Alex Highsmith is ready for some football. Once a 49er himself during his days at Charlotte, it’ll soon be Sept. 10 and the San Francisco 49ers will be in town. The Pittsburgh Steelers have a regular-season opener at home for the first time since 2014 and Highsmith is embracing the challenge of seeing a team that made it to the NFC Championship Game out of the gate.
He joined the Good Morning Football crew Tuesday to preview the Week One matchup.
“We know we’ve got a challenge,” Highsmith told the show. “They’ve got a great team, a great offense. Defensively, we’re going to have to play a great game.”
A well-coached team with a sound scheme, the 49ers overcame turning to their third-string rookie quarterback in Brock Purdy last season and made it one game away from the Super Bowl. Perhaps they would’ve even gotten there had both their quarterbacks, Purdy and Josh Johnson, not gotten hurt in the contest, leaving them without any options in a blowout loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Last year, the 49ers’ offense finished sixth in points per game, fifth in yards, top 10 in virtually every rushing category, and threw the fourth-most passing touchdowns of any team. That’s called balance. Trading for RB Christian McCaffrey was a bold move but one that paid off as he found the end zone 10 times in 11 games with the team. Deebo Samuel is one of the NFL’s most unique players, a threat as a runner and receiver, while TE George Kittle is one of the most talented players at his position.
But the Steelers’ defense looks equally strong with a healthy T.J. Watt and Highsmith, who broke out last season during a 14.5 sack campaign. Getting to open things at home raises the stakes all the more.
“It’s going to be a fun matchup. I can’t wait Week One at our place,” Highsmith said. “I know Acrisure Stadium is going to be rocking.”
Despite home-field advantage, Pittsburgh will be underdogs in this game. But they’ve had a knack for pulling off Week-One upsets. In 2021, they beat the Buffalo Bills 23-16, a game in which the Bills were 6.5-point favorites. Last year, they came out on top in a zany game against the Cincinnati Bengals where the Steelers were a full touchdown underdogs.
In fact, since 2016, the Steelers have only lost one regular-season opener, throttled by the New England Patriots in 2019 (they also tied the Cleveland Browns in 2018). Pittsburgh is a team that comes ready to play and the Steelers will need it when the 49ers line up across from them.
