Well, that’s more like it.

The Seahawks earned their first win of the season with a 31-17 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. A win that, here after just two weeks of the season, can tell us a lot about what this team might be.

Because the things that worked against San Francisco were still there, but the things that needed cleaning up in the opener looked much better against the Steelers.

Let’s take a look at what we learned:

The defense and special teams STILL makes key plays

For a second week in a row, the Seahawks defense recorded two interceptions.

None more pivotal than one in the end zone from Derion Kendrick, it left us with the same question that thankfully, we don’t have to mull over too long.

How different would this game have been without those key turnovers?

Of course, you’re adding special teams into this mix, you have to talk about the heads-up play from George Holani to race to the end zone and pounce on a kickoff that Pittsburgh rookie Kaleb Johnson failed to field. It was the ensuing kickoff after a Seahawks field goal, meaning it was a 10-point swing in rapid fashion.

It was exactly the trend you wanted to see continue, meaning it appears to be the identity, not an outlier or trend. This Seahawks defense–and even its special team — has made absolutely clutch plays the last couple weeks.

Only this week it helped this team to a win.

The run game is on

My prevailing thought on the Week 1 running woes for the Seahawks, especially Kenneth Walker III, was that he was still getting into the swing of things. “K9,” remember, was fighting through some injuries and didn’t take a ton of snaps in the preseason and training camp, and so I felt like the first game was really him getting into game form, even if it wasn’t the ideal time.

Boy, was that proven right on Sunday.

Walker III took 13 carries for 105 yards and iced the game with a 19-yard touchdown run on 3rd and goal for the Seahawks in the 4th quarter.

That’s the K9 that 12s expect to see and there’s little reason to suspect he won’t be that way moving forward.

On the inverse, Zach Charbonnet mustered just 10 yards on 15 carries, but that shouldn’t deter you from hopes for the third year star from UCLA.

It’s notable that Charbonnet, despite being less effective this game, actually had more carries than Walker III. Translation: The new look Klint Kubiak scheme values running the rock and will believe in BOTH Walker III and Charbonnet to carry them across the finish line.

This is a Seahawks team full of moxie

That loss to San Francisco was a heartbreaker in every way, meaning it was going to take a real gut-check type of performance to go on the road and bounce back against a talented Steelers team. The Seahawks did that and then some.

Let’s also not forget the extra emotion of playing against their former teammate DK Metcalf. While it’s impossible to get inside the heads of players and how they’re working through the game, it was the Seahawks that had an outstanding afternoon while Metcalf struggled.

The point here is that the Seahawks from top to bottom didn’t let one devastating loss turn into multiple. They maintained their way of doing things and executed to the point where they got the job done.

They avoided the dreaded 0-2 start.

Now? They’re 1-1 with a lot in front of them. The 0-2 Saints come calling to Lumen Field next weekend, and provide the opportunity for the Hawks to show that what we saw Sunday against the Steelers is much more indicative of what this team will be.

It wasn’t the perfect game, but it was the perfect response. And the Seahawks are off and running here in 2025.