Pittsburgh Steelers vs Seattle Seahawks
Pittsburgh Steelers
Quarterbacks
- Ben Roethlisberger: 8/15, 75 yards
- Mason Rudolph: 12/19, 112 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT | 1 run, 7 yards
The Steelers’ offense struggled with Ben Roethlisberger for the second consecutive week, and the fans at Heinz Field just saw signals of hope offensively when Mason Rudolph filled in for injured Roethlisberger (elbow) in the second half. Rudolph, who is entering his second season in the NFL, had a quite surprising performance, leading his team to 16 second-half points. He didn’t get the win, but his connections in the middle of the field, as well as mobility inside the pocket, were good news seen from the young quarterback. Rudolph’s 45-yard pass to JuJu Smith-Schuster after a flea-flicker was his best highlight of the game; his interception came after a tipped, dropped attempt by Donte Moncrief.
Running Backs
- James Conner: 11 carries, 33 yards, 1 TD | 4 targets, 3 catches, 12 yards
- Benny Snell Jr.: 1 run, 23 yards
- Jalen Samuels: 3 carries, 18 yards | 1 target, 1 catch, 13 yards
James Conner has now combined for 54 rushing yards after two games played in 2019. After a 2.1 yards-per-carry game in Week 1, he managed only 3 yards per carry against the Seahawks. The Steelers’ offensive line has struggled so far to create as much space as it did last year, but Conner himself hasn’t had success breaking tackles either. To make things worse for the running back and his team, he was knocked out of the game earlier with a knee injury.
Wide Receivers / Tight Ends
- JuJu Smith-Schuster: 8 targets, 5 catches, 84 yards
- Vance McDonald: 7 targets, 7 catches, 38 yards, 2 TD
- James Washington: 3 targets, 2 catches, 23 yards
- Diontae Johnson: 4 targets, 1 catch, 17 yards
- Donte Moncrief: 1 target
When Roethlisberger was on the field, it was another overall unimpressive performance by the Steelers’ wide receivers. When Rudolph stepped up, some flashes took place, although below expectations for a team who had one of the league’s most reliable receiving corps in the past years.
Smith-Schuster was targeted only eight times, the same amount of targets he received in Week 1, but failed to top 100 yards again. The third-year WR, who posted 356 receiving yards in the first three weeks of 2018, has yet to feature a 100-yard game this season. Considering that 45 of his 84 receiving yards came in one play versus Seattle, the other four receptions for 39 yards is clearly not what Pittsburgh was expecting for its new No. 1 wide receiver.
Alongside Smith-Schuster, the Steelers didn’t see any wide receiver stepping up as the playmaker the team needs. James Washinton barely got any separation during the game, and Moncrief was targeted just once; his tipped pass resulted in an interception on the play.
The good news in the Steelers’ receiving corps came from Vance McDonald, who scored two touchdowns after a quiet performance in Week 1 (two catches). Both of McDonald’s two scores came with Rudolph under center.
Seattle Seahawks
Quarterbacks
- Russell Wilson: 29/35, 300 yards, 3 TD | 6 rushes, 22 yards
Russell Wilson has missed 15 passes in two games combined this season, and he hasn’t thrown an interception yet. Besides that, the quarterback continues to level up most of his receivers. Against the Steelers on the road, Wilson connected at least two passes to six different players. The Seahawks’ offensive line had a slow start, allowing three sacks in the first quarter. However, the team allowed just one sack for the rest of the game.
Running Backs
- Rashaad Penny: 10 carries, 62 yards, 1 TD | 1 target, 1 run, 3 yards
- Chris Carson: 15 carries, 61 yards, 1 fumble | 3 targets, 3 catches, 27 yards
- C. J. Prosise: 2 carries, 7 yards | 3 targets, 3 catches, 13 yards
It was an excellent bounce-back performance from the Seahawks’ backfield. In Week 1 against the Bengals, Seattle had just 72 rushing yards and 2.1 yards per carry. Over the Steelers, however, they managed 152 yards on 4.6 yards per carry through the ground. As expected, Rashaad Penny and Chris Carson shared the workload with 10 and 15 carries each, respectively, with the former first-round selection being the most solid at the end of the day. Penny saw double-digit carries only for the third time in the NFL, and his 37-yard TD run in the third quarter is now the second-longest play of his career.
Wide Receivers / Tight Ends
- Tyler Lockett: 12 targets, 10 catches, 79 yards
- DK Metcalf: 7 targets, 3 catches, 61 yards, 1 TD
- Malik Turner: 3 targets, 3 catches, 54 yards
- Will Dissly: 5 targets, 5 catches, 50 yards, 2 TD
- Nick Vannett: 1 target, 1 catch, 13 yards
Tyler Lockett finally saw the number-one wide receiver workload that all the fantasy owners were expecting. Although Lockett didn’t find the endzone this time, the Seahawks were able to count on other players stepping up in that regard: DK Metcalf scored his first career touchdown and Will Dissly had two TD receptions in the afternoon.
Dissly hauled just one reception in Week 1, but played a factor in middle-range routes on the road against the Steelers. The second-year tight end’s two TDs already matches his TD total as a rookie.
Malik Turner had a couple of clutch catches for Seattle as well. The undrafted rookie from 2018, who had just two catches for 20 yards in six games played last season and didn’t see any action in the season opener, can be a surprising factor for this offense, adding depth to a receiving corp that entered 2019 with plenty of questions.
— Caio Miari