(WCMH) – Week 6 of the NFL is underway and NBC’s ‘Sunday Night Football’ will feature the Pittsburgh Steelers hosting the Seattle Seahawks at Heinz Field.
This could be a make-or-break game when it comes to either team getting into the playoffs. So far, the two teams have identical records, with two wins and three losses. However, the Steelers are coming off a win over the Broncos, while the Seahawks suffered a loss to the Rams.
Last season the Steelers came out of the gate with 11 straight wins before imploding with four losses over the last five regular-season games. The team was further punished by falling 37 to 48 in the first playoff game to its long-standing rival, the Cleveland Browns.
With quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, 39, leading the team for his final season, 2021 has had a rocky start that could get rougher. Standout receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster is now sidelined, recovering from shoulder surgery after an injury in last week’s game.
On the Seahawks side, an injury in last week’s game will cost the team its quarterback. Russell Wilson will be sitting out for at least a month, after starting in every regular-season game during his 10 years with the team.
In Wilson’s place, Seattle will start backup quarterback Geno Smith, 31. This will be Smith’s third time starting a game since 2014, making it a seven-year career total of 32 starts, including his time with the New York Jets. The Steelers match-up will reveal if Smith is ready for prime time after spending the last three years as a backup for Wilson.
A particular test for Wilson will be avoiding Steeler’s star linebacker T.J. Watt, who is the NFL’s number one top-paid defensive player. Watt also came in first place in the 2020 season for sacks and shared the record for QB pressures. The playmaker is continuing to build his legacy this season, coming in sixth in the league for sacks and third with forced fumbles, after playing four out of five games.
Watch ‘Sunday Night Football’ starting at 7 p.m. on NBC4 or stream it live at NBCSports.com/Live.
