Friday Rewind: Revisiting Seahawks 28-26 Week 2 Victory Over Steelers
Following Seattle’s Week 1 victory over Cincinnati, the team departed for its first road trip of the season and were hoping to travel back to the Pacific Northwest with their second win of the young campaign.
Similar to the season opener, the Seahawks nearly blew another fourth quarter lead, this time at Heinz Field. Luckily, their offense controlled possession of the football over the final four minutes of regulation, preserving the team’s two-point lead until the clock hit zero.
Let’s look back upon some of the critical moments that ultimately led to the Seahawks’ 28-26 victory over the Steelers during their first road game of the 2019 campaign.
1. Answering with a touchdown of their own, Will Dissly’s 14-yard touchdown ties the score at 7-7.
Following running back Chris Carson’s fumble at Seattle’s 22-yard line, Pittsburgh’s offense was able to capitalize on that turnover by surging into the end zone just three plays later, taking a 7-0 lead. However, their lead vanished halfway through the second quarter.
Looking to crack the scoreboard themselves, quarterback Russell Wilson led the Seahawks' offense down to the Steelers’ 26-yard line but failed to gain one yard for the first down. While attempting a 46-yard field goal, defensive tackle Daniel McCullers was flagged for unnecessary roughness, providing Seattle with a first down along with an opportunity to tie the game rather than settling for a field goal.
Positioned on Pittsburgh’s 14-yard line, Wilson quickly noticed an undersized linebacker was covering tight end Will Dissly and took advantage by connecting with the 24-year old for a touchdown, tying the game at 7 apiece. Even though the Steelers took back the lead with a 41-yard field goal, without this touchdown, the Seahawks would’ve trailed by seven points instead of just three points entering the second half.
2. Taking advantage of another mistake by Pittsburgh, Bradley McDougald intercepts the football before falling out of bounds.
After Seattle gained only six yards during its opening drive of the second half, they were forced to punt just three plays into the third quarter. With that said, not even a full minute went by before their offense had possession of the ball once again.
With the Steelers’ offense stopped eight yards short of the first down marker, they were facing an important third-down conversion that could’ve helped them further extend their lead. But after receiver Donte Moncrief had his only target of the game bounce off his hands, strong safety Bradley McDougald was able to intercept backup Mason Rudolph's pass with a diving effort.
Providing Seattle’s offense with outstanding field yardage at Pittsburgh’s 40-yard line, it only took Wilson six plays to find the end zone for the second time in the contest. Finding Dissly for his second touchdown of the game, the 6-foot-6 tight end caught a 12-yard pass this time, providing his team a 14-10 lead.
3. Limiting Pittsburgh to a 33-yard field goal proved critical in the third quarter.
With Seattle leading 14-10 halfway through the third quarter, Pittsburgh was attempting to regain the advantage once again on its second drive of the half. Striking fast like lightning, Rudolph connected with receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster on a 45-yard flea-flicker pass, positioning their offense at the Seahawks’ 16-yard line.
Despite surrendering the explosive passing play, Seattle’s defense maintained their composure and kept Pittsburgh out of its end zone. In particular, linebacker Mychal Kendricks’ tackle for loss on second down made a massive impact in preserving his team’s lead, as it pushed the Steelers’ offense back four yards and placed them 14 yards away of the yard marker on third down.
Still holding a one-point lead, the Seahawks’ offense was able to surge quickly into the Steelers’ territory late in the third quarter. While their drive stalled at Pittsburgh’s 37-yard line, running back Rashaad Penny was able to make a defender miss at the line of scrimmage and burst into the end zone for the score, extending Seattle’s lead to 21-13.
4. Extending their lead once again, DK Metcalf hauls in his first NFL career touchdown reception.
Shortly after Seattle scored its third touchdown of the game, Pittsburgh was able to produce another seven points of their own, trimming the lead to 21-19. But thanks to a favorable defensive pass interference penalty overturned by review, the Seahawks were provided with another prime scoring opportunity halfway through the fourth quarter.
Following a successful pass interference challenge by coach Pete Carroll, Seattle’s offense jumped from its own 27-yard line to Pittsburgh’s 35-yard line. Then just three plays later, Wilson targeted receiver DK Metcalf on a slot fade route for his first career NFL score, a 28-yard touchdown reception that pushed their lead to 28-19.
While Pittsburgh added another touchdown late in the fourth quarter and cut Seattle’s lead to 28-26, they couldn’t regain possession of the ball over the final four minutes in the fourth quarter. After a trio of kneel downs from Wilson, the Seahawks were awarded their second victory of the season.
