The Steelers are now back at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, facing down a long regular season that looks a lot more promising given how things have gone leading up to it. Finishing just above .500 last year, they anticipate being able to compete with any team in the league this season with second-year QB Kenny Pickett leading the way.
They’ve done a great deal to address what they identified as their shortcomings during the offseason, which included addressing the offensive and defensive lines as well as the secondary and the inside linebacker room, which is nearly entirely different from last year. The results have been positive so far.
Even well into the regular season and beyond, there are going to be plenty of questions that need answered. When will the core rookies get to play, or even start? Is the depth sufficient where they upgraded? Can they stand toe-to-toe with the Bengals and the other top teams in the league? We’ll try to frame the conversation in relevant ways as long as you stick with us throughout the season, as we have for many years.
Question: What’s your biggest hot take following the Steelers’ hot mess of a loss to the 49ers?
If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the past 11 years following a bad loss, it is that most fans have zero interest in being rational, reasonable, or logical. They don’t want to hear about anything positive. T.J. Watt tying James Harrison for the franchise sack record with a three-sack game would have been a huge story—if the Steelers didn’t otherwise stink. Fans just don’t care in this context. And to be fair, neither does Watt.
So let’s have it out. Give me your biggest genuine hot take following the Steelers’ 30-7 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, during which they never looked competitive. San Francisco played nearly the entire game with the lead. The offense didn’t even register a first down in the first 28-plus minutes.
Outside of Watt, and perhaps Anthony McFarland Jr., it’s hard to find anybody from this game to get too excited about. It’s a lot easier to go the other way, and few will look any further than the cap’n. QB Kenny Pickett certainly didn’t look like a franchise guy yesterday.
For some, the game was proof that Pickett never had ‘it’ and never will. This clearly isn’t the preseason anymore. The running game went nowhere, even if the Steelers didn’t try very hard to get it going. The run defense was embarrassing. WR Brandon Aiyuk had a free pass though the secondary skyway.
Damontae Kazee did not look good. Are we missing Terrell Edmunds? Cameron Sutton’s Lions beat the Kansas City Chiefs, while Patrick Peterson, who promised an interception, gave up two touchdowns.
There’s a lot of ammunition for the hot take machine. Lock and load. Let’s hear it, because this is your chance to air your grievances. Right after that, we get back to work.
