Seattle, WA
Labriola on the loss to Seattle
It was the second week of the 2025 NFL regular season, and “September football” was in full bloom across the landscape. Missed assignments, mental mistakes, full-on brain cramps, injuries sometimes in bunches stressing position groups and weakening rosters.
The Steelers were guilty of playing “September football” on Sunday against Seattle in their home opener at Acrisure Stadium, but that wasn’t the only contributing factor in what ended up being a 31-17 loss that dropped them to 1-1. For the second straight week, their run defense and their pass protection were leaky, and one of the truisms about football played at any level and in every month is that games are won or lost on the lines of scrimmage.
From a statistical standpoint, the run defense against the Seahawks was better than it had been the previous Sunday. The Jets rushed 39 times for 182 yards (4.7 average) and 3 touchdowns, and the Seahawks managed 117 yards on 29 runs (4.0 average) and 1 touchdown. Thirteen of the Jets 23 first downs came via the run, compared to eight of Seattle’s 21 first downs; of the Seahawks 29 rushing attempts, 9 were good for no gain or for a loss of yardage.
All of that represented improvement from week 1 to week 2, but there was one visual that overshadowed any and all statistics and left a bad taste when it came to the state of the Steelers run defense.
There was 3:47 remaining in the fourth quarter, and despite all of their September football-itis to that point, the Steelers were still very much in the game. And part of that had to do with their defense. At the time, their deficit was 24-14, with one of Seattle’s three touchdowns having come on a full-on brain cramp when a Seahawks kickoff made it to the landing zone and bounced into the end zone where it was left unattended until George Holani fell on it.
So anyway, that negativity had been absorbed, and at the 3:47 mark, the Seahawks led, 24-17, and were looking at a third-and-goal from the Steelers 19-yard line following a 9-yard sack of Sam Darnold by Jack Sawyer. When Darnold took the next snap and simply handed the ball to Kenneth Walker, it seemed as though the Seahawks were playing for a field goal were willing to settle for a 10-point lead, 27-17.
But then Walker ran to the left, made a move upfield and covered those 19 yards virtually untouched into the end zone for the touchdown that was the dagger. The run defense on that critical play in the fourth quarter of a game whose outcome still was very much up for grabs had failed.
“There’s always an emphasis on (stopping) the run,” said T.J. Watt. “The first note of every single week is ‘smash the run,’ and you guys have heard me say for 9 years we’re always trying to smash the run, and it’s not a lack of trying. Schematically, effort, I don’t know, we’ll have to look at the film, but we need to be better, and we need to look in the mirror, and we need to turn over every stone we possibly can because this can’t continue to happen.”
That touchdown, which made the deficit 31-17, iced the outcome even though the Steelers got the ball back with 3:41 remaining, with all 3 of their timeouts plus the 2-minute warning. That’s because their passing attack was being plagued by consistent pressure on Aaron Rodgers, which didn’t allow for chunk plays through the air.
In fact, the Steelers managed only 3 chunk plays through the air all afternoon: a 65-yarder that was a short pass to Jaylen Warren, with the rest coming via spirited and determined run-after; a 22-yarder to Calvin Austin III on the play before the 2-minute warning in the fourth quarter of a 31-17 game; and a 20-yarder to Pat Freiermuth on a perfectly thrown ball and a nice catch down the right sideline.
Besides those, it was either receivers not getting open or Rodgers running for his life, or some combination of both on the same play.
The Jets were credited with 4 sacks and 7 hits on the quarterback; the Seahawks were credited with 3 sacks and 9 hits on the quarterback. It’s too much, and it has happened two weeks in a row. And while a 3-for-3 in the red zone mitigated the Jets pressure on Rodgers, against Seattle the offense only got into the red zone twice and on one of those turned the ball over on an interception in the end zone that was the most September football thing ever.
“I look at myself first, and if we settle for a field goal, I probably wasn’t effective enough in a situation,” said Rodgers. “But I feel like we had a good couple of drives, defense is playing good in the first half, and we came out and just couldn’t do a whole lot in the third quarter. And obviously the play that took a lot of points off the board was the interception there on the 3-yard line or whatever.”
Actually, the situation was a third-and-goal from the Seattle 4-yard line in a 14-14 game with 4:17 left in the third quarter. Rodgers threw a dart at Pat Freiermuth in the end zone, only to have Calvin Austin III fly in and try to make a play on the ball. What resulted was a ball tipped into the air and then intercepted by CB Derion Kendrick 7 yards deep in the end zone. Touchback.
“And Cal’s the best kid ever, but he probably should have just stayed in the flat there,” said Rodgers. “He knows it … But Cal’s the best kid and, you know, it sucks because he’s such a great kid, but unfortunately that whole sequence took points off the board.”
A sequence that came later and added points to the wrong side of the board was the aforementioned brain-cramp with 12:46 remaining in the fourth quarter. A 54-yard field goal by Jason Myers had just given the Seahawks a 17-14 lead when his ensuing kickoff bounced in the landing zone and continued into the end zone where it stopped about a yard from the endline. Kaleb Johnson left the ball unattended, and when George Holani was ruled to have covered it in-bounds the Steelers’ deficit instantly grew to 24-14.
“Poor judgment by a young player,” is what Coach Mike Tomlin said about it in his postgame media briefing; a situation that’s covered in practice/meetings “every day of our lives.”
We’re two weeks into the 2025 installment of September football, and pending the outcome of Monday Night Football, there are 12 – and could be 14 – teams with 1-1 records, including the Ravens, Broncos, Lions, and Vikings. And defending AFC Champion Kansas City is 0-2.
“No, it’s week two. Come on. Come on. It’s week 2,” said Rodgers. “I mean, it’s good for us. Last week probably there were some people feeling pretty good because everybody outside the building was talking about how great we were on offense and (scoring) 34 points. That’s the league; you can’t ride the highs or ride the lows. You have to refocus every single week and be a professional, and it starts with practice and the preparation and so we get a chance to reset. Take a look at what we did last week, what worked, what didn’t work from the preparation standpoint. Do better next week.”
Best to start with run defense and pass protection.
Seattle, WA
VIDEO: Scream Club Seattle keeps growing, midway through first year
(Story originally posted 8:22 pm, updated 12:32 am)
By Torin Record-Sand
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
From a distance, they looked like a regular crowd of people enjoying a nice evening walk on the shores of Lincoln Park. But they were gathered here for a singular purpose: to scream. Since September 2025, the Scream Club Seattle has met at Lincoln Park on every third Sunday to scream, led by head organizer Amber Walcker. No explanation, justification, or invitation to scream is needed – come as you are. “There are some harder emotions people come here to deal with, sure, but some people also just come to scream.” head organizer Amber explained.
Tonight’s crowd showed the club is rapidly growing. From around a dozen or so participants in the first gathering in September, tonight seemed to attract around 40 people gathering to let it all out.
As the sun started to set, and everyone was finally gathered together, the Scream Club was ready to begin.
There are only three screams, organizer Amber explained. The first, she said, is a scream to get used to doing it in public. The second scream is there to ground you. And the final – and longest scream – is there to let you have an emotional catharsis.
She also wanted to make sure people were taking care of their vocal health beforehand. As she told everyone to walk a little bit from the meeting place and start to gather near the shore, she instructed the crowd to hum for a few minutes on the way, to warm up the vocal cords.
With that, the crowd walked towards the shore.
“On the count of one – two – three – scream!” said organizer Amber.
You can see our video of the proceedings here. After the screaming, we talked to a few participants about why they came out.
“There’s not one thing that’s really making me want to scream. There’s a lot of stuff going on for me, a lot of emotional ups and downs. Screaming into the ocean together gives you a sense of community.” said Jessie.
“This is my third or fourth time coming to scream. With the political climate, with everything that’s happening, getting together with local community to scream feels more productive than screaming into the internet on social media.” said Ursula.
“This is my first time coming out.” said Liz. “I screamed after the Seahawks won the Super Bowl, and I really felt something. I realized I’ve been feeling a lot of frustration recently, and it felt like coming here was a healthy way to get it out rather than screaming at your neighbors.”
Organizer Amber recognizes much of what they were saying. “Meeting like this can be an important element to have in your mental health toolbox. It’s rare to have scream therapy.” She shared an anecdote about the therapeutic origins of the group, which originally started with a chapter in Chicago. “The founder was a life coach. Their girlfriend was having a bad day, and they encouraged them to go to the Chicago Pier and just let it out. He walked her through the process, and that was that. Eventually they invited more people to come do it.” She hopes to bring that same therapeutic energy to the practice here. “It’s a moment of emotional release more than anything else. Depending on what’s going on in people’s minds, everyone will come here with a different mindset and purpose. We’re providing a safe space to do that.”
Scream Club Seattle meets at Lincoln Park on the first Sunday of every month, and they are also starting to meet on the third Sunday of every month at Golden Gardens in Ballard. Tentatively, the next events will be in Lincoln Park on April 5th around 6 PM, and Golden Gardens on March 15th around 5 PM. If you’d like to know more, you can find them on Instagram here or look at their future events on their Eventbrite page here.
Seattle, WA
Detectives Investigating Robbery, Shooting Over $20 Necklace – SPD Blotter
Seattle police detectives are investigating a robbery and shooting of a 23-year-old man over a $20 necklace in Pioneer Square this morning.
At about 12:40 a.m., patrol officers responded to a shooting in the 500 block of 2nd Avenue. There, they found a victim, bleeding, with a gunshot wound to his right thigh. Police and the Seattle Fire Department treated his injury. Medics took him to Harborview Medical Center (HMC) in stable condition.
Police determined that the victim just left a bar, getting into the passenger seat of his friend’s car, when the suspect, wearing a ski mask and armed with a firearm, approached him and demanded his necklace. They struggled over the item, and the suspect shot the victim in the leg. The shooter fled in a vehicle with the necklace before police arrived. The value of the “chain” is about $20.
Detectives in the Robbery Unit responded to the scene and HMC. Anyone with information is asked to call the SPD Violent Crimes Tip line at 206-233-5000. Anonymous tips are accepted.
Incident Number: 2026-57536
Seattle, WA
Fast Start for Kraken Win, Homestand | Seattle Kraken
That stretch begins with five more home games: A skilled and successful Carolina squad Monday, followed by St. Louis (for the second time in a week) Wednesday, Ottawa next Saturday, then Nashville (just behind Seattle in the West wild-card race) on March 10 and then finishing with Western Conference leader Colorado March 12.
Stars Shine and Star-Crossed Hat Trick
Vince Dunn opened the scoring in his 600th NHL game. Jordan Eberle topped the best Kraken-season goals mark with his 21st and 22nd goals of the year, with 23 games left to flirt with his first 30-plus goals on the year since his sophomore season in 2011-12. Joey Daccord registered 27 saves on the victorious night, including nine high-danger chances in the first 40 minutes alone.
To the fans’ disappointment, the slick-stickhandling Daccord missed a historic goalie goal by inches. But the sellout crowd was rewarded when Eberle cashed in on the Vancouver empty net. Eberle now has four two-goal games this season.
In a bizarre twist, when Eberle scored that empty-netter, Kraken fans rightfully cheered and tossed headwear for what was presumed to be a hat-trick score. But after Eberle scored, the scoring change on the Kraken’s power play goal was announced when off-ice officials realized Eberle’s shot had just ever-so-slightly deflected off Matty Beniers’ skate. So no hat trick for the second time this season. Linemate Jared McCann and hat-tossing fans thought the Kraken’s all-time leading scorer had notched a hat trick earlier this season, only to have it reversed when an offside infraction by, wait for it, Beniers, erased the goal.
Eberle joked post-game that maybe fans deserved some hats. The Kraken captain also said when Daccord missed by inches on his goalie goal, he was on the bench saying, “he got it, he got it.” Post-game, Eberle said, “It’s just a matter of time before he gets one” because he greatly admires the goaltender’s puck-handling skills.
The Kraken came out fast Saturday night with two goals, a couple of near-misses, lots of scoring attempts and pucks on net during the first 20 minutes. One near-miss was a hard wrist shot from Jordan Eberle that clanged off the far post. But no matter, Eberle scored a pivotal goal in the second period, getting in front of a Vancouver shot and chasing his own ricochet to create a breakaway with his still-elite speed. The 35-year-old Seattle captain went to his lethal backhand to beat Canucks goalie Kevin Lankinen. Eberle’s tally re-upped the two-goal lead.
Good night for Kraken special teams as well. The penalty killer snuffed an early third period Canucks power play to keep the two-score cushion. Later third period, Matty Beniers scored on the power play, deflecting an Eberle shot, to push the score to 4-1. Chandler Stephenson earned his second point of the night with the primary assist. Same for Dunn, who notched the second assist. The Kraken needed just 10 seconds to score the man-advantage marker.
Captaining His Best Kraken Season…
It is Eberle’s 21st goal of the season. The next one he scores will set a new high as a Kraken for the teammate everyone calls “Ebs.” That makes it three of five seasons that Eberle has scored 20 or more goals. Eberle almost scored again later second period when matching cross-checking penalties on SEA forward Kaapo Kakko and VAN defenseman Filip Hronek. The ensuing 4-on-4 play was dominated by the Kraken quartet of Eberle, Matty Beniers, Brandon Montour and Ryker Evans. Beniers stood with some moves and an improv that had future Hall of Fame play-by-play man John Forslund saying, “Beniers did everything but score.” It was heartening to see Seattle flexing its offensive chops with a 3-1 lead.
The Kraken scored twice in an opening 20 minutes played to order, returning to the hard forechecking game they exhibited on a heater 10-game streak before the Olympic break. The starting goalie did his part, stopping all nine of Vancouver’s shots in the first 20 minutes to bring confidence to the first-intermission home locker room.
Jumping Out of the Starting Blocks
The Kraken faithful were mega-decibel loud during the announcement of the starting lineups, welcoming back Olympian bronze medalists Kaapo Kakko and Eeli Tolvanen, as well as Seattle teammates. This week’s two road losses forgotten, replaced by rousing cheers for starters and fourth-liners Freddy Gaudreau, centering Jacob Melanson and Ben Meyers (on the wing for the first since a road matchup in LA right before the winter holiday break).
Defenseman Cale Fleury and Ryker Evans rounded out the skaters in front of Joey Daccord. It’s not a stretch to think head coach Lane Lambert was sending a message with his fourth line and third pair getting the first shift after losing two games in the Midwest by a composite score of 9-2.
Saturday morning, both defenseman Vince Dunn and Lambert both talked about what would be the ideal first 10 to 20 minutes in this Pacific Division showdown with rival Vancouver.
“We need to play simple and hard and direct,” said Dunn, who was playing in his 600th NHL game, 333 with Seattle. “I think we’re very connected when we can get our forecheck going. I think the way we play as a five-man unit is that we slow teams down and don’t get scrambled in our own end. We’re more patient in our own end and letting guys accept their positions and roles and areas that they need to defend in.
“Right away, we need to start shooting pucks … the past two games, the shot count hasn’t been where we wanted it to be in the first 10 minutes. So let’s get some looks and see what happens. Let’s see if we can get the other team scrambling.”
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