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.