Patrick Peterson knows stopping the San Francisco 49ers offense won’t be easy. There’s a ton of talent on that side of the ball. But stopping them is pretty simple. For him, it comes down to one thing: sound tackling.
On the latest episode of his All Things Covered podcast with co-host and cousin Bryant McFadden, Peterson harped on that “T” word – tackling – time and time again.
“If we do a good job of tackling the guys at the point of attack, we’re gonna be in a good position to be able to sustain those guys from making big plays,” Peterson told McFadden. “Because if you go back and watch the Philadelphia Eagles game…those guys was hugging up on those check downs. When you give a dynamic running back three, four yards of space, he’s gonna make one guy miss. If we do a good job of hugging up on those checkdowns, those outlets that those guys that’s just hanging out on the sideline, those late, leak-out guys, I think we’ll be pretty in pretty good shape.”
As Peterson noted, the 49ers had the league’s best YAC attack last year. They tied the Kansas City Chiefs and Carolina Panthers for the best YAC per reception last year at 6.6, nearly three full yards better than the Steelers, who finished last in that category at just 4.0. But it’s not just about the stats. The individual weapons they have, as Peterson mentioned, are huge threats. Christian McCaffrey at running back, George Kittle at tight end, Deebo Samuel at wide receiver. And that doesn’t even mention Brandon Aiyuk, who led the 49ers in receptions and receiving yards a year ago, though he isn’t quite the YAC monster Samuel is.
“They have the number one running back, number one tight end, number one receiver with yards after the catch,” Peterson said.
A great scheme and defensive gameplan don’t matter if players can’t execute. And execution often comes down to tackling. According to Pro Football Reference, the Steelers were among the best-tackling teams in 2022, missing only 68 over the course of the season, an average of four per game. But they didn’t have to face the bevy of post-catch weapons the 49ers have, either.
Peterson knows the 49ers’ scheme is tailored to let those guys do damage after making the catch.
“When you think about it, the plays that he’s doing, Christian McCaffrey, he ain’t there running no posts,” Peterson said. “He ain’t running no dig. He’s swinging out the backfield. Deebo Samuels. He ain’t running no deep ball. He’s running drag routes, taking 4-yard routes 80.”
We’ll have a full scouting report tomorrow highlighting some of those space plays and space players. Tackling well is the obvious overall goal but to do that, the Steelers’ defense must be assignment sound, run hard to the ball, play with proper leverage, and use the right technique to execute the tackle. One concern over Pittsburgh’s defense are all the new pieces and while it’s a veteran group, there could be growing pains early in the year. Against a talented 49ers offense, that could come at a cost.
As Vince Lombardi once said, football comes down to blocking and tackling. For the Steelers to win, they have to block a tough 49ers front on offense. And on defense, they must tackle well. If not, they’ll go home Sunday with a loss in the books and an even more important Week Two matchup against the Cleveland Browns on the horizon.
Catch the whole episode and preview of the season opener in the link below.
