Steps to Victory: Seahawks in must-win showdown vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

SEATTLE — Each week, KIRO 7 Sports Director Chris Francis previews the Seahawks matchup with his Steps to Victory. These are featured on the weekly Scouting Report which airs Saturday at 7:30 p.m. After a second straight game winning drive to get back in the playoff race, the Seahawks have two more games to win if they want to lock up a spot.

This week they welcome the Steelers, an equally desperate team. Here are the Steps to Victory for Week 17!

• Step 1, Blue Steel Curtain: My take on the Steel Curtain means the Seahawks defensive line needs to keep playing at a high level. They cannot allow the Steelers to do what they do best and run the football. The Hawks gave up 162 yards rushing last week and it nearly cost them, especially on the Titans 4th quarter drive that took over eight minutes and gave them the lead late in the game. They were playing with fire, and the Seahawks can’t let that happen at home against a Steelers team starting a backup quarterback.
• Step 2, Ground Rudolph: Speaking of that backup, a little holiday theme here. Mason Rudolph played well last week against the Bengals with two long explosive plays to George Pickens. He had 290 yards passing in total, but if you take those away, it’s a pedestrian afternoon, and one that might not win you a ballgame. He was also helped by three Cincinnati turnovers. Let’s hope playing on the road is a different story for Rudolph. The 12′s need to bring it and the Hawks need to make him uncomfortable.
• Step 3, Block Watt: The Steelers will be trying to do the same exact thing to the Seahawks: Stop the run and unleash the NFL’s sack leader, TJ Watt. I asked coach Carroll on Wednesday how you block a guy like that. In general, you know a coach won’t ever give away the game plan. Watt is a game wrecker, like his brother a future Hall of Famer. Here’s what Carroll said: “There’s no one way to stop him. He’s such a volatile football player and it’s just really challenging. That’s why he’s got 17 sacks, and he’s doing it again. He’s having another great year. Everybody knows he’s there. He’s not hiding, so we have to do a nice job and keep him guessing a little bit the best we can and try to keep him from being a big part of this game.”

Alright, there you go, the Seahawks steps to victory for Week 17 against the Pittsburgh Steelers!

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