The Pittsburgh Steelers kept pace with the Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans in the AFC playoff picture, as they defeated the Seahawks in Seattle on Sunday, 30-23. With this win, Mike Tomlin has now gone 17 straight seasons without a losing campaign. It's the third-longest streak all time behind Tom Landry (21) and Bill Belichick (19).
Mason Rudolph made his second straight start in place of Kenny Pickett, and his offense racked up a whopping 468 yards of total offense while Pittsburgh recorded its second victory in a row with 30 points scored after having zero such wins in the first 15 weeks of the season. Rudolph completed 18 of 24 passes for 274 yards and George Pickens caught seven passes for 131 yards, but it was really the run game that carried Pittsburgh. Najee Harris rushed 27 times for 122 yards and two touchdowns, and Jaylen Warren added 75 yards and another score on 13 rushes. In all, the Steelers rushed for 202 yards.
As for the Seahawks, they couldn't pull off a third straight come-from-behind victory. Geno Smith completed 23 of 33 passes for 290 yards and one touchdown, while DK Metcalf caught five passes for 106 yards. Kenneth Walker III rushed 10 times for 53 yards and a touchdown, but was nursing a shoulder injury. In fact, injuries were unfortunately something Seattle had to deal with on Sunday, as offensive tackle Abraham Lucas left early with a knee injury, and center Evan Brown was later ruled out with a concussion.
The Seahawks controlled their own postseason destiny. They just needed to win the final two games on their schedule, and they would be back in the playoffs. Now, they absolutely need a win next week against the Arizona Cardinals.
Let's take a look at what transpired in Seattle on Sunday.
Why the Steelers won
Rudolph wasn't throwing touchdowns to Pickens this week, but the offense was just as effective. Pittsburgh has averaged 32.0 points per game over the past two contests after averaging 15.9 points per game in the first 14 games. The 468 total yards the Steelers recorded are the most since Week 12 of the 2018 season!
The Steelers won because of how consistent Harris and Warren were on the ground. They racked up 197 rushing yards, and scored all three of the Steelers' touchdowns.
Why the Seahawks lost
Something's wrong if the Steelers are recording 468 yards of total offense on you. Seattle has a bottom five rush defense this year, and it showed up on Sunday. We had a close affair in the second half, but Seattle failed to get into the end zone in the final two quarters, and had a costly turnover as well.
Turning point
Up seven points with about seven minutes remaining in regulation, the Steelers forced the lone turnover of the game -- and it was a big one at that. Rookie pass rusher Nick Herbig got to Smith, stripped him of the football and recovered the loose ball as well. The turnover gave Pittsburgh possession inside the red zone, and allowed Tomlin to run some clock before the Steelers pushed their lead to double digits with a 21-yard field goal.
Play of the game
On a third-and-7 in the fourth quarter, Rudolph dropped back and threw this beauty to Pickens -- who made a diving, fingertip catch. Special.
Najee Harris goes full Derrick Henry
A big running back with long hair wearing No. 22 that came out of the University of Alabama, Najee Harris can look like Derrick Henry at times. This tough stiff arm certainly looks like one Henry would deliver.
What's next
The Steelers wrap up the regular season against the rival Ravens in Baltimore with a postseason berth still on the table. As for the Seahawks, they travel to Arizona to play the Cardinals in Week 18 and will need a win and some help to get in.