Seahawks offense vs. Steelers defense

	SEAHAWKS OFFENSE
	Ranking in the NFL:
	Run	28
	Pass	9
	Tot. Yds.	21
	Scoring	19
	Int's allowed	27
	Sacks allowed	2
	STEELERS DEFENSE
	Ranking in the NFL:
	vs. Run	4
	vs. Pass	2
	Total yds. allowed	2
	Ints.	7
	Sacks	15
	Turnover differential	+5

All indications point to the healthy return of quarterback Jon Kitna for the Pittsburgh game. The Seahawks are coming off an emotional last-second victory in Chicago, but film sessions this week will show how much improvement needs to be made offensively before this team can contend.

The offensive line made a big improvement from game one. They are playing more physical and firing off the ball, which translated into a 99-yard afternoon for RB Ricky Watters. The line will need to continue its improvement when it squares off against Pittsburgh's run-stuffing 3-4 defense. NT Joel Steed is quick off the ball and plugs his hole for the inside linebackers to step up and make the play.

Watters had a productive game versus the Bears, but if you study the film and watch the veteran carry the ball, it becomes evident that he's lost the elusiveness that made him a special back in the NFL for years. He is still capable of banging for yards and will show the burst when necessary, but Watters is not as elusive and has some trouble making tacklers miss.

The Steelers should be successful shutting down the run because of how athletic their linebackers are and how well they break down and tackle, but then again they should have been successful against Errict Rhett last week and they were not.

The Steelers finally play a team that possesses a threat in the passing game, so the defense will not be able to pack it in, anticipating the run. The Seahawks will probably get off to a slow start offensively, feeling out the Steelers and what kind of schemes and defensive packages they will throw at them.

The Seahawks would like to be able to open it up some more on offense with Mike Holmgren's West Coast Offense, but the biggest problem has been the protection up front. Todd Weiner, who was replacing the now assistant coach Howard Ballard, is out with a neck injury. Filling in for Weiner is Grant Williams who has allowed four sacks in the last two games. Williams can not afford to get beat off the ball Sunday when Jason Gildon comes off the edge.

Pittsburgh will look to attack the right side of the offensive line to take advantage of this mismatch and put pressure on Kitna in his return. The Steelers feel that its best option defensively is to force Kitna into making split-second decisions. The Steelers respect his arm strength and accuracy, but think Kitna still has a ways to come before completely grasping Holmgren's system.

By blitzing Kitna with linebackers and even SS Lethon Flowers, the Steelers leave themselves vulnerable to the underneath crossing routes and backs slipping out of the backfield. Pittsburgh defensive coordinator Jim Hasslett will mix in a lot of zone blitzes that will drop defensive lineman into coverage and lure Kitna into dumping the ball off underneath where coverage is on its way.

This is all part of the sophisticated chess match that offensive and defensive coaches go through each week when preparing for teams' tendencies and possible schemes with regard to personnel. What makes this game so interesting is that both sides have glaring strengths and weaknesses, and it becomes a matter of how much one unit is willing to give up to attack the other team's weakness.

Pittsburgh offense vs. Seattle defense

	STEELERS OFFENSE
	Ranking in the NFL:
	Run	1
	Pass	24
	Tot. Yds.	9
	Scoring	3
	Int's allowed	25
	Sacks allowed	21
	SEAHAWKS DEFENSE
	Ranking in the NFL:
	vs. Run	25
	vs. Pass	14
	Total yds. allowed	21
	Ints.	26
	Sacks	7
	Turnover differential	-5

The Steelers have done a remarkable job of hiding some of their major weaknesses on offense in the first two weeks of the season. Against teams like Cleveland and Baltimore, the Steelers have not been placed under the microscope, but some of those weaknesses will come out this week.

Jerome Bettis is obviously not ready to carry the load for Pittsburgh and will still need Richard Huntley to give him relief. Huntley has become the team's biggest surprise and gives the Steelers a change of pace in the running game. The running attack should run into some trouble against Seattle's tough defensive front seven. DT's Sam Adams and Cortez Kennedy are considered one of the top five run-stuffing inside tandems. Adams and Kennedy do an excellent job of establishing position and protecting MLB Anthony Simmons. This unit will string a lot of plays outward and allow the perimeter to make plays outside of the tackles. DE's Michael Sinclair and Philip Daniels are upfield players that keep contain and finish off plays that the defensive tackles force wide.

Pittsburgh will look to attack Seattle's strength by running the football up the gut in hopes of wearing down the mammoth defensive tackles. This will make for a physical game in the trenches, and the team that wears down its opponent first should be the team that wins the game in the fourth quarter.

The Strength of the Seahawks defense is its ability to contain opponents. This is going to be the struggle for the Steelers as QB Kordell Stewart has made a living rolling outside the tackles and making plays on the run.

Stewart was effective last week, because he got outside and forced the corner, causing the defense to make a decision to defend the run or pass. Stewart was able to pick up 49 yards rushing over the course of the game when the Ravens backed into coverage, allowing Stewart to tuck the ball and take off with it. The Seahawks are equipped defensively to keep Stewart in the pocket and force the athletic quarterback to throw behind his offensive line, where he has trouble seeing the whole field and has a history of throwing into coverage.

The Steeler receivers have stumbled out of the gates, as many suspected they would, with just 135 yards receiving last week against an average Ravens secondary. Defensive corners Jay Bellamy and Shawn Springs should be able to match up in single man coverage against WRs Courtney Hawkins and Hines Ward.

At 6-feet tall, Springs has proven that he is not only physical enough but has all the coverage skills to match up against a team's primary receiver and shut him down. The Seahawk defense benefits greatly from leaving Springs alone, because it allows the rest of the secondary to play more zone coverage to defend against the No. 2 and No. 3 receivers. What this also does is give strong safety Darryl Williams the freedom to cover tight ends or play close to the line of scrimmage in run support.

Special teams

	NFL RANK
	Category	SEA	PIT
	Punt return avg.	6	24
	Kickoff return avg.	23	9
	Opp. punt return avg.	27	18
	Opp. kickoff ret. avg.	10	7
	Time of possession	26	1

P Jeff Feagles was solid this week after botching a punt in Week 1, but the coverage teams need to tighten up before this becomes a serious problem. Feagles' average was only 34.8 yards per punt, but he punted the Seahawks out of trouble all afternoon. The return teams have been less-then-special, but Charlie Rogers has shown flashes as a punt return specialist and has the speed and agility to break one.

The star of Sunday's game for Pittsburgh was rookie kicker Kris Brown, who was 3-for-3 on field goals, including the winner from 36 yards with no time remaining. Will Blackwell set up the final two field goals with kick returns of 32 and 37 yards. P Josh Miller looked stellar, having to punt nine times in the contest and wound up averaging 46.0 yards per punt. It is said that Miller has really developed his mechanics and has worked to become more consistent to match his big leg.

Key matchups