Seattle Seahawks vs Pittsburgh Steelers

PITTSBURGH -- — George Holani saw the ball bouncing toward the Pittsburgh end zone, wondered why Steelers kick returner Kaleb Johnson turned his back on a live football, and kept right on running. All the way to the first touchdown of the Seattle Seahawks special teamer and running back's NFL career, and maybe a bit of justice for his team. Holani's heads-up recovery of a kickoff by Seattle teammate Jason Myers for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter gave the Seahawks a 10-point lead they never threatened to give away in a 31-17 victory over Pittsburgh on Sunday that was as complete as it was surprising. Seattle had just taken a three-point lead on a 54-yard field goal by Myers when his kickoff bounced in front of Johnson, a rookie running back now moonlighting as a kick returner. The ball hopped over Johnson's outstretched hands at about the Pittsburgh 5. Johnson headed toward the sideline, thinking the play was over. It wasn't. Holani tracked the ball down just before it rolled across the end line for an unlikely score that put the Seahawks (1-1) up 24-14. “Poor judgment by a young player,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. And excellent judgement by another running back-turned-special teamer. The Seahawks reviewed that exact scenario on Friday night, in the unlikely event it might turn up in a game. The lesson stuck with Holani, who never broke stride as Johnson casually walked to the sideline. “That guy thought it was going out of bounds and it didn't,” said Holani, who scored 34 times during his college career at Boise State, all of them in more traditional ways. “It was a lucky roll and I made the best of it.” So did Seattle, which bounced back from a loss to San Francisco in its opener by outplaying the sloppy Steelers (1-1), who delivered a dud in Aaron Rodgers' home debut. The four-time MVP completed 18 of 33 passes for 203 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions a week after a nearly flawless Steelers debut in a win over the New York Jets. DK Metcalf caught three passes for 20 yards, including a 2-yard touchdown, but was largely a non-factor against his former team. “It's week two," Rodgers said. “It mean like, it's good for us. Last week, probably there was some people feeling pretty good because everybody outside the building was talking about how great we were on offense. ... That's the league. You can't ride the highs or the lows.” While Pittsburgh sputtered, the Seahawks surged. Sam Darnold passed for 295 yards and two touchdowns, overcoming a pair of first-half interceptions that led to Pittsburgh scores. Kenneth Walker III ran for 105 yards, including a 19-yard touchdown with 3:41 left on a third-and-goal play primarily designed to bleed the clock. Instead, Walker darted through Pittsburgh's flailing defense to finish off his first 100-yard performance since the 2024 opener against Denver. “Every time I touch the ball, I’m trying to score,” Walker said. “The (offensive) line opened up a hole to the left side. I don’t really have to make anybody miss.” Not when Pittsburgh's defense was largely ineffective for a second straight week. The Seahawks outgained the Steelers 395 yards to 267. Only the two early picks by Darnold allowed the Steelers to hang around. Darnold atoned in the second half by hitting AJ Barner for a 7-yard touchdown that tied the game at 14-all and finding Jackson Smith-Njigba for a 43-yard strike late that set up Walker's clincher. “There were just a couple bad plays (in the first half) on my end that I'm obviously going to clean up, watch the tape and get better from,” said Darnold, who won for the first time as Seattle's starter. “But I felt like (at halftime) there was a lot to go into the second half optimistic about.” Seattle outscored the Steelers 24-3 over the final two quarters, making all the little plays that mattered. Seahawks defensive back Riq Woolen tracked down Pittsburgh running back Jaylen Warren at the end of a 65-yard catch-and-run to prevent a touchdown immediately after Seattle had tied the game. Two plays later, Derion Kendrick plucked a pass to the end zone that deflected off Pittsburgh's Calvin Austin III and Pat Freiermuth for a drive-killing interception. A short time later, Holani's recovery in nearly the same spot on the field put the Seahawks in control. “We got a couple breaks there in the second half that went our way," Seattle coach Mike Macdonald said, “and we took advantage of it.” Injuries Seahawks: Linebacker Derick Hall limped off the field in the final minutes while chasing after Rodgers. Otherwise, Seattle got through its first East Coast trip of the season unscathed. Steelers: Outside linebacker Alex Highsmith left in the second quarter with an ankle injury and did not return. Veteran defensive lineman Isaiahh Loudermilk was lost for the game in the first quarter with an ankle injury. Up next Seahawks: Host New Orleans next Sunday. Steelers: Visit New England next Sunday. ------ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl