The Pittsburgh Steelers opened their 2023 season on Sunday at Acrisure Stadium, and ended up getting embarrassed in a 30-7 loss. It seemed like nothing could go right for Pittsburgh, and they’ll open up the season 0-1.
The Steelers won the toss and chose to receive, and the opening kickoff from Mitch Wishnowsky was a touchback. They came out throwing, with QB Kenny Pickett finding WR George Pickens for a gain of six. But a jet pass to WR Calvin Austin III lost a yard, and then EDGE Drake Jackson sacked Pickett for a loss of ten. The Steelers had to punt, and P Pressley Harvin III booted a 34-yard punt to the San Francisco 46, where they would take over.
The 49ers were forced into a 4th and 1, but QB Brock Purdy found TE George Kittle in the flat for an 11-yard gain, and then RB Christian McCaffrey gained nine yards on a toss down to the Pittsburgh 25. He followed that up with a 17-yard gain to the Pittsburgh 8. Purdy then hit WR Brandon Aiyuk for an eight-yard touchdown. Jake Moody’s extra point was good, and the 49ers took a 7-0 lead with 9:29 left in the first quarter.
RB Anthony McFarland Jr. took back the ensuing kickoff to the 25, but RB Najee Harris lost two yards on his first carry of the game. On 3rd and 4 after a reception by Austin, Pickett was intercepted by CB Charvarius Ward, and he took it back to the Pittsburgh 48, giving the 49ers good field position for the second straight drive.
On 2nd and 11, Purdy found a wide-open Aiyuk for a 23-yard gain, but OG Spencer Burford was hit with a holding penalty on the next play. On 3rd and 14 a few plays later, the Steelers got a stop and Moody came out for a 46-yard field goal. Pittsburgh blocked the kick but went offside, and Moody hit from 41 yards. With 4:38 left in the half, the 49ers took a 10-0 lead.
The Steelers third drive started at their own 32 after McFarland’s return, but they went three-and-out again. Harvin’s 54-yard punt was returned by WR Ray-Ray McCloud 15 yards, and the 49ers started on their own 32. The 49ers picked up a first down on a five-yard gain by McCaffrey to the San Francisco 44. After an incomplete pass, McCaffrey picked up another first down on an 11-yard gain.
A false start on San Francisco was the final play of the first quarter, but San Francisco opened the second quarter with a 22-yard gain down to the Pittsburgh 17. Two plays later, Aiyuk picked up his second touchdown of the game on a 19-yard reception. The 49ers took a 17-0 lead with 13:30 left in the half.
Pittsburgh lost five yards on a pass to RB Jaylen Warren on first down, and then Pickett was nearly picked off on the next play. After a false start by OL Isaac Seumalo, Pickett was sacked on 3rd and 20 and Pittsburgh was again forced to punt. As if things could somehow get worse, Christian Kuntz was flagged for a facemask on the punt and the 49ers started at midfield.
On 3rd and 7, the 49ers converted with a 17-yard gain to Aiyuk, and then CB Levi Wallace was flagged for unnecessary roughness. The 49ers would have the ball at the Pittsburgh 16 and a new set of downs. On 2nd and 7, OLB T.J. Watt strip-sacked Purdy and it was ruled that San Francisco recovered, but Pittsburgh challenged the ruling on the field. The call stood though, and the 49ers would face a 3rd and 7. Purdy’s pass to Kittle was incomplete, and Moody came out and nailed a 32-yard field goal to put San Francisco up 20-0 with 8:22 left in the first half.
McFarland returned the ensuing kickoff to Pittsburgh’s 36, but Warren only managed a gain of one on first down. He picked up three on second down, and then Pickett’s pass to Freiermuth was incomplete on third down and Pittsburgh punted yet again.
Harvin’s punt went 34 yards and traveled out of bounds. The 49ers started at their own 24. They picked up a first down on a completion to McCaffrey, and on 3rd and 1, McCaffrey again picked up a first on a seven-yard carry, and then Purdy avoided a sack two plays later to hit WR Deebo Samuel for ten yards and a first down. But the drive stalled out with Purdy incomplete on 3rd and 15 from the Pittsburgh 42, and Wishnowksy’s punt pinned the Steelers at their own five.
On the first play of the drive, WR George Pickens gained nine yards, and on 3rd and 1, RB Najee Harris ran for 24 yards and picked up an extra 15 on an unnecessary roughness call due to a late hit. WR Allen Robinson II picked up nine yards on the ensuing first down, and then WR Diontae Johnson gained 15 yards down to the San Francisco 23. After an incomplete pass on 3rd and 3, the Steelers went for it on 4th down from the San Francisco 16 and Pickett hit McFarland Jr. for a gain of five.
Pickett spiked the ball on first down, and then George Pickens gained four yards to the San Francisco seven-yard line. An illegal contact penalty gave Pittsburgh the ball at the SF three-yard line, and Freiermuth pulled in a three-yard touchdown grab. After Boswell’s extra point, the Steelers cut the 49ers lead to 20-7 with 10 seconds left in the first half. The score would hold at 20-7 into halftime.
On the second play of the second half, McCaffrey ran for 65 yards and a touchdown. After Moody’s extra point, San Francisco took a 27-7 lead with 14:02 left in the third quarter.
The Steelers opened up their next drive with a 26-yard catch-and-run by Johnson, but he suffered a hamstring injury at the end of the play and headed to the locker room. Pittsburgh couldn’t do anything after that, and Harvin’s punt went just 28 yards. San Francisco started their drive at their own 17.
On first down, Purdy hit Aiyuk for a gain of 16 yards and a first down. Two plays later, Aiyuk gained another 15 yards, but on 3rd and 6 from the Pittsburgh 46, Purdy was sacked by Watt for a loss of nine and the 49ers had to punt.
After Wishnowsky’s punt, the Steelers started their drive at their own six-yard line. They went three-and-out.
Watt provided a spark with a strip-sack and recovered the fumble on the first play of San Francisco’s drive, setting the Steelers up at the San Francisco 39. On 3rd and 2 from the San Francisco 16, Harris was able to convert on a run up the middle. But the Steelers went for it on 4th and 4 later in the drive and failed, turning it over on downs.
The 49ers had one big play on the drive, a 22-yard grab by Aiyuk, but they eventually punted, with Wishnowsky pinning the Steelers at their own four-yard line. The Steelers picked up nine, 12 and 13 yards on the first three plays of the drive, and after a loss of two on a reception by Harris, TE Connor Heyward gained 11 yards and then Harris ran for five. But Pickett was intercepted by S Talanoa Hufanga on the next play, and the 49ers took it back to their own 49.
On 3rd and 12 from the Pittsburgh 42, Purdy scrambled for 18 yards and a first down. A few plays later, the 49ers brought out the field goal unit and Moody was good from 40 yards out to put San Francisco up 30-7 with 5:30 left in the fourth quarter.
The Steelers tried to get something going on their next drive, picking up a few first downs and on 3rd and 11 from their own 39, Pickett went deep to Robinson for a 31-yard gain. Later in the drive, on 4th and 5, Pickett was sacked for the third time on the drive, by NT Javon Hargrave, a former Steeler.
That would wrap the game up, with San Francisco going into the victory formation. The Steelers open up the season 0-1 with the Cleveland Browns, who upset the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, coming up on Monday Night Football In Week 2. San Francisco takes on the LA Rams next week.
