The Seahawks didn’t lie to themselves that last week was just one game and there was still a long way to go.
They knew they’d let one get away — one that could really sting as the season goes on — as a few late plays allowed the 49ers to leave Seattle with a 17-13 win, and they were determined not to let it happen again, even if the oddsmakers declared the Steelers a 3.5-point favorite for Sunday’s game in Pittsburgh.
“A lot of people were not happy about last week,” said safety Julian Love after the Seahawks bounced back to beat the Steelers 31-17. “But every week has to be a new challenge and we embraced the challenge of coming into a hostile environment against a good team that was riding the high of last week (a 34-32 road win over the Jets) and just doing what we could do. We feel great to get last week off our shoulders.”
It was a game that answered a lot of questions that last week’s loss had raised — specifically, could the Seahawks get their running game going, and when the plays most needed to be made, could they be made?
While there were a few missteps along the way, coming home with a win and a 1-1 record and not falling behind further in an NFC West off to a hot start means good grades all around.
read more seahawks 31, steelers 17
Teammates celebrate with Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III after Walker scored on a 19-yard rush during the fourth quarter Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025 in Pittsburgh. 231051
Seahawks get some breaks, take over in second half to beat Steelers
Reporter Bob Condotta grades Seahawks’ win vs. Steelers
3 impressions from Seahawks win vs. Steelers | Analysis
Seahawks gifted touchdown on kickoff vs. Steelers thanks to rookie mistake
Quarterback
True, Sam Darnold threw two early interceptions, one that killed a promising drive and led to a Steelers’ TD. But that interception — when he tried to hit AJ Barner in the flat on a fourth-and-one play — seemed the function of a play that felt a bit too complicated for the situation. After that, Darnold was nearly flawless in finishing 22 of 33 for 295 yards and two TDs and making two plays that sewed up the game in the fourth quarter. The first was when he rolled out of pressure to complete a pass for 19 yards to Barner on third-and-nine and hit Jaxon Smith-Njigba for 43 on the next play. This was the Darnold the Seahawks were hoping to get.
Grade: B-plus.
Running back
This was also the Kenneth Walker III the Seahawks were hoping to get this season — and have missed dearly the last few. Walker ran strong from the start but really got going in the second half to finish with 105 yards on 13 carries — his first 100-yard game since the opening game of last season and tied for his most yards since the end of the 2022 season. Zach Charbonnet had some notable blocks but couldn’t get going on the ground with just 10 yards on 15 carries. Fullback Robbie Ouzts helped pave the way for a 20-yard run by Walker in the fourth quarter.
Grade: A.
Receiver
And to sound like a broken record, this was also the kind of balanced receiving corps the Seahawks hoped to have after relying almost solely on Jaxon Smith-Njigba last week. JSN still had another 100-yard game with 103 on eight receptions. But Cooper Kupp had 90 on seven in showing he’s not dead yet, and rookie Tory Horton had two for 32 including his first TD on the opening series of the game.
Grade: A.
Tight end
Barner (2 catches for 26 yards, one TD) and Elijah Arroyo (2 for 31) also did their part. Arroyo quietly made one of the key catches of the game on a 7-yarder in traffic on a second-and-11 that helped the Seahawks get going on their opening drive of the second half to tie the score.
Grade: A-minus.
Offensive line
Darnold was sacked twice and hit eight times overall. But a few of those seemed because of some good Steelers play calls. The time Darnold got when it was most needed — such as the long pass to JSN at the end — and how the running game got going late was what the Seahawks feel this line can be. Left tackle Charles Cross appeared to have another particularly good day.
Grade: B.
Interior defensive line
Was this the true breakout game for second-year tackle Byron Murphy II? May well have been as he finished with five tackles — third on the team — along with 1.5 sacks and three QB hits. Leonard Williams was again quietly dominant with half a sack and a big run stop on the drive when the Steelers got to the 5-yard line and were stopped, as well as two QB hits. Jarran Reed had a sack as the Seahawks held the Steelers to just 72 yards rushing on 31 carries.
Grade: A-minus.
Edge rusher
There weren’t a lot of stats put up by the edge rushers, Derick Hall had three quarterback hits, if no sacks, one of which came on first down after the Steelers got to the 5-yard-line and were threatening to take the lead in the third quarter. He also drew a holding penalty. Uchenna Nwosu entered the game to start the second series, his first action of the season, and had two tackles.
Grade: B.
Inside linebacker
Ernest Jones IV took the blame for allowing Jaylen Warren to break free for a 65-yard gain on a short pass in the third quarter. But in general he played well with a team-high 10 tackles. Weakside backer Tyrice Knight, seeming to have shaken off some rust after not playing in the preseason, was next with eight.
Grade: B.
Safety
The Seahawks got yeoman work from practice squad call-up D’Anthony Bell and reserve Ty Okada, each called on to replace Nick Emmanwori and allow them to use their three-safety packages. The dominance up front meant Coby Bryant and Julian Love didn’t have to make a lot of tackles in the running game. But Bryant rallied from giving up the TD pass to DK Metcalf — on which he was in decent position but just lost out size-wise — to help sew up the game with a late interception.
Grade: B.
Cornerback
Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald proved his worth in reconfiguring the secondary to account for the loss of Devon Witherspoon. Josh Jobe and Riq Woolen started while Derion Kendrick — claimed off waivers from the Rams at the end of August — was the nickel back. The three combined to hold DK Metcalf to just three receptions for 20 yards, while Kendrick pulled off one of the biggest plays of the game with his diving interception of a tipped pass in the end zone in the third quarter.
Grade: A.
Special teams
The heads up play on the bouncing kickoff that George Holani recovered for a touchdown while the Steelers were asleep was enough to give the Seahawks an A here. Jason Myers missed a 36-yard field goal early but came back to hit a 54-yarder in the fourth quarter to put them ahead for good and followed with his well-placed kickoff that led to Holani’s TD.
Grade: A.
Coaching
The 49ers loss was a tough one after the optimism of the preseason and it was tempting to wonder how Macdonald would get the players to respond. The answer was as affirmatively positive as anyone could hope as the Seahawks drove for TDs to start both halves, the first showing that they’d shaken off last week and the second showing they shaken off the disappointment of the Steelers lone TD that put them ahead at halftime. And give offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak credit for calling more play-action passes and motion and getting Darnold on the run more after a far-too-stagnant of an attack against the 49ers.
Grade: A.
Bob Condotta: bcondotta@seattletimes.com. Bob Condotta is a sports reporter at The Seattle Times who primarily covers the Seahawks but also dabbles in other sports. He has worked at The Times since 2002, reporting on University of Washington Husky football and basketball for his first 10 years at the paper before switching to the Seahawks in 2013.