The Pittsburgh Steelers matchup with the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday is a matchup between two historic teams in the history of the league and between two of the best defenses in the NFL. It’s what football should be. Throughout the preseason and heading into Week One, a lot of the focus has been on the Steelers’ offense against the 49ers defense, and seeing whether Kenny Pickett is ready to make a jump in his sophomore season. But the game is going to come down to the other side of the ball, and seeing what the Steelers’ defense will be able to do against the San Francisco offense, particularly when it comes to rushing the passer.
San Francisco has Brock Purdy, Mr. Irrelevant in 2022, under center. He started eight games last season, five in the regular season and three in the postseason, but he wasn’t sacked more than four times in any game last year. With Purdy coming off elbow surgery and not working in full throughout the offseason, Pittsburgh has a chance to rattle him early with their pass rush.
That’s going to be the key to the game for the Steelers. If they can successfully rush the passer, I like their chances of winning. In particular, the matchup between T.J. Watt and Colton McKivitz will be one to watch. McKivitz is replacing Mike McGlinchey, who signed with the Denver Broncos in the offseason, and he doesn’t have a lot of experience under his belt. With just five starts in three seasons, Watt needs to take advantage of the inexperienced right tackle and look to disrupt the 49ers rhythm early.
Watt won’t be alone. Alex Highsmith can bring some pass rush juice, although he’ll have a tough matchup against Trent Williams. Cameron Heyward should be able to generate pressure inside, as well. So can Larry Ogunjobi, if he’s healthy enough to play.
It’s going to be a close game on Sunday. I think Pittsburgh’s offense will show their improvement, but against a very talented 49ers defense, it’s still going to be a war from the opening kickoff to the final whistle. Pittsburgh is going to have to disrupt Purdy’s flow and get to him early and often. In a game that should be decided by one score, forcing Purdy into mistakes or sacking him and forcing the 49ers into tough down and distance situations will be the difference between starting 1-0 and 0-1.
I’m confident in Pittsburgh’s defense being able to get it done, but they can’t let Purdy get into any sort of rhythm early. Disrupting the flow of the game is going to be key, and if they can force turnovers or short fields for their offense, even better. But generating a good pass rush is going to be the first step, and that’s what I really want to see from the defense on Sunday.
