Next opponent: Super Bowl XL rematch has massive playoff implications

Mason Rudolph helped engineer the Steelers' largest offensive outburst in recent memory, which also helped Pittsburgh secure a critical victory. To keep their playoff hopes alive, they must now travel to a hostile environment on the West Coast -- a city in which they have not won in 40 years -- and defeat a Seahawks team that's also fighting for a playoff spot.

Here's a breakdown of what Seattle brings into Week 17:

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

Record: 8-7
Standing: Third, NFC West
Last result: Won over Titans, 20-17

THE TREND

After a season in which the Seahawks surprised a lot of people with a 9-8 record and playoff berth, this team now finds itself holding onto the final seed in the NFC playoff picture with two weeks remaining in the regular season.

Pete Carroll's Seahawks got off to a 5-2 start before the AFC's top-seeded Ravens demoralized them in Week 9 with a 37-3 thrashing. While they rebounded with a 3-point victory over the Commanders the next week, the Seahawks then lost four straight games to the Rams, 49ers, Cowboys and 49ers again, respectively. Dropping to 6-7, Seattle's playoff chances were slipping away, even in the lesser competitive conference.

However, the Seahawks shocked the defending NFC Champion Eagles with a 20-17 win to get back to .500. They pulled off the victory behind backup quarterback Drew Lock throwing a late touchdown and forcing Jalen Hurts into two critical interceptions. The Seahawks kept things rolling on the road last week with a 20-17 victory over the Titans, improving to 8-7. 

With four teams at 7-8 in the NFC, the Seahawks could use any victory they can get, though a loss in Sunday's rematch of Super Bowl XL wouldn't mathematically eliminate them. However, the Seahawks will obviously be doing everything they can to win their ninth game and control their own playoff fate. And, they'll make this effort at home for one last time, a venue in which they are 5-2 this season. 

THE QUARTERBACK

Geno Smith was a big reason for the Seahawks making the playoffs in 2022, rightfully earning Comeback Player of the Year And, if they make the playoffs again this season, he'll be a key reason why yet again.

Smith hasn't been quite as efficient this year as he was in 2022. However, he's still been more than capable of spreading the ball around to the dynamic playmakers in Seattle's offense. So far this season, Smith has completed 64.8% of his passes for 3,145 yards, 17 touchdowns and nine interceptions in 13 starts.

While Smith isn't the most efficient quarterback, he's really found a way to come through in the clutch. Smith leads the NFL with four game-winning touchdown passes, including engineering this game-winning drive against the Titans last week:

Smith's missed two games this season with a groin injury, but returned last week and led the Seahawks to that aformentioned victory over the Titans. He threw for 227 yards and two touchdowns while posting a 104.7 passer rating in the win.

Make no mistake that just because Smith isn't overly efficient, it doesn't mean he isn't consistent. While the Seahawks are significantly better at home than they are on the road, Smith is pretty much the same quarterback regardless of venue. He's really only had one horrid performance this season, unsurprisingly in that 37-3 blowout against the Ravens. Consistency at quarterback is always a plus, especially in a game like Sunday's.

THE OFFENSE

Smith is a consistent presence under center, but his job is made a lot easier with a dangerous trio of weapons at receiver. D.K. Metcalf, Tyler Lockett and rookie Jaxon Smith-Njigba (brother of Pirates' outfielder Canaan Smith-Njigba) are all formidable targets for Smith, with Metcalf being the most lethal.

It's no surprise that Metcalf leads the Seahawks with 998 receiving yards and eight receiving touchdowns. For lack of a better term, Metcalf is a freak. His size and speed makes him one of the most difficult receivers in the league to cover. And when he is able to pull off catches like this with seemingly no effort, it's easy to see why:

While Metcalf is the matchup problem, Lockett and Smith-Njigba are receivers that can wear down defenses. Lockett is one of the better possession receivers in the game, and he's caught 76 of 113 targets this season for 813 yards and four touchdowns. Smith-Njigba has slowly earned more of a prominent role in the offense as the season has developed. In seven of the last eight games, Smith-Njigba has recorded anywhere between 40-63 yards through the air. He has the ability to play in a possession receiver role, but has dynamic athleticism to make defenders miss after the catch. 357 of his 602 receiving yards have come after the catch (YAC), an average of 6.1 YAC per reception.

While the Seahawks will test the Steelers through the air, Seattle hasn't been a great running team. The Seahawks rank 29th in the NFL with 90.3 rushing yards per game. Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet are a nice duo at running back, but neither one has really popped off much this season. They, along with tight end Noah Fant, can also be complementary weapons in the passing game, though.

If there's a way the Steelers can slow down this offense, it'll be through pressuring Smith and bringing him to the ground. Seattle allowed three sacks last week against Titans, and have allowed 37 all season. Smith has been sacked 30 times in 13 games, and their tackles could be vulnerable to the pass rush built around T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith.

THE DEFENSE

The Seahawks have some playmakers on defense, but it's a group that can be exploited. They have a formidable pass rush that can get to the quarterback from multiple areas. Boye Mafe leads the team with nine sacks from the edge, and Jarran Reed has added seven more sacks from the interior. In addition, Jordyn Brooks has 4.5 sacks as an off-ball linebacker. As a team, the Seahawks have 45 sacks, which is tied for seventh in the league. They can get to the quarterback from anywhere.

Bobby Wagner is a force off the ball, leading the team with 154 tackles and 10 tackles for loss. Even at 33 years old, Wagner can still fly around and make plays. Yeah, that also includes getting after the quarterback:

With a healthy Brooks and Wagner in front of him on the depth chart, playing time has been scarce for former Steeler Devin Bush. Along with being deactivated as a healthy scratch four times, he has played in five other games without seeing a single defensive snap and only played more than 20 defensive snaps four times, limiting his opportunities to show what he can do. However, should Brooks miss Sunday's game with an ankle injury, Bush would be in line to start against his former team.

The Seahawks are vulnerable against the run. They're giving up 129.6 rushing yards per game, which ranks 27th in the NFL. Teams are averaging 4.5 yards per carry against this defense. Offenses have also found ways to take the top off this secondary at times, especially early in the season and in a couple of the losses during their four-game losing streak that put them under .500. However, after allowing Brock Purdy to average 9.8 air yards per completion three weeks ago, Hurts and Ryan Tannehill combined for an average of 4.5 air yards per completion.

Considering the Seahawks' struggles against the run and how a secondary filled with talented players -- including Devon Witherspoon, Michael Jackson and Julian Love -- is trending in the right direction, establishing the run seems like a good game plan for Pittsburgh. It keeps the Seattle receivers on the sideline. And, not forcing too many plays downfield could help keep the ball in the Steelers' hands. After the way the Steelers put up 34 points on the Bengals with deep shot after deep shot, you can bet Seattle will be ready for it.

THE SPECIAL TEAMS

Jason Myers handles placekicking duties. The two-time Pro Bowler leads the NFL with the 37 field goal attempts, but he's made only 30 of them. It's been a bit of a down year for him. Michael Dickson is a former All-Pro punter that's averaging 49.8 yards per punt and has placed 39.7% of his punts inside the 20-yard line, so the Seahawks are pretty set at kicker and punter. DeeJay Dallas handles the majority of kick returns and all of the punt returns. He hasn't ran any for touchdowns this season, but he's averaging 10.4 yards per punt return, which is a pretty decent number.

THE INJURY REPORT

• D.K. Metcalf, WR (back) -- Carroll said Friday that Metcalf is dealing with stiffness in his lower back. Metcalf showed up on the Seahawks' Week 17 injury report Thursday as a non-participant due to a back injury, which his coach now has clarified. Officially, the team is listing him as questionable for Sunday's game, but the wide receiver is in line to play Sunday against the Steelers, according to local reports from Seattle.

• Kenneth Walker III, RB (shoulder/illness) -- Walker didn't practice Wednesday or Thursday but was able to participate in a limited capacity on Friday. The Seahawks' lead running back is officially questionable for Sunday. The team likely will turn to Charbonnet in a high-usage role if Walker doesn't end up playing Sunday.

• Jordyn Brooks, LB (ankle) -- Brooks left Sunday's win over the Titans early with an ankle injury and the Seahawks have been overly cautious with him throughout the week. He didn't practice on Wednesday or Thursday, but was able to be a limited particpant on Friday. He's officially questionable. Should Brooks not play, Bush would be the first to step into a larger role against the Steelers.

• Devon Witherspoon, CB (hip) -- Witherspoon has missed the past two games, but was able to be a limited participant in all three practices this week. Things sound a bit more optimistic that he plays on Sunday, though that's nowhere near official yet.

• Nick Bellore, LB (knee) -- Bellore did not practice all week for the Seahawks, but is officially listed as questionable for Sunday. He's immediate depth at linebacker, which could be needed should Brooks not suit up.

• Mario Edwards, DE (knee) -- Like Bellore, Edwards is a depth player on defense that did not practice all week. However, the Seahawks have ruled him out against the Steelers.

• Jamal Adams, S (knee) -- The 28-year-old safety began Seattle's week of practice with two limited sessions, but after not practicing Friday, he'll miss his third consecutive game on Sunday. With Adams missing more time, expect Love to see increased work in the Seahawks' secondary.

• Frank Clark, LB (rest) -- Clark missed Sunday's win over the Titans due to an illness, but his appearance on the injury report this week has been attribited to rest, not an illness. Even more puzzling, he missed practice all week and Carroll told reporters on Friday that he will not play on Sunday. Clark has played a rotational role on defense for Seattle this season, logging less than half of the team's defensive snaps in all but one of his six games.

• D'Wayne Eskridge, WR (ribs) -- Eskridge has missed three straight games, and wound up missing practice all week. He's one of five Seahawks ruled out for Sunday's game, making it four straight games he'll be sidelined.

• Jason Peters, OT (foot) -- The Seahawks' backup right tackles missed practice all week and is ruled out of Sunday's game. This hurts the depth at tackle, a position that allowed three sacks last week against the Titans.

QUOTABLE

"He’s got a great chance to play a lot this week, and I know he’ll be fired up about that. There’s always something to that. Last week, Rio [Mario Edwards Jr.] had his chance to go back against his old club. There’s something to that that just kind of juices guys and I totally respect that, and I like honoring that, because it’s meaningful. It means something." -- Pete Carroll on Devin Bush potentially starting against his former team

"Artie’s done really well. It’s tough. When you get a veteran player that’s been in one spot the majority of his career -- nickel is not an easy position to play. And to his credit, to me, I think you extend your career because now you can do so much more. Besides just playing a corner spot, he can play the nickel. And everybody’s known his whole career he can play the man-to-man. The fact that he understands all the run fits, the zones and his awareness, Artie’s done a really nice job when he’s had to fill into those roles. We’re really proud of him." -- Seahawks defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt on Artie Burns

"I think the biggest thing about Geno is he's super calm. Like, he's not gonna panic. He's literally putting the ball exactly where, as a receiver, you would want it to be, and everybody's making big-time catches allowing us to be able to move the sticks. When teams are trying to take away certain players, other players gotta be able to step up, and each and every time we have a chance to do that, it only makes our offense grow and it makes our offense a lot more better." -- DK Metcalf on Geno Smith