The Seattle Seahawks' first road game of the 2025 season will feature a tiny piece of home. They’ll be travelling cross-country for a Week 2 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers and DK Metcalf.
The last time these two teams faced off was late in the 2023 season. The Steelers came west and dealt a serious blow to the Seahawks’ postseason chances with a 30-23 win. In that game, Pittsburgh’s George Pickens caught seven balls for 131 yards. His counterpart on Seattle, Metcalf, snagged five of his own catches, also going for over 100 yards.
How things have changed. Pickens was recently dealt to the Cowboys, leaving Metcalf as the Steelers’ undisputed top wide receiver.
Will DK Metcalf get his revenge against the Seahawks in Week 2?
This has already been a big offseason for receiver trades and free agency moves. In the NFC West alone, Metcalf, Deebo Samuel, and Cooper Kupp will be wearing new uniforms. There were a few mid-level trades last year involving wide outs, and virtually none in 2023.
However, if you look back to 2022, elite wide receivers were changing jerseys at an alarming rate. Davante Adams, Amari Cooper, Calvin Ridley, Hollywood Brown, Tyreek Hill – they all found new homes. Maybe the most important transaction involved Tennessee and Philadelphia.
The Titans somewhat inexplicably dealt away A.J. Brown for a couple of draft picks. Tennessee did nothing with the picks. Brown helped the Eagles to two Super Bowl appearances and one Lombardi Trophy.
It didn’t take Brown long to show his former team what they had given away. In week 13 of the 2022 season, he welcomed the Titans to Philly with eight catches for 119 yards and two touchdowns in a Philly blowout. Let’s hope DK Metcalf doesn’t show Seattle the same hospitality in Week 2.
If you’re looking for reasons to be optimistic that Metcalf will not run wild against the Hawks, you have several from which to choose.
First of all, that A.J. Brown performance was an anomaly. Most of the other big-name receivers did not have very good games when they took on their former teams after a trade. Whether that suggests the Seahawks might understand how to defend Metcalf better than most, or is merely a statistical fluke remains to be seen.
Other factors seem more favorable to Seattle. For one thing, Devon Witherspoon and Riq Woolen have the size and skill to neutralize Metcalf. Of course, the former Hawk has the talent to beat any corner in the league so it should be very competitive.
More importantly, as of right now, the quarterback throwing to Metcalf will be … your guess is as good as mine. If it is Mason Rudolph or Will Howard, neither will strike fear into Mike Macdonald’s defense.
Even if it eventually turns out to be Aaron Rodgers under center for Pittsburgh, there’s a pretty good chance that he will not have put in the work needed to have developed chemistry with his new pass catchers by week two.
Apart from what the Steelers will bring to the table, here is the most encouraging thing to remember about this matchup. The last time Mike Macdonald devised a defense against DK Metcalf, Macdonald won in a rout.
It was 2023 when the current Seahawks' coach was handling the defense in Baltimore. The Ravens smothered Seattle’s offense, winning 37-3. Metcalf did set up the lone Seahawks’ field goal on a lovely deep cross that went for 50 yards. It was the only catch the Seahawks’ receiver made in the entire game.
If the Seahawks are able to hold Metcalf to 50 total yards and no touchdowns in week two of 2025, I like their chances.
Seahawks 2025 schedule:
- Week 1 at home versus the 49ers
- Week 2 at the Steelers
- Week 3 at home versus the Saints
- Week 4 at the Cardinals (Thursday Night Football)
- Week 5 at home versus the Buccaneers
- Week 6 at the Jaguars
- Week 7 at home versus the Texans (Monday Night Football)
- Week 8 - BYE
- Week 9 at the Commanders (Sunday Night Football)
- Week 10 at home versus the Cardinals
- Week 11 at the Rams
- Week 12 at the Titans
- Week 13 at home versus the Vikings
- Week 14 at the Falcons
- Week 15 at home versus the Colts
- Week 16 at home versus the Rams (Thursday Night Football)
- Week 17 at the Panthers
- Week 18 at the 49ers
