49ers @ Steelers game review

For the first time since 2014, the Pittsburgh Steelers opened the season at home. Up against a 49ers team that made the NFC Championship last year, and are tipped by many to go a step further this year, it was never going to be easy for the Steelers, but their performance in this game was one that emitted signs of a team that was completely underprepared and overwhelmed.

Game summary

The Steelers won the coin toss and elected to receive the ball, an aggressive call from Mike Tomlin to say he wants his 2nd year Quarterback to get the ball and take on the 49ers elite defense. Quickly though, the 49ers showed why they have been so successful in recent years, forcing a three and out thanks to a 3rd down sack by Drake Jackson, his first of three on the day. The 49ers offense took the field and quickly made light work of a Steelers defense that has the tools to be elite but looked overwhelmed by the 49ers talent at times on Sunday. Brock Purdy found Brandon Aiyuk for the touchdown which gave the 49ers the lead. Aiyuk beat Patrick Peterson for the touchdown, after Peterson had come out earlier in the week saying he would get an interception in this game. That was the first of two touchdowns Peterson gave up against Aiyuk.

The Steelers following drive ended in an interception from Pickett, his first of two on the day and that was the start of a first half that was one of the worst you will ever see from an NFL team. As shown on Fox, there was a point in the half where the 49ers had 199 total yards, while the Steelers had 1.

Matt Canada, the offensive coordinator, has come under a lot of criticism since the loss, and while some of that criticism is justified, Kenny Pickett deserves just as much. Now a 2nd year starter, Pickett will realise that the pressure is now ramped up, and in the first quarter he missed a throw to Diontae Johnson that would have gone for big yardage. The throw in question is one that an NFL quarterback should be making routinely, no matter how good the defense he is facing is, and with Pickett in his 2nd year now, fans, coaches and players will be a lot less forgiving. Pickett’s second interception was also a very questionable throw. The young quarterback seemed to crumble under the virtual and literal pressure of the 49ers defense.

With 1:35 left in the 2nd quarter, the Steelers were down 20-0 and their offense was yet to get a first down and was starting a fresh drive on their own 5 yard line. Backs against the wall, they were able to finally produce a big play on offense, with Najee Harris breaking free for a 24 yard run. That, followed by an unnecessary roughness call on Deommodore Lenoir of the 49ers, and the Steelers finally had a drive going. The drive resulted in a touchdown pass to tight end Pat Freiermuth, and somehow the Steelers went into the half down by only 13 despite being dominated in all aspects of play.

With the 3rd quarter underway, the Steelers did have a glimmer of hope. Despite the 49ers dominance on both sides of the ball in the first half, this was only a 2-score game. All that hope was quickly drained as on the 49ers second play of the half, Christian McCaffrey broke free for a 65-yard touchdown run. Steelers cornerback Levi Wallace completely fluffed a tackle on the former all-pro and the 49ers restored their 20-point lead, also thanks to some great blocking by Aiyuk and former Steeler, Ray-Ray McCloud III. That run took McCaffrey to 117 rushing yards for the day from just 12 carries.

Although the 49ers may have been in cruise control from that point onwards, the Steelers defense did only give up 3 points for the rest of the half and despite McCaffrey finishing on just under 7 yards per carry, he only picked up 35 yards from 10 carries for the rest of the game after that big touchdown.

There was a point in the 3rd quarter where it looked like maybe the Steelers could make a late fightback as former DPOY TJ Watt raced round the edge to strip sack Purdy and recover the ball himself to put the Steelers offense back on the field after they had just punted.

The offense made their way into the redzone and on 3rd and 4 from the 49ers 8-yard line, Pickett seemed to have a chance to find Freiermuth to his left on an out route but instead dumped it off to running back Jaylen Warren, who was brought down at the line of scrimmage. This left the Steelers with a 4th down decision. They had converted one earlier in the game on their lone touchdown drive and elected to go for it here as well, given they were down 20 points late in the 3rd quarter. This play is one where Matt Canada can be criticised justifiably. 4th and 4 from the 8-yard line, you don’t need a touchdown, the priority should be a first down at the 4 yard line. As Pickett fired the ball over his target Freiermuth, it became clear that all of Pickett’s options were in the endzone, with the exception of a possible dump off to Warren. There was no attempt at creating traffic over the middle to free up a receiver for a first down. Canada had clearly prioritised a touchdown in a situation where a first down would have kept the Steelers alive in the game.

That failed 4th down attempt ended any hope the Steelers had of a comeback, and the 49ers cruised to victory in a dreary 4th quarter that the road team won three to zero.

If the result wasn’t bad enough the Steelers also picked up multiple injuries in their defeat. Cameron Heyward (groin), Demarvin Leal (tricep/arm), Pat Freiermuth (chest), Chuks Okorafor (concussion protocol), Diontae Johnson (hamstring) were the injuries Coach Mike Tomlin stated in his post-game press conference.

To reverse the age-old saying, these injuries added to insult after the Steelers abysmal performance on the field.

Major areas of concern On a day that the Steelers played badly across all phases of play, every area seems a major concern right now, but many things will be corrected, however some things stand out as particular worries for this season.

This matchup against the 49ers was Matt Canada’s 36th game as an offensive coordinator. They have put up 30 points or more twice in those 36 games. While you could play devil’s advocate and say that in 2021, he had an old Ben Roethlisberger, and in 2022 he had Mitch Trubisky and a rookie Kenny Pickett, there is no excuse for Canada in this 2023 season. If the offense does not step up and start scoring above 25 points consistently in the upcoming weeks, then Canada must be fired, no matter how much continuity you might want throughout the season.

While Brock Purdy did not put up monster numbers in this game, the Steelers secondary made it look far too easy for him. Patrick Peterson was beaten for two touchdowns, and Damontae Kazee looked weak in coverage. Levi Wallace didn’t impress and had that missed tackle on McCaffrey’s touchdown run. Rookie Joey Porter Jr. was sitting on the bench most of the game, and although some may call for him to be promoted up the depth chart, a rookie isn’t going to solve the Steelers’ secondary problems instantly. Outside of Minkah Fitzpatrick, the Steelers don’t seem to have many playmakers in the secondary that are going to make impact plays.

Small victories Despite the disastrous day for the Steelers, there were still some areas of positivity for them.

TJ Watt looks to have returned to his 2021 form where he tied the sack record and won his first DPOY. Watt missed half of last season after a week 1 injury and didn’t look the same even when he did return, but after recording 3 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery, the Steelers star edge rusher looks as if he will be putting together another strong DPOY campaign this season. What this usually means for the Steelers is success, as they went 8-2 with him last season, and 1-6 without him.

Rookie tight end Darnell Washington didn’t have a catch in the game, but he did look good blocking, even pancaking DPOY Nick Bosa at one point. Considering blocking isn’t the strongest aspect of Pat Freiermuth’s game, having Washington in there to support the offensive line could be significant for the Steelers’ run game this season.

What does the season look like now? The loss to the 49ers was nothing short of an embarrassment. Outside of one or two players, the Steelers simply didn’t show up. Having said this, there is no need to overreact. Kenny Pickett was very bad on Sunday, but that does not mean he cannot have a big breakout season. The Steelers were playing one of the best teams in the NFL, and although that is no excuse for how underprepared they were, it is a necessary point to put everything in perspective. This is a young team with lots of talent, and they will grow and get better as the season goes on. If Kenny Pickett is playing that badly 7 weeks into the season, then it might be time to panic. But, with all the talent the Steelers have and with Mike Tomlin as their head coach, this team still has a strong chance of making the playoffs. The upcoming Monday Night Football game against the Cleveland Browns is a huge one and the Steelers need to bounce back and show they will not be bullied all over the field this season like they were against the 49ers.