Alex Collins, Seattle Seahawks.
Pittsburgh is always a tough place to play for visiting teams. With their starting quarterback and top running back on injured reserve, the Seattle Seahawks task was that much harder. After going down 14-0 halftime, Seattle turned it around, tying the game at 17, two minutes into the fourth quarter.
An exchange of field goals, including one by Seahawks’ kicker Jason Myers with no time left, sent the game into overtime. That was where Seattle ran out of gas. On their second possession, Geno Smith fumbled to set the Steelers up in plus territory for the winning kick.
Here are our top six takeaways.
Starting on a positive note, no Chris Carson, no problem, his backup Alex Collins was impressive running the ball Sunday night. The fifth-year pro finished with 101 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries. It was a pleasure to watch him hit holes decisively as well as making some nifty cutbacks.
Before the game, Seattle put Carson on injured reserve. Unlike the team’s current quarterback situation, their running backs should be just fine while Carson heals.
It was sad to see Seahawks Edge rusher Darrell Taylor taken off the field on a cart with an apparent neck injury. Late in the fourth quarter, Taylor was making a stop on Harris when he went headfirst into teammate Al Woods.
The Seattle defensive tackle is a mountain at 6-4, 330 (plus) – pounds. When Taylor hit Woods, his head and neck bent back. He lay mostly motionless on the field afterward.
Medical staff from both teams attended to Taylor. They stabilized his neck, and he was taken to the hospital by ambulance. NBC’s Michelle Tafoya later reported that Taylor had movement in his arms and legs. On his Monday radio show, Pete Carroll said Taylor’s CT Scan was good news.
Best of luck to Darrell Taylor as he recovers from his injury.
Maybe there were unfair expectations about what Geno Smith could do against Pittsburgh. He moved the team a week earlier against a tough Los Angeles defense late in the game. Although the Seahawks came up short, he did enough to give them hope.
Sunday night, SeahawksNation got to see Smith for what he really is. Smith proved to be an adequate passer throughout his career, who can be effective in short bursts, but ultimately falls short. Worse, at crunch time, he can’t be counted on put his team over the top.
Feel free to ask any New York Jets fan about their opinion of Geno. It’s probably not as nice.
For the second week in a row, Smith disintegrated when the Seahawks had a chance to pull ahead. Or, in the case of last night’s overtime, win the game.
It’s not just Russell Wilson that the Seattle Seahawks cant block for; Smith was under fire all night. Pittsburgh’s defense, as a whole, put up some impressive numbers:
Keep in mind the Steelers’ defense did it without several key members of their defensive line rotation who were out due to injury. T.J. Watt dominated the Seattle Seahawks offensive line, especially when he lined up across from Brandon Shell. Go back and watch the video. In overtime, Watt’s sack and his strip came when he lined up on the right side.
It wasn’t just Shell who had problems. The middle of Pittsburgh’s defensive front got a nice push all game against the Seahawks’ interior offensive line.
The Seahawks’ defense was awful the first half of 2020. Then they traded for Carlos Dunlap from Cincinnati. He was the spark that fired up Seattle’s D and allowed them to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks.
Finally, the Seahawks had a pass rusher that opposing offenses had to plan for. As a result, other defensive players had better chances to make plays, and they did.
What happened to that guy? Dunlap changed his uniform number from 43 to 8, but he also became translucent and a non-factor. The defense will continue to get picked apart until the Seahawks find a way to pressure the other team’s quarterback.
So far, there hasn’t been much to feel good about when it comes to the Seattle Seahawks defense in 2021. Pittsburgh went into the game beset by injuries, and the Seahawks defense had an opportunity to step up and break their four-game streak of allowing 450 or more yards.
With Steelers’ wide receiver Juju Smith-Schuster out, Seahawks safety Jamal Adams didn’t have to stay deep in coverage all game. The Prez was a presence all night long. On most plays, he was either involved in the stop, forced to ball toward his teammates, or at least in the camera shot.
Meanwhile, Bobby Wagner was his usual All-Pro self. He made the tackles he should have. When he couldn’t, Wagner at least held up ball carriers until help arrived. Najee Harris is on his way to becoming a top-tier running back in this league. However, last night he couldn’t get out from Wagner’s grasp.
It was a promising debut for rookie cornerback Tre Brown. After starting the season on injured reserve, this was his first game. His drive-stopping tackle in the fourth quarter saved the game for Seattle and his pass coverage was on point.
What were your takeaways from the Seattle Seahawks loss on Sunday Night? Let us know in the comments section below or on social media.