Emerald City Sports Spotlight ~ with Peter D - Seahawks Find Magic to Get Past Steelers,

Seahawks Find Magic to Get Past Steelers,

by Peter Duncan-Bey Sports Contributor to The Facts Newspaper

Seattle found just enough magic to escape with a 31–17 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, but the trick feels more like sleight of hand than substance. If the Seahawks hope to build confidence in their new offense—both coordinator and quarterback—they will need more than timely breaks.

Seattle opened with a rare spark, ending its NFL-long 22-game drought without a touchdown on the opening drive. It was a balanced march—four rushes, four passes—that included two nine-yard bursts by Kenneth Walker III and finished with rookie Tory Horton’s first NFL touchdown on a crossing route. Sam Darnold went 4-for-4 on the series, looking sharp out of the gate.

Defensively, Seattle’s front applied steady pressure early, forcing Pittsburgh to settle for a field goal. But on the very next drive Darnold threw his first interception as a Seahawk, with veteran Jalen Ramsey collecting career pick number 25. Rodgers and the Steelers again came away with just three points, but the gift-wrapped opportunities kept coming.

Seattle’s offense sputtered in fits and starts. The unit survived a third-and-12 thanks to Horton and a direct snap to Jordan Arroyyo, but the drive ended with a Jason Myers miss. Later, Darnold was sacked to kill another promising series, and on fourth-and-one, the “run-first” Seahawks got cute—throwing into a costly interception. Rodgers needed only a short field to punch in a touchdown to DK Metcalf, giving Pittsburgh a 14–7 lead after the two-point try.

The Seahawks steadied after halftime. Walker ripped off several strong runs, and Darnold found Cooper Kupp to keep the chains moving before Walker capped the drive with a score to even it at 14. But Pittsburgh nearly struck back immediately when Rodgers scrambled and turned a broken play into a 65-yard catch-and-run. Only a red-zone interception by Darion Kendrick, activated just this week, kept Seattle level.

That swing opened the door for the turning point: a third-quarter special teams touchdown. Freshman Holani pounced on a muffed kickoff in the end zone, flipping momentum and giving Seattle the cushion it needed. The play was reminiscent of last year’s October win over the Giants, when Jerome Baker and Rayshawn Jenkins combined for a 102-yard defensive score. These moments are magical, but they are not a formula to lean on weekly.

By the numbers, Seattle looked dominant: 395 yards to Pittsburgh’s 267, a time-of-possession edge of 31:17 to 28:43, and touchdowns in three of four quarters. Darnold finished 22-of-33 for 295 yards, two scores and two interceptions. Walker carried 13 times for 105 yards and a touchdown, showing the burst that separates him from the pack. Yet the rushing attack lacked balance. Zach Charbonnet was relegated to vanilla tosses and dives, more decoy than weapon. The much-touted “two-headed monster” never materialized.

Seattle leaves Week 2 with a win and a highlight-reel special teams play. But the offense is still far from complete. Darnold must cut down on turnovers, and Klint Kubiak must find ways to unleash both Walker and Charbonnet together. Without those adjustments, the Seahawks’ magic act won’t play for long.