Steelers vs. Niners and Frightening Performance by Black and Gold

After what seemed to be a perfect preseason for the Pittsburgh Steelers, fans had high expectations for the Black & Gold in their Week 1 game against the San Francisco 49ers. However, that was far from the case. The Steelers were pummeled by the Niners, losing 30 – 7 in their home opener at Acrisure Stadium.

After a quick three and out drive by the Steelers, the Niners took control of the game. Brock Purdy, Niners quarterback, went on a 54-yard drive, resulting in a touchdown. Purdy found Wide Receiver, Brandon Aiyuk, wide open in the endzone to gain a 7 – 0 lead. Only three plays later, Steelers Quarterback, Kenny Pickett, threw an interception to Charvarius Ward, putting the Niners in great field position. However, they were only able to capitalize on a 41-yard field goal.

The Niners continued their domination in the second quarter with another touchdown to widen their lead. Once again, Purdy connected with Aiyuk on contested catch in the endzone, widening their lead, 17 – 0. They ended up kicking another field goal, increasing their lead even more. But the Steelers started to gain momentum. Pickett led the Steelers on a 95-yard touchdown drive with under two minutes to go in the half. He threw a short pass to Tight End, Pat Freiermuth, in the endzone to finally put point on the board, going into half, 20 – 7.

However, that momentum was short lived. Niners Running Back, Christian McCaffery (CMC), found a hole in the Steelers defense and rushed for a 65-yard touchdown to regain a 20-point lead, 27 – 7. After some back-and-forth action between the two teams, the Steelers had another chance to add more points of their own but were unsuccessful on their fourth down attempt. The Niners kicked another field goal to secure their win on the road.

“We got kicked in the teeth today,” said Mike Tomlin, Steelers head coach in his post-game press conference. “We got to prepare them (players) better, they got to play better and that’s just the reality of it.”

Story By:  Carlin Whalen, cjw6426@psu.edu