We’ve made it to the opening week of the 2022 Preseason! The Steelers officially open Acrisure Stadium when the Seattle Seahawks come into town.
What: Seattle Seahawks 0-0 at Pittsburgh Steelers 0-0
Where: Acrisure Stadium, Pittsburgh, PA
When: 7pm Saturday August 13th, 2022
Weather: Partly cloudy and 79 degrees
Wagering Information: Seahawks +2.5
Last Week: Week 1 of the preseason
TV: KDKA Bob Pompeani (play-by-play), Charlie Batch (color analyst), Missi Matthews (sideline reporter)
TV Coverage in Your Area: Local unless you NFL+
Radio: Steelers Nation Radio/WDVE Bill Hillgrove (play-by-play), Craig Wolfley (color analyst) and Max Starks (sideline reporter)
Westwood One Radio: N/A
Head Official: Adrian Hill. He’s entering his fourth season as a head official.
Key Injuries/Game Status (courtesy steelers.com) PIT: SEA:
Injury Notes: None
FINAL 2021 NFL Ranks:
Total Offense: PIT 23rd SEA 20th Passing Offense: PIT 15th SEA 23rd Rushing Offense: PIT 29th SEA 11th
Total Defense: PIT 24th SEA 28th Passing Defense: PIT 9th SEA 31st Rushing Defense: PIT 32nd SEA 17th
AFC North Rankings: It’s Preseason… We should not care.
This Week in the AFC North: See above.
What You Need to Know: Don’t expect to see many key starters at all. Some will see a series or two but not much more than that.
Seattle Seahawks Names to Know: QB Geno Smith, QB Drew Lock, S Jamal Adams, WR DK Metcalf, CB Sidney Jones, WR Tyler Lockett, TE Noah Fant
What’s at Stake: Staying as healthy as possible.
All-Time Series: Series tied 10-10
Playoff History: Steelers lead 1-0 after winning Super Bowl XL.
Last Meeting: October 2021 in Pittsburgh. Steelers 23 Seahawks 20 OT
Check out the latest Steel City Blitz Steelers Podcast for more on the Steelers.
Three Things We Need to See for a Steelers’ Victory:
1. QUARTERBACKS – And so it begins… The three-horse race for the starting QB job will begin with Mitchell Trubisky getting the nod. Mason Rudolph will follow with the second team and then Kenny Pickett will play in the second half. Pickett faces an interesting situation because he’s likely to play against third teamers. He could struggle because the Steelers’ O-Line is poor. Overall, he needs to shine if the starting job is to be his at some point. We know what to expect from Rudolph while Trubisky has to be smart with the ball and show he’s got the offense under control.
2. Finding Depth. The Steelers are in really good shape in a number of positions but they have to find better depth at both inside and outside linebacker. Genard Avery has established himself as the top OLB reserve thus far but other guys need to step up too or else the Steelers will definitely be scouring the waiver wire prior to the season opener. On the inside, Robert Spillane and Devin Bush are vying for the starting spot opposite Myles Jack. Behind them is a lot of inexperience in Buddy Johnson and Mark Robinson along with Marcus Allen.
3. Eye on the Specials. I think most of us recognize that Pressley Harvin III struggled with personal issues off the field last year. This year, we need to see more consistency out of him in terms of hang time and placement. On the opposite end of that is the return game. Gunner Olszewski was brought in almost exclusively to be a return man. If Calvin Austin III shows he can be relied upon for the job does Gunner become expendable?
Prediction: It’s the preseason for crying out loud. Give me the Steelers in a tight, mistake-filled game to open the 2022 preseason.
Steelers 11 Seahawks 9
Season Prediction Record:
