Week 2 of the 2025 NFL regular season is underway and, on Sunday, the Pittsburgh Steelers (1-0) will host the Seattle Seahawks (0-1) in their home opener at Acrisure Stadium. Both teams were in close matches in week 1 and would like to build early momentum in September. The Steelers addressed some of the issues they had in their first game this season and are ready to prove that progress has been made when they hit the field against the Seahawks.<\/p>\n
Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/p>\n Rodgers setting tone for upcoming matchup<\/p>\n Sunday will mark the first game for Aaron Rodgers<\/a> in the Steelers\u2019 home jerseys and that has fans fired up. He may have gotten them even more on board when he stepped in to defend his teammates on the offensive line who had been under scrutiny for allowing four sacks against the Jets, including three that were laid squarely on left tackle Broderick Jones<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think I was moving that well, so I think I ran kind of into at least one or two sacks. So I gotta do a better job of using my legs,\u201d Rodgers said earlier this week.\u00a0\u201cI thought the protection was good for most of the game\u2026 I just gotta get the ball out.\u201d<\/p>\n Jones admitted that putting another performance on tape like what happened in week 1 can\u2019t happen and that this week was spent fixing everything, including the fine details.<\/p>\n Seattle defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence<\/a> is coming off of a good game in which he recorded six tackles, two tackles for a loss, and a quarterback hit. Outside linebacker Boye Mafe<\/a> also applied nice pressure. Julian Love<\/a> was among several players along the defensive front that were disruptive in the run and pass game, including Leonard Williams<\/a>, Byron Murphy<\/a> II,and Derick Hall<\/a>.<\/p>\n Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/p>\n Revenge or just Metcalf seek and destroy?<\/p>\n If the offensive line did their necessary preparation for better protection,\u00a0Rodgers has the opportunity to give receiver D.K. Metcalf<\/a> an opportunity to get some sweet revenge. Rodgers got his opportunity to express his enjoyment over beating the Jets<\/a> \u2013 his former team \u2013 publicly, and if the O-line steps up it might be Metcalf\u2019s day to air-out his grievances.<\/p>\n Metcalf appeared excited for just such an opportunity after practice, including a reference to a different side to his demeanor on game days. \u201cI get into my alter ego\u2026 Seek and destroy.\u201d Some of the hype-up is admittedly media driven. Who wouldn\u2019t want to see D.K. go all-out for the black and gold?<\/p>\n \u201cI take this game very seriously, so my preparation speaks for itself,\u201d said Metcalf. \u201cI\u2019m going to prepare like it\u2019s going to be my last game or like the first game. My preparation is the same.\u201d<\/p>\n Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/p>\n Steelers run defense can\u2019t get gashed again this week<\/p>\n \u201cFrom all appearances this does not look like a team that can run the ball very well right now\u2026 You would expect the Steelers to perform better against this group,\u201d Brian E. Roach said on the latest SCU podcast when analyzing Seattle\u2019s rushing offense versus the Steelers\u2019 run defense.<\/p>\n Seattle brought in Klint Kubiak to establish a hard-nosed, leg-pumping run offense. The primary back was to be Kenneth Walker<\/a> III, but \u2013 last week \u2013 it appeared that Zach Charbonnet<\/a> is the better north-south rusher. Walker is powerful, but he has been guilty of impatience. Neither produced runs longer than 8 yards against the San Francisco 49ers.<\/p>\n The Seahawks managed 84 yards on 26 carries last week, which is a far cry from what the Jets managed against the Steelers.<\/p>\n \u201cIf they get gashed again this week,\u201d Roach said of the Steelers run defense, \u201cthey\u2019re bad\u2026 I\u2019m holding my breath a little bit because I just don\u2019t know if they\u2019re that bad yet, or not.\u201d<\/p>\n