The Pittsburgh Steelers know their Week 1 opponent will be the San Francisco 49ers, but they don’t know what quarterback they’ll be facing in Week 1. While Brock Purdy, last year’s Mr. Irrelevant who led San Francisco to the NFC title game in relief of the injured Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo, would start if he’s healthy, Purdy got injured in that game and his status for Week 1 is unclear. Appearing on the Pat McAfee Show, ESPN insider Adam Schefter said that the 49ers are optimistic that Purdy will be ready for Week 1.
“They have a whole game plan for him,” Schefter said. “They’re optimistic, optimistic, but don’t know if he’ll be ready for opening day. There’s a whole plan in place.”
Even if Purdy is good to go, his level of readiness will be up in the air. He likely won’t get much, if any, action during the preseason. With that much time off from football, going up against a talented Pittsburgh defense in the season opener could make it a tough day for Purdy.
If Purdy isn’t ready to go, either Lance or Sam Darnold would start. Pittsburgh beat Darnold last year when he was the quarterback of the Carolina Panthers, while the team has never faced Lance. Purdy would likely be the best option out of the bunch, especially with Lance coming off a major knee injury, but with Purdy coming off injury himself it could lend itself to being a favorable matchup for Pittsburgh.
Playing San Francisco early in the season could prove to be advantageous. While they have one of, if not the best, defense in the NFL, a shaky quarterback situation early in the year definitely helps out the Steelers.
As Purdy gets healthier and more comfortable as the season progresses, San Francisco is only going to get more dangerous. I still expect it to be a close game given just how talented San Francisco’s defense and run game is, and the two teams will play a very similar brand of football. But the game tilts more in Pittsburgh’s favor Week 1 than it would in say, Week 13.
Even with Purdy banged up, Pittsburgh is going to have to play its best football to beat the 49ers. Their defense features reigning Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa, and they added former Steelers DT Javon Hargrave this offseason. The secondary is led by Talanoa Hufanga, who broke out last season at safety, and linebacker Fred Warner is a persistent threat in the middle of the defense. It’s going to be a tough matchup for Kenny Pickett, and it’s going to be a game likely decided by each team’s respective running games.
Pittsburgh’s is led by Najee Harris, while the 49ers feature do-everything Christian McCaffery. It’s going to be an old-school, defense and run game type of game, and I can’t wait to watch it.
