Takeaways: Steelers grind out New Year’s Eve win over Seahawks
Steel City Underground presents post-game takeaways from every Pittsburgh Steelers game of the 2023 NFL regular season.
In Week 17 of the 2023 NFL regular season, the Pittsburgh Steelers may have been the visitors, but there were plenty of members of Steelers Nation at Lumen Field on New Year’s Eve. In back-to-back holiday games, the Steelers were able to produce wins; Sunday afternoon’s game ended with the Seattle Seahawks losing, 30-23 at home. Pittsburgh was able to grind out the victory with a healthy run attack and smart passing paired with some strong defensive plays.
Typically, the word “grind” is associated with repetition and unspectacular action. Once, before today’s modern slang and vernacular, the term meant to “crush into bits or fine particles between two hard surfaces (per Webster’s New World Dictionary). The Steelers found a way to get Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren heavily involved in carrying the ball as they chewed up yards on the turf with their legs while bullying their way through Seahawks defenders.
First into the end zone was Warren, but Harris would later score two rushing touchdowns as the Steelers offense provided complimentary blocking for the duo. Harris could have gone into the end zone, again, in the final seconds of the game but chose the unselfish move of sliding to be downed and allow quarterback Mason Rudolph to kneel on the next play in victory formation.
Harris and Warren joined three other Steelers running back duos in franchise history who’ve recorded 1,000 yards rushing apiece on Sunday. In just the first half, Harris carried the ball 13 times for 74 yards while Warren had seven carries for 67 yards. That was the most yardage earned by the Steelers on the ground since Week 14 of the 2016 NFL season (153) against the Buffalo Bills. Harris and Warren finished the game with 197 rushing yards on 50 carries and three combined touchdowns.
Defensively, the Steelers applied pressure in their own manner of grinding down the Seahawks’ offensive effectiveness. Heavy outside force from T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith, primarily, kept Geno Smith in a state of urgency as Seattle’s quarterback, but the defensive front also compressed many times to prevent Kenneth Walker III from gaining much after his rushing touchdown; they held him to just 53 yards in the game and the Seahawks went pass heavy.
“Fighting back, 9-7, a chance to qualify for the playoffs. I’m a glass half full type of guy. And we got an opportunity.” – Cameron Heyward
A heads-up strip sack by Nick Herbig, substituted in for Highsmith, was a pivotal moment in the game that set up more points on the scoreboard via a Chris Boswell field goal.
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Looking at this performance, the Steelers not only got a team win but had some special moments from individuals that really maintained the momentum and ability to control the game. They certainly appeared to have found their identity.
The Seahawks, with longtime head coach Pete Carroll, presented challenges for Rudolph in his second start in place of injured Kenny Pickett, but Rudolph showed poise, patience, and intelligence in where he took his shots and who he targeted in specific situations depending upon what Seattle’s defense showed the veteran quarterback.
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The Steelers play their final regular season game in Baltimore against the AFC’s No.1 seed Ravens in Week 18 with momentum and hopes that they can find the heart and grit for one more victory and a potential playoff berth.
