The Pittsburgh Steelers got off to a good start with Aaron Rodgers as the starting quarterback. But there was nothing easy about it against the New York Jets. 

Now they can get back home and wait for the Seattle Seahawks, who didn’t offer a whole lot in their loss to San Francisco. 

This game is scheduled to begin at 1 PM ET at Acrisure Stadium, and it requires a west coast team to travel east for an early start. 

Here are the NFL betting odds as they are posted at BetOnline

Pittsburgh Steelers -3
Seattle Seahawks +3

Over 40 Points -105
Under 40 Points -115

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Rodgers gets revenge; how much can he carry?

The interesting thing about Pittsburgh’s win last week was the fact that Rodgers was able to get some satisfaction against his previous team; the team that, in his view, insulted him by the way it released him. 

He threw four touchdown passes. And that was all well and good. But that masked certain things that might make the performance a little uneasy for Steeler fans. 

Receivers did a lot of work after the catch 

To get to 244 yards, Rodgers’ receivers had to do a lot of work after they caught the ball. And to their credit, they averaged 7.9 yards after the catch, which ranked #1 in the NFL for Week 1. 

Rodgers did not do much to stretch out the defense, with only 4.6 air yards (yards beyond the line of scrimmage) per attempt. What this means is that if this is the game plan, the offense is somewhat limited in range. 

How far can Pittsburgh go without true balance? 

Pittsburgh threw the ball 63% of the time, and you know that is not the way offensive coordinator Arthur Smith sees the direction of the offense going. Last season the Steelers’ rushing play percentage was 48.3%, so it could be that Rodgers and Smith are not on the same page.

Seattle could deal with a one-dimensional offense

Seattle head coach Mike Macdonald’s defensive scheme is designed to prevent big plays, so Rodgers is going to have to continue with the short passes. But it benefits Macdonald to be able to see Pittsburgh on a “run around the track.” And they are very familiar with Rodgers’ #1 receiver, DK Metcalf, who served them well for years. 

Last year, as Macdonald was installing his system, the Seahawks were slow to catch on. But in the process of winning six of their last eight contests, they were shutting down people. Seattle led the league in forcing opponents to go “three-and-out.” 

Can the Darnold-Kupp connection emerge?

Seattle has to expand its offensive options. Jaxon Smith Njigba caught nine passes for 124 yards, and he constituted almost the entire passing game. Cooper Kupp was almost invisible last Sunday, and that can’t continue. Sam Darnold was pretty tame (just 150 yards), so you’re asking yourself whether he’s on his way to once again becoming the Sam Darnold we’re familiar with. 

In the past, the Seahawks have been able to summon a physical running game, and they have the personnel with Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet in the backfield. They’ll need to get something from there.

Who covers between the Steelers and Seahawks? 

We’re going to charitably call the Seattle offense a work in progress right now. The Steelers, if they can’t make the ‘Hawks defend the whole field, may find themselves slowed down considerably. The wisest play here might be on the total.

THE PLAY: UNDER 40 POINTS (-115)

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