The Pittsburgh Steelers enter the second half with an 18-14 lead, with rushing touchdowns from Martavis Bryant on an 11-yard end around and a six-yard rush from Williams. Russell Wilson threw a pair of touchdown passes as the two teams exchanged the lead four times. Seattle gets the ball to start the half after deferring.
Tyler Lockett began the half with an excellent 54-yard return, with Chris Boswell forcing him out of bounds at the Steelers’ 48. Thomas Rawls fought up the middle for six on first down. On second and four, however, he was stuffed at the line of scrimmage by Arthur Moats, who opened the half after Bud Dupree started the game. On third and four, Antwon Blake snuffed out the screen and made the first hit on the receiver behind the line of scrimmage, with the play ultimately going for no gain, as the Seahawks spoil an excellent kick return.
Ryan Shazier was predictably ruled out with a concussion. Heath Miller questionable to return wit ha rib injury.
Jacoby Jones called for a fair catch at the 15, which is where Ben Roethlisberger and the offense will start after the defense clamped down. He was sacked on first down for a loss of a couple. DeAngelo Williams exploded on a screen pass for about 13, but he ran much more than that, with the pass a check down deep in the backfield.
Antonio Brown picked up five yards on first down from the 30. Alejandro Villanueva got beat around the edge for another Roethlisberger sack, this from Frank Clark. On third and 13, it was Markus Wheaton, today’s hero, for the conversion for 15.
Another short pass to Brown in front of Richard Sherman picked up about seven. On second and three, Roethlisberger went deep to Bryant, who somehow climbed the ladder over the defender, snaring the ball through contact for 40 yards. Williams did an exceptional job to turn a loss into a three-yard gain from the 11. Now on the eight, Williams was bottled up on a draw for a loss of two.
On third and nine from the 10-yard line, Roethlisberger scrambled for eight yards down to the two-yard line. He lost the ball late but fell on it, preventing him from reaching for the first. On fourth and one, Mike Tomlin bluffed going for it, trying to draw offsides. Roethlisberger took a delay of game from the two, setting up Boswell for the field goal to take a seven-point lead.
Miller was ruled out for the rest of the game, but the Steelers have four tight ends/fullbacks active in addition. Boswell’s kick was a one-hopper short of the goal line, with Lockett brought down at the 23.
On first down, Wilson scrambled for about five, brought down a big roughly by Stephon Tuitt. From the 28, Rawls was met by Moats after about three. On third and two, Wilson’s pass was behind the receiver on a screen pass for an incompletion, a second straight three-and-out by the home team to start the second half. Jones had little room to run on the punt return for a short gain, but another penalty pushed Pittsburgh back 10 yards.
Starting from the 25 after the penalty, Roethlisberger hit Wheaton short, who shook the first defender for a seven-yard gain. On second and three, however, Roethlisberger was picked off by Ahtyba Rubin as the ball slipped out of his hand a bit upon release, a very unfortunate turn of events.
From the 37, Cockrell did an excellent job of getting a hand on the ball defending Jimmy Graham, but the tight end held on, double catching it for 36 yards down to the one. Rawls ran it in on the following play as the home team very quickly came back, but Seattle missed the extra point–amazingly their third in two weeks.
Jones returned the kickoff out to the 27 after a 32-yard return. A 10-yard reception to Brown got the drive started and put Roethlisberger over 300 yards for the game yet again, his third in a row. An illegal hands to the face put the Steelers back where they started, however, now first and 20. Brown was the recipient of the quick slant with a small pick, gathering 11. On second and nine, Jesse James fought off a couple of hits to pick up seven. Now third and two, Roethlisberger passed over the short routes, going deep to Bryant, who nearly came up with the underthrown ball, defended very well by the defender. Shamarko Thomas was foolishly docked for fair catch interference for the second time this year.
Starting at the 32, Rawls was met at the line by Vince Williams to end the third quarter. Cockrell missed the initial tackle on Jevon Kearse, who continued to fight for yards on a screen pass. Cockrell ultimately popped the ball out and recovered it himself, but it was out of bounds. Because of the fumble, however, the ball traveled backwards four yards, setting up third and five. The Steelers brought the blitz, with Dupree getting the hit on Wilson, as Cockrell was in on the defense of the pass to Graham for an incompletion to force a punt. Jones led the punt go for a touchback for a 43-yard net.
From the 20, Roethlisberger off play action looked deep, but only Sherman was there for the interception, as Brown tripped fighting with the cornerback. He clearly got away with one there.
Starting at the 39, Dupree forced Wilson off the edge, nearly sacking him but he ran out of bounds. Timmons was foolishly flagged for unnecessary roughness, giving the Seahawks 15 yards into field goal range.
On first down, Wilson looked to the end zone for Graham, who could not bring in the ball with Blake in coverage. Graham stayed down after the incompletion. Luke Wilson picked up the first down to the 12-yard line. On first down, Rawls picked up three. From the nine, Wilson found Kearse open for his third passing touchdown of the game, beating Cockrell with an inside move. The Seahawks tried to make it a seven-point lead but Smith could not secure the reception inbounds.
For the first time today, Roethlisberger threw incomplete in Wheaton’s direction. Back to the right sideline, this time Roethlisberger connected with Bryant, who beat the first defender for the first. From the 31, Roethlisberger flushed out of the pocket and launched down the field for Wheaton, who hauled it in over the coverage for the 69-yard score. On the two-point conversion attempt, Roethlisberger was intercepted, so the Steelers hold a 27-26 lead.
Boswell’s kickoff hung short of the end zone, with Locket catching it on a run and returning it out to the 27. On first down, Wilson narrowly avoided a sack and scrambled for a first down on a zone read carry. This time, Rawls was brought down for a short loss by Sean Spence with a very solid tackle. Wilson somehow escaped the blitz again to find his receiver sitting in the flat, Lockett, for 16 across midfield.
At the 47, a short toss to Baldin picked up another first down, nearing field goal range. Rawls put the Seahawks at the 30 with a four-yard run. Wilson found Baldon open for the touchdown with a clear out and a corner post. The defense stopped Rawls on the two-point try.
Starting at the 26, Roethlisberger was forced to throw into the dirt to avoid a sack. On second down, he dumped it off to Williams, who picked up 11 after throwing a chip block to knock the rusher down.
From the 39, Wheaton the hero caught the over the shoulder vertical for 28 yards, but the Seahawks challenged and the call was overturned, as he was forced to double clutch the ball. Now second down, Roethlisberger was incomplete to Bryant in traffic. On third and 10, the pass was too far away from Wheaton over the middle, but a roughing the passer gave the Steelers a first down and 15 yards.
Across midfield, Williams was stuffed on a screen pass for a loss of two. Incomplete on second down, Roethlisberger found Williams, breaking a tackle to pick up another eight yards or so for the first down, incredible individual effort for 14.
From the 34, a short pass to Will Johnson picked up the first. In field goal range now, at the 23, Roethlisberger hit Wheaton in traffic for seven, putting him over 200 for the day. On second and three, it was Matt Spaeth for the first to the 10.
On first and goal, Roethlisberger was forced to throw the ball away. He threw the ball out of the end zone on second down. On third down, he scrambled to pick up six yards. Boswell’s third field goal made it a 32-30 game with three minutes to play.
A touchback put Seattle at the 20. On first down, Rawls was stopped after a two-yard gain. A penalty stopped the clock. Rawls lost the ball and had to fall on it to set up third and nine. Four wide, Wilson beat the blitz, hitting Baldwin on a crosser, beating the coverage for the 80-yard score with the extra point to essentially seal the game with a nine-point lead.
Roethlisberger left to undergo the concussion protocol. Landry Jones‘ first pass was incomplete, but he found Williams on another screen for a big gain, picking up 34. Jones was intercepted by Kam Chancellor off a deflection, as the two Steelers quarterbacks combined for four interceptions on the day.
Rawls was stopped after two yards on first down. Williams brought him down after seven as the Steelers used their final timeout. On third and one, Rawls crossed the first-down marker to secure the victory, able to run out the clock with a new set of downs.
