Writers picks: Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Seattle Seahawks

The 2019 NFL season could not have started any worse for the Pittsburgh Steelers. On Sunday Night Football, the New England Patriots were firing off all cylinders for a full sixty minutes while the Steelers had trouble getting anything going at all.

Bill Belichick and his team executed their game plan beautifully. They essentially beat Pittsburgh in every area of the game. The Patriots defeated the Steelers with a score of 33-3 in Foxborough. With myself being too optimistic last week, I fall to 0-1 on predictions so far in the 2019 NFL season. However, I remain confident for this team going forward no matter how out of control the New England game got.

Week 2 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks

For the Pittsburgh Steelers going into week 2 against the Seattle Seahawks at Heinz Field, players and coaches need to forget the week one defeat. I anticipate for the Steel Curtain to be a better overall team in this next matchup. After all, it is not like they can play any worst than their last outing.

Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh offense have to take advantage through the air this week just like AFC North counterpart Andy Dalton did week 1 against the Seahawks. Dalton passed for a total of 418 passing yards last week against Seattle, a career best. While the Seahawks are an above average team, they have some matchups the Steelers can take advantage of just as the Bengals did.

Week 2 prediction overview

The first match upstarts with Juju Smith- Schuster, who actually produced more than I predicted last week against a top tier cornerback: Juju should be much more productive this upcoming game against Shaquill Griffin, who Pete Carroll will more than likely have shadow Smith-Schuster.

Griffin is a high quality corner in the league, but the advantage should go to Pittsburgh’s number one option in this one. If Carroll does not have to shadow Juju, he’ll more than likely throw the double team at him. Smith-Schuster will find ways to get things done, no matter what coverage is thrown his way this week. Behind Griffin, there are not too many coverage threats in Seattle’s secondary. Roethlisberger should be able to pick apart the secondary with ease come Sunday.

With Donte Moncrief still dealing with a finger injury, James Washington is going to have to be the guy to step up opposite of Juju. Fans should expect Washington to make a handful of down the field plays for the Steelers in week 2.

For Pittsburgh to beat the Seahawks over the top though, they have to establish the run early. James Conner should be one of the driving forces from the very first drive. Look for Conner to have a multi-touchdown day after being held in check against the Patriots.

Steelers defense heading into Week 2

Pittsburgh’s defense played a vast majority of the game during Sunday Night Football. The Steelers offense should look to manage the game more appropriately this Sunday, giving the defense the time they deserve to rest throughout the game. Still, this Pittsburgh defense will have their hands full due to Seattle weapons such as Chris Carson, D.K Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, and of course the dual-threat quarterback Russell Wilson.

Sean Davis is back, however, bringing Pittsburgh’s secondary back to full strength. At the end of the game, I find the Steelers will find ways on both sides of the ball to get out with a 35-28 win. I am not the only one confident Pittsburgh comes away with their first win of the season at their home opener this weekend.

Below, is the predicted outcomes from the rest of the team here at Still Curtain. Following the prediction table, is the contributor week 2 explanations.

Week 2 writers predictions

Week 2 contributor explanations

“The Steelers were humiliated by the Patriots on opening weekend, though they have some things that certainly need to be figured out, week one’s blowout loss was likely a wakeup call for Mike Tomlin and company. The Seahawks are traveling from the west coast to Pittsburgh for a 1:00 PM game. I think Pittsburgh takes this one at home.”- Tommy Jaggi

“Pittsburgh will be hungry after losing to New England. They will need to win this game if they want to stay in the thick of the AFC North Race. The Seahawks are a good team, but I think they fall short to the Steelers.”- Edward Hunt

“The Steelers have been great against the Seahawks in Heinz field thus far. With a motivated team to prove the blow out in Foxborough was a sham. I expect every aspect of this team to be sharp and win with a close game since the Seahawks are another talented opponent.” – Ryan Pawloski

“Despite a tough loss against the Pats, Pittsburgh will win the home opener. The game will be close, but we will pull it out at the end on a game-winning TD drive.”- Eric Hassel

“The mess we saw in Foxboro that was ‘supposed’ to be a Pittsburgh team can hardly be fixed in a week. As a result, this would be a good match-up except for continued Steelers coverage breakdowns, dropped passes by receivers, and missed blocking assignments. I expect the Seahawks to score at least one more TD than the Steelers, who will be kicking field goals instead, hence the four-point margin.”- James Perry Kelly

“Pittsburgh needs a bounce-back game, and they are coming home to deliver just that. Seattle is tough, but Pittsburgh knows they have to win to rectify last week. They’ll come out hungry and get the home win.”- Brandon Kring

“Huge win. If I’m a betting man, I’m taking the over. Moncrief with a huge bounce-back game and Samuels has a larger than expected role – Conner dealing with illness. D.K. Metcalf is the highlight of the Seattle offense.”- Mike O’Brien

“Pittsburgh will come out more focused and not overwhelmed by prime time—more importantly, they’ll be in front of their home crowd. The Steelers know it is important to bounce back and will do so.”- Jobe Morrison