Towards Super Bowl XL The Pittsburgh Steelers and Seattle Seahawks in Ford Field, Detroit, were attracting attention as the Seahawks star sprinting through Sean Alexander ahead of the Vernde Steelers’ defense.
After all, Alexander is approaching the biggest stage in the NFL coming out of a historic season, winning an NFL MVP award, setting an NFL record for touchdowns with 27 rushing touchdowns of the season, finishing 1,880 yards for the season.
He became the X-factor of the game, and many experts believed it was enough to lift the Seahawks over the Cinderella Story Steelers, the first number six seed to reach the Super Bowl.
However, the Steelers’ defense, particularly the Pro Bowl nose tackle Casey Hampton, appeared in the latest episode of the podcast in the 2025 NFL Draft “not just football alongside Camhayward.” The Steelers weren’t worried about the Seahawks’ run game, knowing that Seattle could not run east and west due to their ability to head for a run.
“I wanted it all. Their guys, guys, those NFC teams were kind of finesse. They weren’t used to the physical style style and the way we played AFC. We went to the Super Bowl. According to the video on the show’s YouTube page. “But we knew we would run to the side, you can’t run, you’re not going to run the ball over us.
“So we weren’t worried about the run game.”
Hampton began talking about how he liked playing bigger, physical backs, but then he delved into a conversation about Super Bowl XL against the Seahawks.
That day, the Steelers ruled thoroughly from start to finish. Pittsburgh held Alexander for 95 yards on 20 carry, 21 of which appeared on one carry. That drive left Josh Brown missing a 50-yard field goal to keep him 14-3 games.
In the end, the Steelers continued to check out Alexander, falling far below all games on his season average. In fact, in the NFC Championship game with the Carolina Panthers two weeks ago, Alexander ran for 132 yards and two touchdowns, punching the Seahawks’ ticket to the Super Bowl.
He would not have had that kind of luck against the Steelers.
He averaged 4.5 yards per carry, but there wasn’t much room to work with Alexander. The Steelers controlled the line of scrimmage and forced the Seahawks to take them into the air as quarterback Matt Hasselbeck attempted 49 passes in the Super Bowl.
That type of confidence Hampton had in the Steelers’ defense was justified. There weren’t many big names, but there were some great players who were perfect for the Steelers’ defensive role. The Steelers also lifted the Lombardi Trophy under head coach Bill Cowher, closing their Hall of Fame career.
Check out our full interview with Hampton in the latest episode below, “It’s not just football with Come Hayward.”
