Steelers defeat Seahawks, 32-25

GamebookVeteran quarterback Mitch Trubisky made a great first impression. Rookie wide receiver George Pickens did, too. As did rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett. Trubisky, signed as an unrestricted free agent from Buffalo, directed a seven-play, 90-yard touchdown drive in 2:45 on the first possession of the game on Saturday night at Acrisure Stadium. Pickens, drafted on the second round out of Georgia, caught a pass from Trubisky for a 9-yard gain on the first play of the preseason, and then a 26-yard fade from quarterback Mason Rudolph for a touchdown that finished off the Steelers’ third possession. It was a promising start to what turned into a fantastic finish.The Seahawks sacked Pickett for an 8-yard loss on fourth-and-1 from the Seattle 45-yard line with 1:17 left in the fourth quarter, but a forced fumble by inside linebacker Mark Robinson and a recovery by outside linebacker Tuzar Skipper on the following snap gave the Steelers one final chance to break a 25-25 tie. This time, Pickett responded with an 8-yard scramble to the Seattle 24 and then a 24-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Tyler Vaughns for the game-winning touchdown with three seconds remaining in what wound up as a 32-25 Steelers' triumph. Trubisky went 3-for-5 passing for 47 yards on the game-opening march, including a 13-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Gunner Olszewski, who also had a 25-yard, catch-and-run conversion of a third-and-6 on the snap prior to his touchdown reception. Trubisky finished 4-for-7 for 63 yards and a touchdown in his two series of work.Steelers Nation, NFL+ is here, which means you can now watch your Steelers live and on the go! Watch live out-of-market preseason games across devices and live local and primetime regular season games on your phone or tablet. Start your free trial today here >>>Pickens finished the first quarter with two catches for 35 yards on three targets. His TD catch converted a third-and-13 and resembled the type of toe-tapping, attention-getting reception Pickens had been making with regularity during practices in training camp at Saint Vincent College. Undrafted rookie running back Jaylen Warren was also heard from. Warren broke two tackles on the way to a 10-yard gain on second-and-7 from the Seattle in the second quarter. He broke another tackle on the way to a 15-yard gain on second-and-10 from the Seahawks’ 34 but fumbled at the end of the run (wide receiver Miles Boykin recovered). That march stalled at the Seattle 3 and the Steelers settled for a 21-yard field goal from kicker Nick Sciba and a 17-3 lead at the conclusion of a 17-play possession that covered 81 yards in 8:22. Rudolph completed nine of 15 attempts for 93 yards and a touchdown.Pickett came on for the Steelers’ first possession of the third quarter and directed a seven-play, 75-yard drive for a touchdown in 3:53. Pickett’s 3-yard touchdown pass to Warren and two-point conversion pass to rookie tight end Connor Heyward re-established the lead for the Steelers at 25-17. Pickett was 5-for-5 for 33 yards on the drive. Many among those who remained from the announced crowd of 48,197 greeted the Steelers’ No. 1 pick by chanting Pickett’s name throughout the march. The big play was a wide receiver sweep that Steven Sims turned into a 38-yard gain to the Seattle 26. Seattle tied the game at 25-25 with 13:22 left in regulation on a 17-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Drew Lock to running back DeeJay Dallas and a two-point pass from Lock to running back Travis Homer. Anthony McFarland Jr. started at running back and carried seven times for 56 yards (8.0 per carry), including a 24-yard burst on third-and-1 from the Steelers’ 19 on the game-opening touchdown drive (a 15-yard penalty for unnecessary roughness advanced the ball to the Seattle 42).Warren had five carries for 30 yards and one reception for 10 in the first half. The Seahawks got on the board via a 33-yard field goal from kicker Jason Myers that cut the Steelers’ lead to 14-3 with 12:50 left in second. Seattle closed to within 17-10 on a nine-play, 61-yard drive in the closing minutes of the first half that concluded with a 2-yard run by quarterback Geno Smith on third-and-goal from the 2 with 21 seconds left before the break. Seattle tied the game at 17-17 on the opening possession of the third quarter. Lock engineered a nine-play, 73-yard drive in 4:23 that ended with a 3-yard pass from Lock to wide receiver Dareke Young and Myers’ PAT. Kicker Chris Boswell, wide receiver Chase Claypool, wide receiver Diontae Johnson, running back Najee Harris, free safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, outside linebacker T.J. Watt and defensive tackle Cam Heyward were among the Steelers who didn’t play. Steelers safety Karl Joseph was injured in the first quarter (right ankle) and did not return. Cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon suffered a shoulder injury in the first quarter and also didn’t return. The Steelers resume preseason play next Saturday night at Jacksonville.

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Steelers defeat Seahawks, 32-25