seattle would recover the ball for a touchdown, resulting in a ten-point lead that shifted how both teams would play the remainder of the game.

The play left the Steelers in the Seahawk’s dust, down ten and having to play from behind. The untimed, seven-point play would be more than plenty as the Steelers could only must a field goal while Rodgers threw another interception as desperation set in late in the game.