Week 17 Picks: Steelers vs. Seahawks

The Pittsburgh Steelers take on the Seattle Seahawks in a critical week 17 battle on Sunday at Lumen Field. Seattle scored a hard-fought 20-17 win over the Titans last week, getting to 8-7 as they are still in it for a possible playoff spot. The Steelers, meanwhile, smashed the Bengals, 34-11, last week, ending a 3-game slide and getting back over .500, also at 8-7. Both teams have arrived at a real “crunch time” point in the season. Neither team can avoid a loss. Will Seattle continue to show some life or will they hit a wall with the Steelers’ defense coming to town? Let’s break it down!

Why It’s Easy to Like Seattle This Week

One thing is that they’re at relatively full-power, at least on one side of the ball, with all their pieces available on offense, including QB Geno Smith, who was clutch in Seattle’s comeback win last week against the Titans. It’s not an easy defensive matchup this week, taking on an attacking and usually-stout defense of the Steelers, but with Smith, it’s an offense that can come to life with Kenneth Walker, II. and Zach Charbonnet coming out of the backfield, along with the triple-threat of receivers in DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, and Jaxon Smith Njigba. It’s not an offense that always fires, but sometimes they take off when you don’t expect them to.

The Seattle defense is enigmatic and things can vary without notice or sometimes according to what injury concerns are popping up on a given week. That holds true for this week, as well, with the presence of Devon Witherspoon, Jamal Adams, and Jordyn Brooks bearing watching, as all three are listed as questionable. They’ve been good lately, giving up 17 points to each the Eagles and Titans in consecutive weeks. And with the Steelers coming into town, with Mason Rudolph at the helm, one isn’t inclined to be very afraid. Still, with almost 300 yards last week, a huge game from George Pickens, and other guys stepping up, it was about as good as this offense has looked in a while. Three Jake Browning interceptions didn’t hurt, either. You’re still looking at a Steelers team that hadn’t eclipsed 26 points of scoring in any game until last week, with most of them being well under that number. Whether they found new life with the longtime backup Rudolph remains to be seen.

Tough Game to Call

It has been an up-and-down season for both teams. Of all the teams lingering at or near this placement of fighting for a playoff spot, these are among the more dangerous. The Steelers are going to be out there trying hard, using a disruptive and stout defense and getting what they can on offense to grind out their opposition. That offense has been in knots all season, with there being weeks when it just bottomed out completely. But maybe a guy like Rudolph, whom coach Mike Tomlin has kept around for a while for a reason can tap into things better, utilize Pittsburgh’s two-back approach with Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren, pave the way for big games from their receivers like he did last week, and peak at just the right time.

It’s just unfortunate that the Steelers are at a point in the year where they’re on the road going into a stadium they seldom see, taking on a team with a lot of the same things going for them. Seattle really seemed down and out amidst their losing slide which soured a good start to the season. To resuscitate their season just in the nick of time while also facing injuries speaks to their coaching and leadership, as well as the heart of a team that has remained in the mix the last few seasons despite most people low-rating them. They just seem like a team that isn’t primed to be plucked, and if looking around the league for candidates to come into Seattle and get it done this week, the Steelers don’t immediately come to mind. Then again, limited window or no, the Steelers looked a lot better than Seattle did last week in almost getting beaten against a down Titans team.

Never as Easy as It Looks

One win over a Cincy team that never really caught on this season still doesn’t erase the issues that took Pittsburgh from looking like they had an inside track to the playoffs to a team now fighting just to have a chance going into the final week. It sets up for what looks like a manageable spot for the Seahawks, but it’s really tough. The Seattle offense not taking off against either a dicey Philly pass defense or in a similar spot against the Titans last week doesn’t bode well for taking on this “D” on Sunday. The Seattle O-line will be pushed to the limits of its capabilities this week, trying to repel this pass-rush. And sure, it’s at home, but something tells me the Seahawks are poised for another grind this week.

Take the Points

It’s not easy going against Seattle in what seems like a doable spot. It’s just that their offense is not terribly likely to hit the top gear this Sunday. This could be a game where points are difficult to come by, where having that three and a hook might be coming in handy in a game that could be up for grabs late. I think the Steelers will arrive fired-up prevent Seattle from getting out to a fast start where the Steelers have to start coming out of character and play a typical hard-nosed game in a close one in Seattle. I’ll take the Steelers in this one.

Loot’s Prediction to Cover the Point Spread: I’m betting on the Pittsburgh Steelers plus 3.5 points.