The Seahawks are looking to get their first win against the Pittsburgh Steelers who are coming off of a big win versus the Jets. A big storyline coming into this season was will Sam Darnold be the exact quarterback he was last season. So far the Seahawks have not seen a return on their investment with Darnold. This week could also have the same outcome as Darnold and Seattle face one of the top defenses in the NFL.
Here are my predictions for how Sam Darnold and the Seahawks will fare in Week 2:
Sam Darnold gets sacked 4+ times in this game
The Steelers were not as successful getting after the quarterback last week against the Jets. This week I think T.J. Watt will have a stellar day going against Abraham Lucas especially on the left side. The Seahawks are the most solid on the right side with Charles Cross and Greg Zabel but Watt will still find a way. I think Watt will have himself a two sack day, while Alex Highsmith also joins the party notching a sack himself. The Steelers have the man power to have Sam Darnold seeing ghosts once again.
Sam Darnold throws two interceptions
When Sam Darnold is under pressure, that is when he becomes a turnover machine. Winning the turnover battle for the Steelers last week was what ultimately won the Steelers the game versus the Jets and lost the game for the Seahawks. I think this Steelers secondary gets two interceptions off of Darnold and I would not be surprised if T.J. gets a forced fumble on one of his sacks.
Seahawks rush for less than 90 total yards
Last week the Jets had a field day in the run game against the Steelers, running for 182 total yards. I don’t think that will be the same case this week for the Seattle. The Seahawks rushed for 84 total yards against a San Francisco defense that is not in the same tier as the Steelers defense. I see the Seahawks having the same success in the run game and if that is the case this game could get really ugly.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba puts up a less than ideal performance
It is no secret Sam Darnold has a favorite target in Jaxson Smith-Njigba. Last week Smith-Njigba had 124 yards of Sam Darnold’s 150 yards passing. Mike Tomlin’s game plan this week will include taking Smith-Njigba out of this game. The Steelers have the talent in the secondary to get that done. If that is the case we will see an offensive performance a lot worse than last week’s against the 49ers. Jalen Ramsey is a versatile corner that can be the one that takes on the JSN responsibility and if this pass rush is getting home for the Steelers that will only make his job easier. I see Smith-Njigba having less than 50 yards receiving in this matchup.
Steelers win a low-scoring game
Klint Kubiak did not call a good game last week and Sam Darnold was not the Minnesota Viking version of himself that he was last year in the Seahawks first game. It does not matter how good the defense is for the Seahawks if this offense can not get it going the Seahawks won’t be a contending team this year. Going against Pittsburgh, a well coached football team looking to have a bounce back game that could be recipe for disaster. The Steelers always win the games that they are supposed to and now with them showing a pulse at the quarterback position with Aaron Rodgers I believe the Steelers start the season 2-0. The Season is not over if the Seahawks start 0-2 but it definitely is not the position many people thought the they would be in 2 games in.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Will Minnesota Viking version of Sam Darnold show up for Seahawks vs Steelers on Sunday?
Reporting by Micah Huff, Trojans Wire / Trojans Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
