The Steelers answered again, with Rudolph connecting on a 25-yard catch-and-run with tight end Pat Freiermuth on third-and-4, then picking up Harris 23 yards on a twisting, bruising run to the Seattle 21. Up a 9-yard run by Harris as he broke through the line, keeping his feet from during contact and rushed into the end zone for the final four yards to give the Steelers a 17-14 halftime lead.
The Steelers rushed for 145 yards in the first half on 24 attempts, with Harris gaining 74 yards on 13 carries and Warren gaining 67 yards on seven attempts. It was the most yards rushing in a half since they had 153 yards in the second half of a win at Buffalo in Week 14 of the 2016 season.
“It felt really good,” Moore said of the quick start running the ball. “I saw we had 145 goals in the first half. I wish we finished with more, but we'll take it.”
The Steelers outscored the Seahawks 257-178 in the first half, holding the ball for more than 19 minutes.
Seattle tied the game at 17-17 with a 43-yard field goal by Jason Myers on the opening possession of the second half, but the Steelers responded immediately, driving 71 yards for another touchdown, with Johnson getting 42 of that on a snap-and-run.
That set up Harris for his second touchdown of the game, this one from 4 yards out, as the entire offensive line carried him into the end zone for a 24-17 lead with 6:57 remaining in the third quarter.
The Steelers got a three-and-out on Seattle's next possession, but after taking a first down, they were forced to punt for the first time in the game late in the third quarter.
But in the final two stretches of the quarter, Smith connected with Metcalf for a 32-yard gain to midfield, then Smith rushed 25 yards to the Pittsburgh 29.
However, the drive stalled, and the Seahawks settled for a 43-yard field goal that cut the Steelers' lead to 24-20 with 13:30 remaining in the game.
Rudolph then hit Pickens for a 34-yard gain on third-and-6 at the Seattle 22, but the Steelers were stopped on third down at the Seattle 8 and Boswell kicked a 26-yard field goal to give the Steelers a 27-20 lead. Advantage with 7:07 remaining in the game.
On the first play from scrimmage after the score, backup outside linebacker Nick Herbig came off the blind-side edge and hit Smith, resulting in a fumble that he also recovered at the Seattle 16.
That set up a 21-yard Boswell field goal with the Steelers taking another 2:29 off the clock to leave Seattle with just 4:31 to overcome a 30-20 deficit.
The Seahawks went on a blitz to get a field goal with 2:01 remaining, with Joey Porter Jr. breaking up a pair of passes in the end zone intended for Metcalf, cutting the lead to 30-23, but Johnson recovered an onside kick to give the Steelers the ball at the Seattle 44.
The Steelers then ran out the clock to close out the win and set up a game on Saturday in Baltimore where they need a win and then some help to get to the playoffs.
“All we can do is win the games we play,” Tomlin said. “This is the time of year.” “This is any time of year. You can't spend a lot of time watching the scoreboard and things like that. It's professional ball. We have to beat the people we're playing with.”
“Coffee ninja. Web fan. Hipster-friendly beer enthusiast. Professional creator.”