We’ve reached the penultimate week of the 2023 National Football League season as the Pittsburgh Steelers head West to take on the Seattle Seahawks in a crucial week 17 matchup. Here’s everything you need to know about the game.
What: Pittsburgh Steelers 8-7 at Seattle Seahawks 8-7
Where: Lumen Field, Seattle, Washington
When: Sunday December 31st, 2023 405pmET
Weather: Cloudy and 47 degrees with winds to 6mph
Wagering Information: Seahawks -3.5 O/U 41.5
Last Week: Seattle rallied past the Titans in Tennessee 20-17 while the Steelers whipped the Bengals 34-11 in their home finale for the season.
TV: FOX Kenny Albert (play-by-play), Jonathan Vilma (analysis), Shannon Spake (field reporter)
TV Coverage in Your Area: Check out 506sports.com.
Radio: Steelers Nation Radio/WDVE Bill Hillgrove (play-by-play), Craig Wolfley (analysis), Missi Matthews (sideline),
Max Starks (sideline)
Sports USA: Larry Kahn (play-by-play), KJ Wright (analysis)
Head Official: Shawn Hochuli. He’s from Claremont University and is a financial adviser. Now in his sixth year as a head official, Hochuli last officiated a Steelers’ game in November. That was a 13-10 loss to the Browns in Cleveland that saw seven accepted penalties called. Six of those seven were against the Black and Gold.
Key Injuries/Game Status (courtesy steelers.com) PIT: No. 8 QB Kenny Pickett (Ankle) – Questionable
No. 17 S Trenton Thompson (Neck) – Out, No. 39 S Minkah Fitzpatrick (Knee) – Out, No. 50 LB Elandon Roberts (Pectoral) – Out SEA: No. 1 WR Dee Eskridge (Ribs) – Out, No. 70 T Jason Peters (Foot) – Out, No. 57 LB Frank Clark (NIR – Resting) – Out
No. 33 S Jamal Adams (Knee) – Out, No. 97 DE Mario Edwards (Knee) – Out, No. 9 RB Kenneth Walker III (Shoulder/Illness) – Questionable, No. 44 LB Nick Bellore (Knee) – Questionable, No. 56 LB Jordyn Brooks (Knee) – Questionable
No. 14 WR DK Metcalf (Back) – Questionable, No. 21 CB Devon Witherspoon (Hip) – Questionable
Injury Notes: The Steelers get a break with Adams out on D and Peters out on Offense. Can they take advantage? The Steelers are likely to use Patrick Peterson at safety again with both Minkah and Thompson out… The inside LB shuffle will continue with Roberts out this week.
2023 NFL Ranks:
Total Offense: PIT 28th SEA 19th Passing Offense: PIT 27th SEA 15th Rushing Offense: PIT 16th SEA 29th
Total Defense: PIT 7th SEA 23rd Passing Defense: PIT 21st SEA 19th Rushing Defense: PIT 20th SEA 27th
AFC North Rankings: Baltimore 12-3, Cleveland 10-5, Cincinnati 8-7, Pittsburgh 8-7
This Week in the AFC North: NY Jets at Cleveland 815pmET THUR, Miami at Baltimore 1pmET, Cincinnati at Kansas City 425pmET
What You Need to Know: Mike Tomlin is 3-2 all-time against the Seahawks… The Steelers’ .125 winning percentage in Seattle is bested only by their .077 winning percentage at Chicago… George Pickens is the first WR in team history to have two TDs of 66 yards or more in the same game… Pittsburgh is 3-1 all-time on New Year’s Eve and they’re 2-0 on the road… The Steelers are 7-1 when they hold opponents to 19 points or less… They are 1-5 in games in which they trail after the first quarter… The Black and Gold are 5-0 when they have a 100-yard receiver.
Seattle Seahawks Names to Know: QB Geno Smith, QB Drew Lock, WR D.K. Metcalf, WR Tyler Lockett, RB Kenneth Walker III, LB Bobby Wagner, S Jamal Adams, RB Zach Charbonnet, CB Artie Burns, LB Devin Bush, DE Frank Clark
What’s at Stake: Both teams need victories to stay in the playoff hunt. Seattle has a little more wiggle room than do the Steelers but regardless, a loss by either team is a big blow.
All-Time Series: Tied 10-10. Seahawks lead 7-1 in Seattle
Last Meeting: October 2021 in Pittsburgh. Steelers 23 Seahawks 20
Postseason History: Steelers lead 1-0. (Super Bowl XL)
Steelers Game Highs vs SEA: PASSING: 456 yards Ben Roethlisberger 11/29/2015 RUSHING: 138 yards Jerome Bettis 09/27/1998 RECEIVING: 201 yards Markus Wheaton 11/29/2015 SACKS: 3.5 Keith Willis 10/23/1983 Interceptions: 12 different players have one
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. Run. For Numerous Reasons. To suggest the Steelers just need to run the ball well is low-hanging fruit. I could say this every week, but there are a couple of reasons why it’s vital this week. First is that the Seahawks are giving up over five yards per carry in their last five games. Second is that there is no better way to take a crowd on the road out of a game. Third is that it sets up play-action and keeps pass rushers from pinning their ears back. I suspect we won’t see much differentiation from the norm. Najee Harris will get the bulk of the carries while Jaylen Warren will be used largely on third down and long yardage situations.
2. Turn Them Over. It’s been a very successful formula for the Steelers this season. When they win the turnover battle they win games. They are 7-2 when they win the TO battle. Because of the constant rotation of players at inside linebacker and at the safety positions, that may work in the defense’s favor as Seattle will struggle to find who to pick on especially after seeing so much variation on D from the Steelers last week. Whether it’s Geno Smith or Drew Lock, both games are known to turn the ball over at least once a game and the Steelers have to take advantage of that.
3. Common Sense. Last week, Pat Freiermuth started the game knowing he had had his best career game against the Bengals just a few earlier. By the end of the Steelers’ 34-11 win, he had recorded ZERO receptions. That’s because the Bengals gameplanned to take the middle of the field away which is what helped George Pickens to have such a big day. Pete Carroll is an excellent football coach and solid defensive mind. One would think he will make sure that anyone but Pickens beats his defense. Therefore, don’t be surprised to see Freiermuth once again be called upon to move the sticks. Seattle likes to play a lot ‘shell’ coverages which means taking deep shots will be difficult. Eddie Faulkner and Mike Sullivan have to be prepared for this.
Prediction: I may as well flip a coin at this point… That’s how poor I’ve been at predicting games this year. This one seems like a no-brainer. Steelers head to a place they’ve won ONE TIME and it’s against a team fighting for the exact same thing they are. I have a hard time seeing Mason Rudolph match what he did last week, but that doesn’t mean I think he plays poorly. I just don’t know that it will be enough. I also expect the Seahawks to have found some areas to take advantage of on the Steelers’ banged up defense. All that said, I really wouldn’t be surprised if the Steelers found a way to win this one up in Seattle, but they won’t.
Seahawks 24 Steelers 17
Season Prediction Record: 6-9
