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Twitter exploded after Matt Canada called a jet sweep on the first Steelers drive.
It only took two plays for Pittsburgh Steelers fans to remember they hate offensive coordinator Matt Canada. After a nice completion on the first play of the game, Canada called one of his famous jet sweeps that went nowhere. This brought out the fans on Twitter in a hurry.
Both team’s starting offensive tackles are in the spotlight this week with Nick Bosa and T.J. Watt going against them.
Even though the NFL is the ultimate team game, wins and losses can often come down to the matchups. This week the Pittsburgh Steelers square off against the San Francisco 49ers and these are the four matchups to keep an eye on this week.
This week’s game between the Steelers and Niners is just too close to call.
The game of the week in Week One of the NFL regular season is the matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and San Francisco 49ers. It is too bad this game is stuck in the early Sunday spot when it really should be in prime time.
In breaking down both of these teams this game really is too close to call. NFL experts all over the internet share that belief based on how the consensus picks are split. According to NFL Pick Watch, the split on expert picks on this game is currently 51 percent to the Niners and 49 percent to the Steelers.
Surprisingly, Pittsburgh and San Francisco have only played each other five times. The Niners lead the all-time series with a 2-3 record and most recently beat the Steelers 24-20 in 2019.
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The Steelers offense needs to be balanced and allow Kenny Pickett the freedom to move around and make plays.
The Pittsburgh Steelers starters played five drives in the preseason. Every one of those drives ended in a touchdown. And almost all of them were in a dynamic fashion. The only question is whether or not we will see that type of offense on Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers.
On the other side, the Niners have one of the stoutest defenses in the NFL. When the Steelers offense and Niners defense square off, something has to give. Here’s what we expect to see when Pittsburgh has the football.
Balance on offense and attacking on defense is how Pittsburgh beats San Francisco.
There are two ways to look at the Pittsburgh Steelers season opener against the San Francisco 49ers. If the Steelers lose to the Niners, it will be long forgotten. On paper, the Niners are a better team so while pundits might wonder what happened, in the big picture this game won’t carry a ton of weight.
But if the Steelers win, it’s a statement. A team that completely rebuilt its roster over the last two years, notorious for slow starts going out in the first week of the season and beating one of the top teams in the NFC? That would be the type of win to give Pittsburgh momentum for the rest of the season.
Here are the Steelers four keys to victory.
Pittsburgh Steelers star defenders T.J. Watt and Cam Heyward can break James Harrison’s franchise sack record of 80.5 this season.
Brock Purdy, beware. T.J. Watt and Cam Heyward, two of the most proficient quarterback harassers in the league, are typically on fire from game to game, but having the opportunity to be crowned a franchise leader brings with it a little more oomph.
No extra motivation will be needed when the Pittsburgh Steelers defense first takes the field this afternoon. The first brawl of the season is always something special that way, but Watt and Heyward will be licking their chops at the San Fransisco 49ers quarterback as they race toward the Steelers franchise sack record of 80.5 set by James Harrison in 2016 (177 games).
Watt and Heyward have 77.5 and 78.5, respectively, but it’s taken the former Defensive Player of the Year just 87 games to Heyward’s 183.
Steelers franchise leaders in sacks:
80.5 — James Harrison
78.5 — Cam Heyward
77.5 — T.J WattWho between Heyward and Watt break the record first? pic.twitter.com/ZmfevXmVDh
— SteelCityMuse (@steelcitymuse) September 8, 2023
With his sack on Cleveland Browns quarterback Cody Kessler in Week 11 of the 2016 season, Harrison took the crown of the sack leader from Jason Gildon, who logged 76 career sacks in 2003 (151 games). Gildon had 76 career sacks, breaking L.C. Greenwood’s unofficial mark of 73.5 (174 games). Sacks were not an NFL statistic until 1982.
Who do you think will be the first to break the record? Cast your vote below.
[polldaddy poll=12742455]
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The Steelers defense is going to have to play smart, agressive football vs the Niners.
Last season the Pittsburgh Steelers defense took a step back. This was due in large part to a pectoral injury to edge rusher T.J. Watt that sidelined him for seven games and limited him in at least two more. To be blunt the entire defense collapsed without the presence of No. 90 on the field.
But Watt is back and the front office has made improvements at all three levels. This week the Steelers square off with the San Francisco 49ers who boast one of the most dynamic and balanced offenses in the NFC. There’s nothing like the team’s biggest test right out of the gate.
Here’s what to expect when the Steelers are on defense.
Darnell Washington, Patrick Peterson and Isaac Seumalo are just three of the Steelers newcomers we can’t wait to watch.
The Pittsburgh Steelers rolled over a significant amount of the roster in the offseason. More than a half dozen new faces will see significant reps on Sunday when the Steelers take on the San Francisco 49ers. Here are our six favorite newcomers this week that we can’t wait to watch play.
Steelers vs Niners: CB Patrick Peterson planning on an interception against Brock Purdy
The Pittsburgh Steelers lost cornerback Cameron Sutton to free agency but by replacing him with Patrick Peterson, there should be no dropoff. Peterson is a future Hall of Fame player and this week against the San Francisco 49ers, Peterson called his shot.
Peterson noted that Purdy has “tell signs” and he is planning to get an interception. He also said he’d talk more about the tells after the game once he has the pick.
Purdy was asked about his signs and seemed genuinely confused about it. “I don’t really know what to say about that,” Purdy said. He did get Peterson his props for being a great player but said we would just have to wait and see.
Purdy took over the Niners starting job last season as a rookie and the last quarterback selected in the 2022 NFL draft. He will square off against Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett on Sunday who was the first quarterback taken in that same draft.
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It looks like the Steelers will face Nick Bosa on Sunday.
Well, any hope that the Pittsburgh Steelers wouldn’t have to see EDGE Nick Bosa on Sunday when the Steelers take on the San Francisco 49ers is probably lost. According to NFL reporter Ian Rapoport,
This contract makes Bosa the highest-paid pass rusher in the league, passing up Steelers EDGE T.J. Watt.
Bosa has held out for all of training camp and the preseason while his representatives and the Niners negotiated this deal. This is very similar to how the Steelers and Watt were the year previous with his new contract.
Sources: The #49ers and All-Pro edge Nick Bosa have agreed to terms on a massive new contract extension, with the reigning Defensive Player of the Year becoming the highest paid pass-rusher in the NFL.
Bosa’s holdout is over, as he gets a 5-year, $170M deal. pic.twitter.com/WZOjPqXGc0
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 6, 2023
Bosa’s new contract resets the market for pass rushers. If Watt comes back better than ever from his injury in 2022, you can bet he will have an eye on this sooner rather than later if he decides he deserves a raise.
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