PITTSBURGH — There was very little DK Metcalf in what some were calling his revenge game against the Seahawks, even if Metcalf himself resisted that narrative this week.

But there was one of the stranger touchdowns the Seahawks have ever scored, one of the gutsier defensive efforts in the nascent Mike Macdonald era and a second-half resurgence by the offense which provided the template for how the Seahawks want to play under second-year offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak.

Add it up and the Seahawks strolled out of Pittsburgh with a hard-earned and well-deserved 31-17 win over the Steelers.

Two Sam Darnold interceptions and a Jason Myers missed field goal helped the Steelers lead 14-7 at halftime despite the Seahawks dominating statistically, outgaining Pittsburgh 188-69.

The Steelers’ lone TD was scored by Metcalf on a 2-yard pass from Aaron Rodgers, also playing his first home game with Pittsburgh.

But that was the lone highlight for Metcalf in his first home game as a Steeler since his trade from the Seahawks last March as he finished with just two receptions for 12 yards on four targets, all in the first half.

The Seahawks resumed their statistical dominating of the Steelers in the second half, only this time getting t a few breaks to take full advantage.

The Seahawks got an interception from Derion Kendrick — forced into action because of an injury to Devon Witherspoon — on a tipped pass in the end zone when the Steelers had a chance to take the lead in the third quarter.

They got a TD when George Holani recovered a kickoff that gave the Seahawks control at 24-14 with 12:46 left.

After allowing a field goal, the Seahawks came away with a 73-yard, seven-play drive in which Darnold used his legs to throw a completion to pick up a third-and-9 and threw a 43-yard pass to Jaxon Smith-Njigba that led to a 19-yard run by Kenneth Walker III that made it 31-17 with 3:41 remaining.

Darnold finished the game 22 of 33 for 295 yards.

The Seahawks finished with 395 yards while holding the Steelers to just 267 despite playing without Witherspoon and rookie safety Nick Emmanwori.

The win provided a much-needed bounce back from last Sunday’s 17-13 last-minute loss to the 49ers at home that threatened to leave the Seahawks facing a hole in the NFC West.

The Seahawks are 1-1 and will return home next Sunday to play struggling New Orleans

The Seahawks blew the game open by scoring one of the stranger touchdowns in their 50-year history

After Jason Myers hit a 54-yard field goal to put the Seahawks up 17-14 with 12:46 left, his kickoff bounced into the landing zone in front of Steelers returner Kaleb Johnson, a rookie third-round pick out of Iowa.

The ball went through his hands at about the 3-yard-line and into the end zone. As it did, Johnson — apparently thinking it was a dead ball — headed to the sidelines.

The ball was still live and several Seahawks raced after it.

Second-year backup running back George Holani got there first, falling on it just before it bounced out of the end zone.

The play was ruled a touchdown, giving the Seahawks a 24-14 lead with what was still 12:46 on the clock — seven points in zero seconds, technically.

The Steelers drove to the Seattle 27 but were forced to settle for Chris Boswell’s third field goal of the game made it 24-17 with 7:49 left.

The Seahawks uncorked their third TD drive of 65 yards or longer capped by Walker’s run to put the game away.

Trailing 14-7 at halftime, the Seahawks came out appearing determined to show their first-half statistical dominance was no fluke.

After forcing a Steelers punt, the Seahawks moved 80 yards on nine plays to tie the game at 14.

Darnold connected on all four of his passes on the drive for 44 yards — two to Cooper Kupp for 33 yards and one each to tight ends Elijah Arroyo and AJ Barner. The key play was a 17-yard pass to Kupp on third-and-4 at the 50.

Darnold hit Kupp for 16 yards on the next play.

The Steelers needed no time to get in position to retake the lead as on first down, Rodgers scrambled and threw a short pass to running back Jaylen Warren, who broke three tackles and wove his way through traffic to take it to the 5-yard-line before being tackled by Riq Woolen for a gain of 65.

But the Seahawks used a little good fortune to get what proved to be a turning point.

On third-and-goal at the 4, with Metcalf lined up in the right slot in man coverage on Coby Bryant, Rodgers instead rolled to his left.

It appeared as if Rodgers was trying to sneak the ball low to a diving tight end Pat Freiermuth. But Steelers receiver Calvin Austin III made a grab for it and it went off his hands and into those of Kendrick, who drove to corral the ball in the end zone.

But not to be lost in the defensive stand was Derick Hall rushing Rodgers into a hurried incompletion on first and goal at the 5, and Leonard Williams tacking Kenneth Gainwell for a gain of just one on second down.

The Seahawks were their own worst enemy during the first half as Darnold threw an interception in each quarter and Myers missed a 36-yard field goal.

Kendrick, who got significant snaps as the nickel back with Witherspoon out, dropped a potential interception in Steelers territory in the second quarter.

Darnold’s first interception came with Seattle ahead 7-3 and led to a Pittsburgh field goal.

The second — which came after the missed Myers field goal and Kendrick drop — came on the one of the most curious plays of the game.

With the Seahawks facing a fourth-and-1 at the Steelers’ 29, they rolled the dice.

Only, instead of again trying a Tush Push play with tight end Barner — which had worked earlier — the Seahawks tried for a big play.

Darnold took a snap from under center, faked a handoff to Zach Charbonnet to the right, then rolled a step to the left where he tried to hit Barner in the flat.

The pass was tipped by Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Heyward and picked off by Nick Herbig who returned to the Seattle 21.

That led to a Rodgers-to-Metcalf two-yard TD pass on third-and-goal TD that put the Steelers ahead for the first time.

Rodgers completed just 5 of 12 passes in the first half for 27 yards with a long of 12 and was sacked twice, while Metcalf had just two receptions on four targets — he dropped the other two — for 12 yards.

But the Seahawks’ mistakes and an inefficient running game that managed just 39 yards on 13 carries had Seattle fighting from behind.

The Seahawks scored the first time it had the ball on an eight-play 65-yard drive in which the Seahawks converted third downs of six and 10 yards. The drive culminated in a 21-yard pass from Darnold to rookie Tory Horton that put Seattle ahead 7-0. It was the first catch of Horton’s career and the first time Seattle scored a TD on its opening drive since Dec. 20, 2023, a span of 23 games.

Darnold was 13 of 19 for 157 yards in the first half and spread the ball around more than in the opener with Smith-Njigba making six catches for 51 yards, Cooper Kupp three for 37 and Horton two for 32.

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