3 surprises from the Steelers snap counts versus the Seahawks

We talk about why some of the Steelers snap counts were so far off on Sunday night.

It’s time for our weekly deep dive into the Pittsburgh Steelers snap counts. This week the Steelers pulled off a thrilling overtime win over the Seattle Seahawks to bring their record to 5-5. Here are three things that surprised us from the Steelers snap counts.

What went right and what went wrong for the Steelers vs the Seahawks

Let’s break down what worked and what didn’t on Sunday night.

It wasn’t pretty and it took forever but the Pittsburgh Steelers got past the Seattle Seahawks in overtime and found the way back to .500 going into the bye week. Not everything was perfect so let’s talk about what went right and what went wrong Sunday night.

6 takeaways from the Steelers overtime win over the Seahawks

Tackling is still an issue but T.J. Watt is earning that huge contract.

If you made the decision to stay up late to watch all of the Pittsburgh Steelers win over the Seattle Seahawks, they made it worth your time. After letting the Seahawks get back into the game, Pittsburgh called on its best player for some huge plays in overtime before pulling out the win. Here are our big takeaways from the win.

OT Zach Banner among Steelers inactives vs Seahawks

Here are the Steelers inactives for Sunday Night Football.

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The Pittsburgh Steelers announced its inactives prior to Sunday night’s showdown with the Seattle Seahawks. No real surprises on the list except perhaps offensive tackle Zach Banner.

Pittsburgh promoted Banner to the 53-man roster this week to replace wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster but it appears his debut won’t come until after the bye week.

The other inactives include defensive lineman Carlos Davis, quarterback Dwayne Haskins, linebacker Buddy Johnson and cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon.

For the Seahawks, the one name to keep in mind is guard Cedric Ogbuehi. He’s the only starter among the Seattle inactives. Seattle will also be without starting quarterback Russell Wilson and starting running back Chris Carson. Both players went on IR this week.

See who is in and who is out for tonight's game against the Seahawks. @UPMCSportsMed https://t.co/ACJlr4YBFm

— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) October 17, 2021

4 bold predictions for Steelers vs Seahawks

This week’s game promises to be a big one for Pittsburgh.

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Seattle Seahawks square off this week in prime time when plenty on the line for both teams. The Seahawks need a win out of their new starting quarterback Geno Smith to show they can hold down the fort until Russell Wilson comes back.

Pittsburgh needs the win to go into the bye week with a .500 record going into the bye week and attempt to keep pace with the rest of the AFC North.

Here are four bold predictions for this week’s game.

Zach Banner on the 53-man roster but won’t likely start vs Seahawks

The Steelers get help on the offensive line back this week.

The Pittsburgh Steelers announced on Saturday the team had activated offensive tackle Zach Banner to the team’s 53-man roster to replace wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster who went on IR.

This means Banner will be available for Sunday’s game against the Seattle Seahawks. Coming into the season, Banner was set to start at right tackle before starting the season on IR. Banner suffered a knee injury early in the 2020 season and unfortunately wasn’t ready for the start of the season.

Eventually, we expect Banner to assume a starting spot on the offensive line. But it won’t be this week. Rookie left tackle Dan Moore Jr. has been very good at left tackle but Chuks Okorafor has been grossly inconsistent on the right side.

But for this week, don’t look for any major changes. The Steelers will have the bye week to sort out the starters before the brutal back end of the season. Having said that, Banner could reprise his role as everyone’s favorite sixth offensive lineman this week to help bolster the run game. We’ve all missed No. 72 reporting eligible.

We have placed WR JuJu Smith-Schuster on the Reserve/Injured List and activated OT Zach Banner off the Reserve/Injured Designated for Return List to replace Smith-Schuster on the 53-man roster. @BordasLaw https://t.co/CSGYH1pqAq

— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) October 16, 2021

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Steelers vs Seahawks: How to watch, listen and stream

Make sure you don’t miss this week’s game.

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Here is everything you need to know so you can watch, listen to or stream this week’s Pittsburgh Steelers game. This week the Steelers play its final game before the bye week and begin the adjustment of no wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster as he has been placed on IR. Standing in the way of Pittsburgh getting to .500 are the banged-up Seattle Seahawks who are minus starting quarterback Russell Wilson.

Game information:

Seattle Seahawks (2-3) @ Pittsburgh Steelers (2-3)

Kickoff: Sunday, October 17th, 8:20 pm ET

Venue: Heinz Field

Weather: Temps in the 50s with some wind

Broadcast:

National television: NBC

Local television: KDKA (CBS) in Pittsburgh

Online: You can also tune in online with NFL Game Pass and FuboTV (try it for free).

Radio: Westwood One and Steeler Nation Radio will have the game, as well as WDVE 102.5 FM & WBGG 970, AM local.

You can also follow the game with us @TheSteelersWire and of course here on Steelers Wire with our live updates during the game, along with highlights of all the key moments from this week’s game. Join us straight after the final whistle for more in-depth coverage, injury updates, and analysis of all the action.

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Steelers vs Seahawks: Seattle starting RB Chris Carson OUT vs Pittsburgh

Seattle will be without its starting quarterback and running back on Sunday night.

When the Pittsburgh Steelers square off against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night, the Seahawks will be without three key starters on offense. The Seahawks will be placing quarterback Russell Wilson on IR with a finger injury but this was expected.

However, Seattle will also be without starting guard Cedric Ogbuehi and starting running back Chris Carson. This leaves the Seahawks very shorthanded on offense against a stout Steelers defense.

On the other side, Pittsburgh is very healthy headed into its last game before the bye week. The only player of note is wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster who has been ruled out after shoulder surgery but hasn’t been placed on IR yet.

#Seahawks RB Chris Carson is OUT for the #Steelers game

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) October 15, 2021

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Steelers vs. Seahawks: Practice participation/injury report

Here’s the final practice participation/injury report as the Steelers wrapped up prep for the visiting Seattle Seahawks on Sunday Night Football.

On Friday, the Pittsburgh Steelers got a relatively clean bill of health ahead of their Sunday Night Football matchup with the Seattle Seahawks.

Only two players have been ruled out: Reserve defensive lineman Carlos Davis (knee), limited in practice all week, and wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster. He had shoulder surgery on Wednesday but has yet to be officially placed on injured reserve.

After being limited in practice on Wednesday and Thursday, Chase Claypool (hamstring) and James Washington (groin) were full participants.

Ben Roethlisberger (pec/hip) was a full go on Thursday and Friday.

Here’s the full participation/injury report, courtesy of Steelers.com:

Game Status
WR Juju Smith-Schuster (Shoulder) – Out
DT Carlos Davis (Knee) – Out

Friday, October 15
QB Ben Roethlisberger (Pectoral/Hip) – Full
LB Melvin Ingram III (Not Injury Related) – Full
WR Juju Smith-Schuster (Shoulder) – DNP
OL Trai Turner (Not Injury Related) – Full
WR Chase Claypool (Hamstring) – Full
WR James Washington (Groin) – Full
DT Carlos Davis (Knee) – Limited
DT Cameron Heyward (Neck) – Full
CB Cam Sutton (Groin) – Full
LB Devin Bush (Groin) – Full
CB Ahkello Witherspoon (Coaches Decision) – Full

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Steelers getting healthy heading into matchup with the Seahawks

Here is the Steelers Thursday practice report.

Based on the Thursday practice report, the Pittsburgh Steelers are getting healthy at just the right time. In the same week, the Steelers lose wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster for the year, other injured players are working their way back ahead of Sunday’s game with the Seattle Seahawks.

Here is the full rundown of the Thursday practice report, from the team site.

QB Ben Roethlisberger (Pectoral/Hip) – Full
LB Melvin Ingram III (Not Injury Related) – Full
WR Juju Smith-Schuster (Shoulder) – DNP
OL Trai Turner (Not Injury Related) – Full
WR Chase Claypool (Hamstring) – Limited
WR James Washington (Groin) – Limited
DT Carlos Davis (Knee) – Limited
DT Cameron Heyward (Neck) – Full
CB Cam Sutton (Groin) – Full
LB Devin Bush (Groin) – Full
CB Ahkello Witherspoon (Coaches Decision) – DNP

Of note, wide receivers Chase Claypool and James Washington both limited is disconcerting. Hopefully, this is just a case of the Steelers being extra cautious with both guys on the heels of losing Smith-Schuster and both players will be available on Sunday.

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