A rookie kickoff returner not knowing the NFL’s new kickoff rules just handed the Seahawks a win.
Kenneth Walker then sealed it.
Pittsburgh third-round pick Kaleb Johnson let Jason Myers’ kickoff after a field goal in the fourth quarter bound over his head in the “landing zone,” into the end zone. Because it landed between the 20-yard line and the goal line, it was a live ball. Johnson didn’t know that.
George Holani did.
Coached up by special-teams coach Jay Harbaugh — “every day” Holani later said — to cover such kickoffs as if they are fumbles, the second-year, reserve running back sprinted two-thirds of the field to get to the free kickoff. He ran 9 yards deep in the end zone to cover the ball before it crossed the end line for a touchback.
Touchdown Seahawks. Ten points scored with zero time off the clock.
“Oh, I had no idea” it was a touchdown, Seattle veteran wide receiver Cooper Kupp said.
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin had this terse answer to what happened: “Poor judgment by a young player.”
Is that something his Steelers work on specifically in practice?
“Every day of our lives,” Tomlin spat out.
Then Walker ran 19 yards on third and goal behind another crunching block by left tackle Charles Cross, who had a mammoth second half. That sealed the Seahawks’ 31-17 victory over Pittsburgh on a sunny-for-Seattle Steelers home opener Sunday at Acrisure Stadium.
Walker responded to questions all week around Seattle whether he was still the Seahawks’ lead running back over Zach Charbonnet with 105 yards on 13 carries.
It emptied the stadium that had been rockin’ to Styx’s “Renegade“— just before Seattle’s clinching drive began.
Sam Darnold rebounded from two early, unsightly interceptions to complete 22 of 33 passes for 295 yards with two touchdowns. He completed a 43-yard pass to Jaxon Smith-Njigba (eight catches, 103 yards) one-on-one inside Pittsburgh’s Jalen Ramsey on a deep post route just before Walker’s clinching score for the Seahawks (1-1).
Darnold came into the locker room at halftime and reminded his teammates if it wasn’t for his mistakes, they’d be rolling. And that they would roll.
“I was just saying…for me, personally, just letting the guys know if we don’t turn the ball over we’re marching right down the field, whatever. Kicking field goals or scoring touchdowns,” Darnold said.
“There were just a couple of bad plays on my end that I’m obviously going to clean up. …But I felt like there was a lot to go into the second half optimistic about.”
Seattle outscored Pittsburgh 24-3 after halftime.
Darnold’s best play was a third and 9. Steelers came crashing in on him to his right. He rolled left. Tight end AJ Barner was blocking, then sensed his QB needed an outlet receiver. He took off down the field. Darnold calmly flicked a short, improvisational pass under duress to Barner with no Steeler immediately around him. The 19-yard gain set up Darnold to Smith-Njigba for 43 yards on the next play.
His head coach loves Darnold’s steadiness.
“Had some adversity early, but…I’m looking at him, the guy’s stone cold out there and just keeps playing,” Macdonald said.
“When we finally close it out there at the end you saw the emotion, saw the excitement.
“He deserves it. He played a really good game.”
Meanwhile, Rodgers, former Seahawk DK Metcalf and the Steelers gained just 267 yards on Seattle’s defense. The Seahawks host New Orleans (0-2) next Sunday knowing they aren’t whole. Their defense is still often carrying the offense and the team. Their offense is not where it’s trying to get.
“We know the defense can come up big and make stops for us, if we need (them) to,” Seahawks right tackle Abe Lucas said.
“The game wasn’t pretty early,” coach Mike Macdonald said. “There’s a lot of things we’ve got to clean up, operation-wise, and taking care of the football. Spotted them several points…probably added up to 11 points. Missed a field goal.
“And our guys didn’t flinch.
“Really proud of the team.” And proud of one of the research analysts. Brian Eayrs, the team’s director of football analytics and researcher for special situations, talked this weekend during team meetings in Pittsburgh about the kickoff-recovery situation.
Then it happened.
“You’ve got to know the rules of the game and play by them better than everybody else,” Macdonald said.
“It’s a heck of a play by George, understanding the situation and then staying in bounds and recovering it — which actually Brian Eayrs talked about it, sideline recoveries, as a matter of fact. So Brian Eayrs deserves a lot of credit, too.
“But George made a heck of a play.”
Seattle’s remade offense looked sharp on drives to begin each half. Each resulted in touchdowns.
Derick Hall’s pressure on Rodgers forced the 41-year-old quarterback to throw incomplete on third down, and Seattle’s defense got a stop on the opening drive of the second half.
On the ensuing drive, play caller Klint Kubiak ran right at the Steelers’ depleted defensive front. Cooper Kupp (seven receptions on nine targets, 90 yards) had catches and runs of 17 yards to convert a third down, then 16 yards on the next play. That got Seattle in Pittsburgh’s end. Then tight end AJ Barner simply ran from the 7-yard line to the goal line, turned around, caught Darnold’s simple throw and spun away from late-arriving linebacker Patrick Queen. Barner’s touchdown tied the game at 14.
But then linebackers Ernest Jones and Tyrice Knight missed tackles in the open field that became a 65-yard catch and run by Pittsburgh’s Jaylen Warren off a short throw. On third and goal, Rodgers rolled left and threw for tight end Pat Freiermuth in the back left of the end zone. Pittsburgh wide receiver Calvin Austin reached out and deflected the ball before it reached Freiermuth. Seahawks cornerback Derion Kendrick, making his debut at nickel defensive back because injured Devon Witherspoon and Nick Emmanwori did not play, dove and intercepted the pass to keep the game tied at 14.
The Seahawks eventually forged back into the lead behind another third-down conversion by Kupp, catching a pass from Darnold over the middle. Walker ran for 20 yards off left tackle Cross, who was mauling Steelers in the second half. The drive ended with Jason Myers’ 54-yard field goal for a 17-14 lead.
Then came the gift of all gift touchdowns for Seattle.
The in-between of Seattle’s sterling starts to each half was ugly. Offense not there yet
There’s a mentality Macdonald wants his Seahawks offense to have. He fired an offensive coordinator and line coach, hired new ones and spent all winter, spring and summer striving for it.
Going for it on a fourth and 1 yet calling a roll-out pass is not it. It’s not at all the rugged, effective, game-controlling running game Seattle’s second-year coach is trying to get to.
Not yet.
After a tush-push run by tight end AJ Barner on third and short for the second time in two games earlier in the half, new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak called for Darnold to roll out and throw a pass on fourth and 1 with Seattle leading Pittsburgh 7-6 in the second quarter Sunday.
Fullback Robbie Ouzts fell down trying to block a blitzing linebacker. Barner blocked linebacker Nick Herbig on the edge, then released to a short pattern outside as the intended receiver. No Seahawk blocked Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Heyward. Darnold threw his pass into the charging Heyward’s hands. The ball deflected straight up. Herbig intercepted it, and returned the ball 41 yards, to the Seattle 21-yard line.
The Steelers converted that into their first lead. Rodgers threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Metcalf (six targets, three catches, 20 yards Sunday). The Seahawks and safety Coby Bryant learned what life is like trying to defend the 6-foot-4, 229-pound wide receiver on a jump ball one-on-one for the first time: not great. Metcalf outjumped Bryant for the ball, the touchdown and Pittsburgh’s 14-7 lead.
“Can’t wait to watch the tape,” Macdonald said of something he was bound to do on the long flight back to Seattle Sunday night. “I’m sure there’s a lot of details that we need to get cleaned up.
“Again, let’s use this now. It went from, what’s the big difference between week one and week two? We needed to make a big jump from week one to week two. I feel we did.
“We’re not satisfied. We need to keep growing and getting better.”
The Seahawks chased the game into the second half.
They are still chasing the identity they want on offense.
Seattle still didn’t run early: Walker and Charbonnet combined to rush for 37 yards on 12 carries. That was against a Steelers defense missing two starting linemen, and that lost three linebackers to injuries in the first half.
Kendrick dropped an interception at the Steelers 30. Myers missed a 36-yard field goal. Darnold threw two interceptions in the first half; the first was a poorly underthrown pass to Kupp.
That’s how the Seahawks malfunctioned their way into a 14-7 deficit late in the first half, when they easily could have been leading 21-6. But then the Steelers gifted them the decisive touchdown. Seahawks start fast, for a change
The Seahawks ended a streak of 23 consecutive games without a touchdown on their opening drive. Darnold was 4 for 4 passing. Charbonnet helped chip Steelers linebacker Patrick Queen, blitzing up the middle. That gave Darnold time to throw to Tory Horton cutting across the middle. The rookie fifth-round draft choice’s first NFL target and catch was a 21-yard touchdown. Seattle’s eight-play, 65-yard drive to begin the game gave them a 7-0 lead.
What changed from week one’s slog in a 17-13 loss to San Francisco and Sunday’s fast start for the Seahawks’ offense?
“Getting yards,” Lucas said, in full deadpan over boomin’ bass in the visiting locker room after the game.
But after the start, it got messy in front of 66,347 mostly Terrible Towel-waving fans.
Kubiak used two and three tight ends often. Yet Walker and Charbonnet still often had Steelers in the backfield waiting to tackle them on handoffs and wide sweeps. The lack of an effective running game for the second consecutive game again left the offense half of what it’s supposed to be, including on play-action passes.
Defensive backs shuffle
Kendrick played his first defensive snaps as a Seahawk on Sunday. Recently signed after the Rams released their former starting cornerback, Kendrick was Seattle’s primary fifth, nickel defensive back Sunday.
Witherspoon usually plays there, with Jobe outside. But Witherspoon missed the game with the knee he injured in the opening game colliding with Jobe on Jobe’s interception of Brock Purdy.
Nick Emmanwori also missed the game Sunday, with a high-ankle sprain.
That had Kendrick as the third cornerback in nickel, in the slot with Jobe and Riq Woolen starting outside. Kendrick had what should have been an interception go through his hands and off his face mask at the Pittsburgh 30-yard line on third down in the second quarter. Seattle settled for the drive stop and Steelers punt. Horton returned it 21 yards to set up a drive start at midfield.
Uchenna Nwosu debut
Outside linebacker Uchenna Nwosu played his first game since late last season. He entered on the second defensive series, in his first game following offseason knee surgery.
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