The Pittsburgh Steelers rebounded to win in overtime following a terrifying injury and a puzzling sequence at the end of overtime.
They defeated the Seattle Seahawks by a score of 23-20.
With 2:50 remaining in the 10-minute overtime period, kicker Chris Boswell’s 37-yard field goal won it for the Steelers.
The following are some key takeaways from the Seattle Seahawks defeat:
TOSS: The Seahawks win the flip and choose to defer. The Steelers are the first to receive the football.
20:49: In the opening ten minutes of the quarter, the two teams combined for just three first downs. Tre Norwood was one of the Steelers’ defensive standouts during this time. Norwood dropped D.K. Metcalf was two yards short of the line to gain on a third-and-4 to force one punt, and then Norwood swatted away a pass on a third-and-5 to force another punt.
FIRST QUARTER: Seahawks 0, Steelers 0
21:12: The Steelers scored first, with a 5-yard pass from Ben Roethlisberger to Najee Harris capping an eight-play, 54-yard drive to give them a 7-0 lead with 10:01 left in the first half. Roethlisberger converted a third-and-3 with a 4-yard pass to Pat Freiermuth, and then two plays later Diontae Johnson took a handoff and raced around the right end for a 25-yard gain to the Seattle 17-yard line. After a 12-yard pass to Freiermuth, Roethlisberger found Harris in the left flat for the score.
21:21: The Steelers defense forced Seattle to punt for the fourth time in the first half thanks to an 8-yard sack by Cam Heyward. The 46-yard punt by Michael Dickson gave the Steelers the ball at their 16-yard line with 8:02 left in the first half.
21:37: The Steelers doubled their lead to 14-0 with 1:04 left in the first half when a 1-yard run by Eric Ebron capped a 14-play, 84-yard drive that consumed 6:59 of the game clock. Ben Roethlisberger completed 6-of-6 for 44 yards, and Najee Harris accounted for 33 yards running and receiving.
HALFTIME: Steelers 14, Seahawks 0
22:10: Like a hot knife through butter, and just like that it was a ballgame. Seattle took the second half kickoff and drove 75 yards in 10 plays, nine of them runs, and Alex Collins capped it off with a 2-yard run to cut the Steelers lead to 14-7 with 9:55 remaining in the third quarter. Of the 75 yards, only 9 yards came through the air – on a quick throw from Geno Atkins to D.K. Metcalf. Alex Collins rushed for 56 yards and scored the touchdown.
22:24: The Steelers came back following the Seattle touchdown to put together a 66-yard drive that ended with a 27-yard field goal from Chris Boswell and a 17-7 lead. While the Steelers did end up with three points, it seemed as though the drive was going to yield more. After a 23-yard pass from Ben Roethlisberger to Diontae Johnson gave the Steelers a first down at the Seattle 17-yard line, Chase Claypool dropped a pass along the right sideline on the next play, and then he and Chuks Okorafor were both flagged for illegal block in the back to set up a second-and-20 from the 27-yard line.
22:32: The two offenses that barely managed one first down per possession in the first quarter became juggernauts in the third. And the Steelers apparently forgot how to tackle. It started with a 38-yard return of Chris Boswell’s kickoff by DeeJay Dallas. From there, the Seahawks needed only six plays to cover the remaining 60 yards to cut the Steelers lead to 17-14 with 3:02 left in the third quarter.
22:39: Bad series by the Steelers offense. Eric Ebron missed a block on Kerry Hyder, who dumped Najee Harris for a 1-yard loss on first down. After a 4-yard pass to Harris set up a third-and-7 from the 26-yard line, Chase Claypool couldn’t secure a catch along the left sideline on third down and the Steelers had to punt. Pressley Harvin’s punt traveled only 32 yards, and Seattle took over at the Seattle 42-yard line.
22:49: Seattle continued to run right through the Steelers defense, until for some reason the Seahawks decided to stop and have Geno Smith attempt a couple of passes. After Harvin’s punt, Seattle ran the ball on four of the next five plays for a first down at the Steelers 15-yard line. After a 5-yard run by Alex Collins, and a 3-yard pass to Philip Dorsett, Seattle faced a third-and-2. Instead of another run, Geno Smith was sacked by Alex Highsmith for a 15-yard loss. Jason Myers’ 40-yard field goal tied the game, 17-17, with 12:59 left in the fourth quarter.
23:00: The Seahawks got the ball right back on a play that was overturned on replay from an incomplete pass to a Ben Roethlisberger fumble that was recovered by Kerry Hyder at the Pittsburgh 35-yard line. Jamarco Jones was flagged for holding on first down, T.J. Watt batted down a pass on second down, and then Tre Norwood dropped Freddie Swan for a 4-yard loss after a short completion. Seattle punted.
END OF REGULATION: Steelers 20, Seahawks 20
Midnight: Seattle won the overtime kickoff and took the football. The Seahawks started at their 27-yard line and moved to a third-and-4 at the 45-yard line, when T.J. Watt beat tackle Brandon Shell to the outside and sacked Geno Smith for a 13-yard loss that forced a punt. The Steelers took the ball at their own 20-yard line and went three-and-out, and Pressley Harvin’s punt traveled 56 yards, and the Seahawks started at their 15-yard line. Geno Smith took the shotgun snap, and when he didn’t find anyone open immediately, he started to run. Watt came from behind and executed a strip-sack and Devin Bush recovered at the 16-yard line. After a couple of plays where the Steelers moved the ball into the center of the field, Chris Boswell came on and kicked a 37-yard field goal that provided the game-winning points.
FINAL SCORE: Steelers 23, Seahawks 20
Image Credit: Getty
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