Cheat Sheet: Steelers at Seahawks

HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN

• TV coverage: Broadcast nationally on the FOX Network (WPGH-TV locally in Pittsburgh).
• Steelers Radio Network - Game coverage begins at 4:05 p.m. ET; Pregame programming begins at 12:05 p.m.; Postgame coverage starts immediately following the game.
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INJURY UPDATE

The Steelers will travel to Seattle to take on the Seahawks at Lumen Field.
Check out the most updated Injury Report: Click here >>>

SERIES HISTORY

The Steelers and Seahawks have only squared off 20 times, and the series is split evenly at 10-10. However, the most important of those 20 matchups, Super Bowl XL, went Pittsburgh's way. During the Seahawks' long stint as an AFC team, Seattle and the Steelers never met in the playoffs. The 1976 season was Seattle's first in the NFL. This series began in 1977 with Pittsburgh winning that game, as well as another the following year. The most recent matchup was in 2021, a game the Steelers won in overtime in Pittsburgh. This has been a very back-and-forth series, with neither team (Super Bowl XL excluded) having won more than two in a row at any point since 1977. The last time the Steelers won in Seattle, where they are 1-7, was 1983.

MATCHUP OVERVIEW

• Seattle has won two in a row after a four-game losing streak. The Steelers are 3-3 on the road and will finish out the regular season traveling to Baltimore next weekend. The Seahawks are 5-2 at home and will conclude their season on the road in Arizona. Pittsburgh has been outscored by 34 points this season and the Seahawks have been outscored by 32. Seattle beat the Titans last week on a go-ahead touchdown with 57 seconds left to play. That was the second week in a row that the Seahawks won a game with a go-ahead score with under a minute to play.
• After being plus-3 in turnover differential last week, the Steelers are now tied with Baltimore and Tampa Bay at plus-10, which is the NFL's best turnover ratio. Seattle is at plus-3. Pittsburgh has 24 takeaways, just two behind the league lead and their 16 interceptions are three behind the league lead. Only the Cowboys have turned the ball over less than Pittsburgh. Seattle only has 16 giveaways this year, which is seventh-best in the league. Seattle has only lost four fumbles all season, while Pittsburgh has only lost five.
• The Seahawks only held the ball for 26:09 last week in Tennessee. For the season, they are last in the league at 27:06 and 27:58 over their past three games. The Steelers possess the ball for 28:45 this season and 29:03 over their past three.
• The Steelers' 24 points in the first half last week was the highest point production in a single half since 2016. The Steelers have scored 30-plus points in one game in each of the past two seasons, both games coming at home vs. Cincinnati.
• Opponents have thrown for 698 more yards and nine more passing touchdowns than Pittsburgh this season. Opponents have rushed for 590 more yards than the Seahawks and 10 more rushing touchdowns, while averaging a half yard more per carry. However, the Seahawks produce 229.3 passing yards per game and allow 229.
• Opponents have run 114 more offensive plays than Seattle this season, compared to opponents running 72 more than the Steelers.
• League average for turning a set of downs into a new series of downs is 70%. Seattle's defense allows a 73% rate. Only six defenses are worse. On the other side of the ball, the Seahawks offense converts at 70% and Pittsburgh's defense is at 69%, only five defenses are better.
• Opponents are converting 46.8% of their third downs compared to 35.5% from the Seahawks offense.
• Mason Rudolph is now 6-4-1 as a starter for the Steelers.
• Seattle has committed more penalties than all but two teams, and the Seahawks have more penalty yardage against them (61 yards per game) than any other team. And only four teams have a greater overall penalty yards discrepancy in a negative fashion. No team in the league has fewer pre-snap penalties than Pittsburgh, while only five teams have more than the Seahawks.
• Since the NFL went to a 18-week schedule in 2021, Pittsburgh is 4-0 in games in Weeks 17 and 18.
• Per EPA, only four teams have faced a more difficult schedule this year than Seattle.

WHEN PITTSBURGH HAS THE BALL

• Pittsburgh averages 4.9 yards per play this season and are also at 4.9 over their past three games. The Seahawks defense gives up 5.3 in 2023, but 6.1 over their past three. Seattle only allows 5.1 at home.
• The Steelers throw the ball just 55.1% of the time, which is higher than just six offenses. Over their past three games, the Steelers are throwing it on 53.9% of their snaps. For the season, only two offenses have fewer passing yards and completions than the Steelers.
• Only four offenses use a specific personnel group a higher percentage of their snaps (75.4%) than Pittsburgh employs 11 Personnel (1 RB/1 TE). However, with Eddie Faulkner as offensive coordinator, the Steelers have been in 11 Personnel just 66% of the time over those most recent five games. Meanwhile, only two defenses have faced 11 Personnel a higher percentage (73%) of their snaps than that of Seattle. In turn, the Seahawks have faced the lowest percentage (11.4%) of snaps vs. 12 Personnel (1 RB/2 TE). Only six defenses are in their nickel package with five defensive backs on the field a higher percentage (76.4%) than Seattle.
• Seattle's defense is better than only seven defenses in success rate this season, and only four are worse in EPA per play.
• From a yards per route run perspective, George Pickens is at 2.18 and Diontae Johnson is at 1.77.
• Pickens caught just four passes last week, but he made them, count racking up 195 yards and two touchdowns. His 86-yard touchdown was the longest play from scrimmage by any team in the league this season. Pickens has run a route on 89.6% of Pittsburgh's drop backs. Only four wide receivers have a higher percentage. Of all wide receivers with at least 50 targets, only Brandon Aiyuk (18.47) has a higher yards per reception average than Pickens (18.02). Pickens is sixth in the league in yards after the catch per reception (6.64). Last week was Pickens' fifth 100-yard game and fourth this season.
• Johnson has failed to reach 65 receiving yards in each of his past seven games and has failed to reach 20 yards in three of those contests. Last week, Johnson was on the field in 12 Personnel for just four of a possible 15 snaps and didn't see the field when the Steelers utilized 13 or 21 Personnel. His 69% route participation was Johnson's lowest of the season. Johnson has scored three touchdowns over his past four games after scoring just one over his previous 27 games.
• Seattle's defense is giving up the fourth-fewest yards per route run (1.60) and ninth fewest receptions (118) to receivers aligned wide.
• Allen Robinson has received three or more targets in each of his past four games.
• Pat Freiermuth has appeared in 10 games this season. His average stat line is 4.1 targets, 2.7 receptions, and 24.3 receiving yards per game. Freiermuth was not targeted last week against the Bengals. In Week 9, he caught nine of 11 targets for 120 yards. In every other game this season, Freiermuth has caught 18 of 30 targets for 123 yards.
• The Seahawks defense is seeing an average depth of target of 7.5 yards downfield. That is the eighth lowest in the NFL.
• Seattle sacked Ryan Tannehill six times last week, two by Boye Mafe. Mafe leads the Seahawks with nine sacks. Jarran Reed is behind him with seven. Reed has a sack in three of his last four games. No other Seahawks player has more than 4.5 sacks this season. Only four defenses blitz at a lower rate than Seattle. The Steelers quarterbacks have been sacked 32 times this season, ninth-fewest in the league. Seattle's defense has more sacks (45) than all but five teams.
• Seattle has only allowed seven touchdown passes in their seven home games and give up just 6.6 yards per pass attempt at home.
• Only one offense is using play-action at a lower rate (14.7%) this season than Pittsburgh.
• Jaylen Warren has now joined Willie Parker as the only undrafted free agents in Steelers history to eclipse 1,000 total yards in a season. Warren's 28% targets per route run is sixth-highest amongst running backs with at least 25 targets. He has 50-plus scrimmage yards in seven of his last eight games.
• Najee Harris' 19 touches last week tied for his season high, with a 70.4% rush share. Harris averages 4.3 yards per carry and has five rushing touchdowns in the Steelers' eight wins this season, but averages 3.5 yards per rush and hasn't scored in their seven losses. He needs 50 yards to be the first running back in Steelers history with 1,000-plus scrimmage yards in each of his first three seasons. Harris and Warren are the only pair of AFC running backs with 950-plus scrimmage yards.
• With the Steelers tied or leading this season, Harris has out-touched Warren 113-71. He has also out-touched Warren 15-4 in goal-to-go situations. When Pittsburgh is trailing, Warren has 108 of the 223 backfield touches.
• Seattle gave up 162 rushing yards last week with three ball carriers all eclipsing 37 yards on the ground. The Seahawks have allowed 5.6 yards per carry over the past three weeks, worst in the league. The Seahawks defense is currently 30^th in EPA per rush.
• To just the running back position since Week 9, Seattle's defense has allowed 5.3 yards per carry (31^st) with nine rushing touchdowns (31^st).
• 77.4% of the Steelers carries this season have gone for a yard or more. Only four offenses are worse. But 5.7% of their carries have gone for 15-plus yards. Only four offenses are better. Seattle's defense has allowed 5.8% of the carries against it to go for 15-plus yards, which is fourth-highest in the NFL. The Seahawks have given up 116 first downs on the ground. Only two defenses have allowed more.
• Seattle's opponents have converted on 46.8% of their third downs this season. Only Arizona's defense is worse. And over the past three games, that number goes all the way up to 53.9%.

WHEN SEATTLE HAS THE BALL

• Seattle averages 5.4 yards per play this season and 5.2 over its past three games. Pittsburgh allows 5.4 for the year and 5.8 over the last three. Seattle averages 5.5 yards per play at home.
• Only six teams allow fewer points per game than that of Pittsburgh. And only seven defenses are better in success rate.
• Seattle throws the ball 61.7% of the time, the sixth-highest percentage in the league. But over the past three games, that shoots up to 63%.
• Only two defenses have faced 11 Personnel (1 RB/1 TE) on a lower percentage (54.1%) of snaps than Pittsburgh. Only one defense is in its nickel package with five defensive backs on the field a lower rate (37%) than the Steelers.
• After last week, Geno Smith now has four game-winning drives, the most in the league. Smith threw for 227 yards and two touchdowns in the second half in Tennessee, and the Seahawks scored on their three second-half drives. Smith has thrown multiple touchdowns passes in five of his past eight games after doing so once through five games and aims for his third game in a row with two or more touchdown passes.
• Seattle is the only team in the league with three wide receivers with 50-plus catches each in 2023. From a yards per route run perspective, here is how Seattle's top three wide recievers stack up: DK Metcalf 2.25, Tyler Locket 1.73 and Jaxon Smith-Njigba 1.5.
• Metcalf's eight touchdown receptions is only behind Tyreek Hill, Mike Evans and Courtland Sutton among NFL wide receivers, and he is eighth in end zone targets with 14. Metcalf has 43 receiving touchdowns since 2019, the fourth-most in the NFL over that time.
• Only Calvin Ridley (.43) averages fewer yards after first contact than Lockett (.53) per reception among wide receivers with at least 50 targets. Lockett has 19 targets over his past two games and a season-high 11 last week. This is his fourth season with 75-plus catches, but Lockett hasn't scored in six-straight games.
• Of all wide receivers that have run at least 50 targets, Smith-Njigba's 6.5 average depth of target is the third lowest in the league, and his average yards per reception (10.2) is eighth lowest. Smith-Njigba is eighth in the NFL in average yards after the catch per reception at 6.1. He runs 67.1% of his routes out of the slot and Pittsburgh allows a league-high 10.0 yards per target to slot receivers.
• Tee Higgins finished last week with five catches for 140 yards and a touchdown. However, when matched up on Joey Porter Jr. for 32 of his 40 routes run, Higgins caught just one pass for 15 yards.
• Seahawks tight ends Noah Fant (540), Colby Parkinson (423) and Will Dissly (337) have all played between 337 and 540 snaps this season. Only one offense utilizes 13 Personnel (1 RB/3 TE) a higher percentage of their snaps than Seattle, which uses it 8.7% of its snaps, while the Steelers have faced 13 Personnel on 5.3% of their snaps, the second-highest rate for any defense.
• Fant registered a season high 70% route participation last week.
• The Steelers are allowing the NFL's sixth-lowest completion percentage but are facing the sixth-highest average depth of target.
• TJ Watt set the Steelers franchise record in 2021 with 22.5 sacks, but after getting a sack last week, Watt's 17 sacks this season is also the second-most in a season in franchise history. Watt has also forced four fumbles this season and has recovered three. Both lead the team. He has at least half a sack in eight of his past nine games. The last time Watt faced Seattle, he had two sacks, a forced fumble and three passes defensed.
• In terms of quarterback hits this season, Watt comfortably leads the team with 33 followed by Alex Highsmith with 17. No other Steelers defender has more than seven. Watt's 33 quarterback hits lead the NFL. This is Watt's second season with 30-plus quarterback hits and 8-plus pass defensed. TJ and his brother JJ (who did it three times) are the only players in history with even one such season.
• Watt also leads the team with 16 tackles for loss followed by Elandon Roberts with 10 and Highsmith with eight.
• The Steelers gave up just 59 yards on the ground last week, and Seattle could only muster 58 rushing yards in Tennessee, 54 by Kenneth Walker III.
• Walker and Zach Charbonnet have combined for 1,202 of Seattle's 1,354 rushing yards. 3.2% of Seattle's carries this season have gone for 20-plus yards. Only three offenses are better. Only the Bengals, Raiders and Buccaneers average fewer rushing yards per game than Seattle, and only six defenses allow more yards per carry. During the first seven weeks of the year, Walker received 75% of the Seahawks rushing attempts. But from Week 8 through 14, Walker got just 49% of the rush share. But the past two games, Walker is getting at least a 79% rush share and last week he handled 80.9% of all backfield touches. Walker's 9.36 yards per reception is the fourth highest among running backs with at least 25 targets. and his yards after contact per reception is the best in the league. But Walker has only caught 25 passes this season. Walker has now eclipsed 1,000 scrimmage yards in both of his NFL seasons. He has 110-plus scrimmage yards in four of his last five home games.
• Only three defenses have given up fewer rushing touchdowns (8) than the Steelers. However, before allowing just 74 total yards to Cincinnati's running backs last week, Pittsburgh gave up to 200 to the Colts backfield, 140 yards to Ezekiel Elliott and 130 yards to Arizona's backfield.
• The Seahawks have 10 different offensive linemen who have logged over 100 snaps this season, nine of which have played 215 or more, six of whom have played 414 or more.
• Seattle has scored 24 points in fourth quarters of games over the past two weeks, but just 16 points in the first three quarters.

SPECIAL TEAMS

• The Steelers are averaging 6.6 yards per punt return, while their opponents have averaged 9.3. The same is true for kickoff returns with the Steelers averaging 23.1 compared to allowing 26.3. Seattle averages 10.4 yards per punt return and allows just 6.8. The Seahawks also average 26 yards per kickoff return compared to 21.8 by their opponents.

MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT:

Feb. 5, 2006: Super Bowl XL: Steelers 21, Seahawks 10

Ben Roethlisberger led the Steelers to the Super Bowl in just his second season in the NFL. This was Seattle's first Super Bowl appearance and the Seahawks were down on the scoreboard 14-3 after Willie Parker's 75-yard touchdown run early in the second half. With 6:04 left in regulation, this was still a 14-10 game in Pittsburgh's favor. But at that moment, the Steelers called a trick play in which Antwaan Randle El threw a 43-yard touchdown pass to Hines Ward to put the game away. Ward was the MVP of Super Bowl XL after catching five passes for 123 yards, including that key touchdown. Every one of Ward's receptions went for a first down. Probably the most memorable aspect of the Steelers' fifth Super Bowl victory was this was Jerome Bettis' last game, and it took place in Bettis' hometown of Detroit. This was also the first time in NFL history when a sixth seed went on to win the Super Bowl.

KEY MATCHUPS

Seahawks WR DK Metcalf vs. Steelers CB Joey Porter Jr. - Porter has consistently shadowed the opponent's top wide receiver since becoming a full-time starter. It doesn't occur on every snap, but a high percentage, nonetheless. Metcalf would qualify as the Seahawks' top wideout. He is very dangerous, with a truly rare combination of size, strength, physicality and long speed.

Steelers RB Najee Harris vs. Seahawks LB Bobby Wagner - Wagner is likely going to the Pro Football Hall of Fame someday, but his return to Seattle this season has not been as spectacular as his amazing previous stint with the team. Seattle is a very difficult place to play, and running the ball effectively, particularly on early downs, will be extremely important for the Steelers. That starts with Harris.