By Mike Johnson >>
- Seattle looks to rebound from their season opening loss to the 49ers by traveling cross country to face a Steelers team coming off an exciting comeback victory.
- Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba had a massive 57% target share in the first game for new quarterback Sam Darnold.
- Aaron Rodgers had an incredible debut with the Steelers, throwing four touchdown passes and leading a 4th quarter comeback.
- Pittsburgh’s defense should look more like itself in this matchup with a pocket passer than they did last week dealing with a dynamic dual threat athlete in Justin Fields.
How seattle Will Try To Win ::
In the Seattle debut of offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, the Seahawks operated an incredibly run-heavy offense, ranking 31st in the NFL in pass rate over expectation. That being said, their pace was blistering at only 26.4 seconds per snap, which was the second fastest in the league. A tough 49ers defense held them to only 4.6 yards per play. For comparison, the Bears were last in the league in 2024 at 4.5 yards per play.
The ground game for the Seahawks was a relatively even split between Zach Charbonnet and Kenneth Walker III, with both of them playing in multiple situations. This was more of a rotational basis than a situation where they each have specific roles. Both have the skill sets to play in all situations, but it appears Seattle intends to use both of them equally for as long as they can. The problem here is the Seahawks offensive line is sub-par and unlikely to create many openings simply from winning their matchups and Seattle’s hope was that Kubiak’s scheme would help mask some of those deficiencies. At least for the first week, that was not the case. The issue for Seattle in Week 2 is that they are facing a Steelers defense that is expected to be very strong this season and is sure to be on its game for their home opener after being embarrassed by the Jets in Week 1.
Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba had a massive 57% target share in the first game for new quarterback Sam Darnold. JSN dominated the receiving work, and Seattle played “11” personnel (three wide receivers) on over 70% of their snaps. Kubiak was brought to Seattle to give the Seahawks more dynamic formations and creative play calling, using his scheme to create openings and get their top players in space. After the first game, it appears that JSN will be among the league leaders in targets. Veteran Cooper Kupp actually led the team’s receivers in snaps, but was targeted only three times, catching two passes for 15 yards. Kupp’s skill set matches JSN’s as two route technicians with sure hands who can be lined up all over the formation. Both profiles as receivers whose bread is buttered from the slot and operate on an interchangeable basis.
We can’t draw many conclusions from the Steelers defense after one week due to the fact that they played the Jets and dual threat quarterback Justin Fields brought such a unique threat to the field which changes how Pittsburgh plays. The Steelers may have already had the worst defensive performance we will see from them in 2025. Darnold is a relatively stationary pocket passer who will allow Pittsburgh to unleash their traditionally aggressive defense in Week 2. The Steelers have historically been most susceptible in the middle of the field to slot receivers and tight ends, so there is a strong chance that JSN and Kupp have very busy days. We should not expect the Seahawks to give up on their run-heavy approach after one week, but we also shouldn’t expect them to have much success in this matchup. Kubiak is a sharp coach whose primary adjustment in Week 2 is likely to be a focus on early down passing to get ahead of the sticks. Rather than running heavily to set up play action, Seattle will have to flip the script and throw early to give themselves advantageous situations where the defense is on its heels and they can run.
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