Seahawks pointless in loss

PITTSBURGH – Pete Carroll isn’t sure the Seattle Seahawks have actually started the 2011 season yet. Better hurry. Pittsburgh drilled Seattle 24-0 on Sunday as the Seahawks managed just 164 yards in a listless, lifeless performance that left little doubt the defending NFC West champions remain very much a work in progress. “We’d didn’t score a point, period, and that is just embarrassing,” said Seattle quarterback Tarvaris Jackson. Seattle (0-2) wasn’t even close. Seattle didn’t take a snap on Pittsburgh’s half of the field until the fourth quarter and never made it to the red zone. The Steelers (1-1) bounced back from a humbling loss to Baltimore a week ago with 60 minutes of dominance. “We have to stay the course. We have to keep battling. We have to keep working,” Carroll said. The Seahawks hoped the return of guard Robert Gallery would bolster their inexperienced offensive line and take some of the pressure off Jackson. Didn’t happen. Seattle rushed for just 35 yards, and while Jackson didn’t turn it over, he failed to make big plays in the passing game and spent the second half trying to stay upright. Jackson completed 20 of 29 passes for 159 yards, but his longest completion of the day went for 17 yards. Carroll said he never considered bringing in backup Charlie Whitehurst, and the Seahawks didn’t feel like quarterback play was the problem on a day the defense let Pittsburgh roll up 421 yards and hold the ball for nearly 39 minutes. “We didn’t get the job done,” safety Atari Bigby said. “I don’t know what our third-down percentage is, but we need to pick it up.” Pittsburgh converted 8 of 15 third downs. Seattle stuffed the Steelers on a fourth down at the goal line on Pittsburgh’s opening drive, but it was a brief reprieve. The Steelers simply kept coming, punting just once in their first seven possessions as quarterback Ben Roethlisberger shook off a shot to the knees by Seattle’s Raheem Brock to threw for 298 yards and a score. “I thought we could have scored a lot more points than we did,” Roethlisberger said. “We won the game, and that is the most important thing right now.” The Seahawks were shut out for the second straight time at Heinz Field, after the Steelers beat them 21-0 in 2007. Seattle rebounded to win the division and make the playoffs then. There’s still plenty of time, but Carroll knows a sense of urgency is required. Having wide receiver Sidney Rice would help. Rice missed his second straight game with a shoulder injury. Without their best big-play threat, the Seahawks struggled. “We didn’t have enough firepower,” Carroll said. Pittsburgh had plenty. Mike Wallace caught eight passes for 126 yards and a score, and Rashard Mendenhall ran for 66 yards and a TD. A week after committing seven turnovers, the Steelers worked with relentless efficiency against Seattle, who failed to get a takeaway for the second straight game. The Seahawks sacked Roethlisberger just twice, but put a scare into the Steelers after Brock dived at Roethlisberger’s knees just as he completed a 16-yard pass to Heath Miller. The play drew a flag for roughing the passer and a gasp from the crowd. The QB lay on the ground for several minutes before making his way to the sideline. He sat out two snaps before returning and throwing incomplete. The Steelers settled for Shaun Suisham’s field goal and a 17-0 halftime lead. “We played a tough team, a very mature team,” Bigby said. “I think we can take a lot from this game as far as the way they handle their business.” Steelers 24, Hawks 0  Seattle 0 0 0 0 — 0 Pittsburgh 7 10 7 0 — 24  First Quarter Pit—Mendenhall 1 run (Suisham kick). Second Quarter Pit—Redman 20 run (Suisham kick). Pit—FG Suisham 20. Third Quarter Pit—Wallace 2 pass from Roethlisberger (Suisham kick). A—63,663. Sea Pit First downs 8 23 Total Net Yards 164 421 Rushes-yards 13-31 35-124 Passing 133 297 Punt Returns 1-0 6-62 Kickoff Returns 2-39 1-23 Interceptions Ret. 0-0 0-0 Comp-Att-Int 20-29-0 23-31-0 Sacked-Yards Lost 5-26 2-16 Punts 8-48.1 3-58.3 Fumbles-Lost 0-0 0-0 Penalties-Yards 6-66 4-48 Time of Possession 21:16 38:44  INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS RUSHING—Seattle, Jackson 3-12, Lynch 6-11, Forsett 3-10, Washington 1-(minus 2). Pittsburgh, Mendenhall 19-66, Redman 10-49, Roethlisberger 5-8, A.Brown 1-1. PASSING—Seattle, Jackson 20-29-0-159. Pittsburgh, Roethlisberger 22-30-0-298, Sanders 1-1-0-15. RECEIVING—Seattle, Obomanu 4-35, Durham 3-30, Forsett 3-20, Tate 2-12, A.McCoy 2-9, E.Williams 1-17, Miller 1-13, Washington 1-9, M.Williams 1-9, Baldwin 1-4, Lynch 1-1. Pittsburgh, Wallace 8-126, A.Brown 4-67, Ward 4-33, Sanders 2-44, Mendenhall 2-12, Miller 1-16, Moore 1-9, Redman 1-6. MISSED FIELD GOALS—Pittsburgh, Suisham 41 (WR).