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<< Previous   of   Next >> Associated Press  (click to enlarge) Seahawks quarterbacks Matt Hassellbeck (left) and Seneca Wallace sit dejectedly on the bench late in fourth quarter of Sunday's loss to the Steelers.   ADVERTISEMENT   ADDITIONAL ITEMS • Seattle Seahawks (External Link) • Stats (External Link)   Related Stories • Happy belated birthday to us 10/8/07   CONTACT THE HERALD Report scores and results to 425-339-3470 or 1-866-6-SCORES (Call after 4:30 p.m.) E-mail information including items for Tuesday's Communities Sports Roundup and Thursday's Outdoor Calendar, to sports@heraldnet.com Kevin Brown, Sports Editor kbrown@heraldnet.com   Published: Monday, October 8, 2007 The Pitts ... again A depleted Steelers team dismantles the Seahawks By Scott M. Johnson Herald Writer PITTSBURGH -- While lacking the finality of a disappointing Super Bowl Sunday, the Seattle Seahawks' 21-0 loss yesterday was similiar to the most infamous game in team history in two obvious ways. No. 1, of course, was the fact that the Pittsburgh Steelers were the team celebrating afterward. But what's harder to take is that familiar feeling of sickness that comes from hard work gone down the tubes. "It's frustrating because we worked extremely hard all week," offensive lineman Rob Sims said after a one-sided game Sunday that saw Pittsburgh control the time-of-possession by more than a 2-to-1 margin. "When you work together like that, you don't want to go out there and take one on the chin." Sunday's game wasn't so much a roundhouse right to the face as it was a series of body blows that eventually wore the Seahawks out. Pittsburgh (4-1) needed most of the first half to get its first advantage, and after that the Steelers just pounded away at Seattle's abdomen. In the end, the Seahawks suffered their second shutout of the Mike Holmgren era, and their first since the 2000 opener, while getting dominated by the same team that stole Super Bowl XL from them. While that February 2006 game was followed by unprecedented groans of unfair officiating, Sunday's loss offered no excuses. Holmgren, who never suffered a shutout in seven years as head coach of the Green Bay Packers, even seemed lost for words. "We got it handed to us pretty good today," he said after Sunday's game. The Steelers dominated time of possession (40:45 to 19:15, including an incredible 24:53-5:07 margin in the second half), first downs (19-8) and total yardage (342-144). Most of the carnage happened after halftime, when Pittsburgh held the ball for 24:53 of the final 30 minutes played. All this despite missing both starting wide receivers and two Pro Bowlers on defense -- safety Troy Polamalu and defensive tackle Casey Hampton -- due to injury. For most of the first 30 minutes, the Seahawks (3-2) held their own. The aesthetically-challenged first half included nine consecutive possessions that ended in punts. The teams were mired in a 0-0 snoozer with just over four minutes left in the second quarter before the Steelers finally found another gear. Staring at a second-and-18 from its own 35-yard line, Pittsburgh grabbed momentum for good on a 45-yard run by Najeh Davenport. The backup running back took a handoff and cut to the left, avoiding would-be tacklers Deon Grant and Kelly Jennings and then landing a potent stiff-arm to linebacker Leroy Hill along the way. Two plays later, the Steelers came out of the two-minute warning and connected on a 13-yard touchdown pass from Ben Roethlisberger to Heath Miller to account for the first points of the game. Trailing 7-0, the Seahawks looked briefly like they had also found their offense. Seattle drove deep into Pittsburgh territory but failed to use any of its three timeouts and found itself at the Steelers' 14-yard line with seven seconds left in the half. Rather than kick a field goal, the Seahawks took one last shot at a touchdown. Hasselbeck's throw to Obomanu was intercepted in the end zone on what would be the final play of the half. As it turned out, that would be the closest the Seahawks would come to scoring. After halftime, the Steelers held the ball so long that Seattle's offense may have well stayed in the locker room. A 17-play, 80-yard drive took 10 minutes, 17 seconds at the beginning of the third quarter and culminated in a Davenport touchdown run to put the Steelers ahead 14-0. Seattle went three-and-out on what would amount to its only drive of the third quarter -- and the first 20 minutes of the second half, for that matter -- and held ball for just 1:31. Pittsburgh responded with another long drive -- 13 plays and 85 yards over 8:06 -- to go ahead 21-0 on Davenport's second TD of the game with 10:11 remaining in the fourth quarter. Another three-and-out all but finished the Seahawks off, and signaled the end of Hasselbeck's day. When Seattle got the ball back with 7:10 remaining, and the game seemingly out of hand, Hasselbeck gave way to Seneca Wallace at quarterback. Wallace got just one first down in his two series behind center, and the Seahawks finished the second half with 33 total yards of offense over the final two quarters. Hasselbeck completed just 13 of 27 passes for 116 yards before being taken out. "It's hard as a player," Hasselbeck said of his early exit. "You never want to come out. But it's not my call; it's the coach's call. It's probably a fitting ending to a very disappointing day." Hasselbeck was not the only player to struggle. While he had plenty of time to throw, his receivers had trouble getting open. And the defense couldn't stop the Steelers on third down -- at one point, Pittsburgh converted six consecutive third downs on the way to three consecutive scoring drives. Seattle found itself on the wrong end of a rare shutout -- the first in seven years. "It's shocking to me anytime we get beat, let alone shut out," said running back Shaun Alexander, who had just 25 rushing yards on 11 carries. When looking for positives, the Seahawks turned toward the recent past. A 37-6 loss to Chicago last October was just as one-sided, and Seattle responded by winning five of its next eight games on the way to taking the NFC West title. "Today feels like that a little bit," Hasselbeck said on Sunday. "We came in here feeling pretty good, to what we knew was a big game, and (the Steelers) kind of embarrassed us. They took it to us, and that's kind of what Chicago did." Fullback Leonard Weaver, who played most of the game after starter Mack Strong suffered a neck stinger in the first quarter, said Seattle should bounce back. Unlike the last loss to Pittsburgh, the Seahawks have a chance to turn things around this Sunday. "This isn't the end of the world," Weaver said. "It's still early in the season, and we're definitely going to respond."

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