Tag: Pittsburgh Steelers vs. San Francisco 49ers

Steelers CB Patrick Peterson words come back to haunt him

Pittsburgh Steelers DB Patrick Peterson predicted a big game for himself versus 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, and the opposite happened.

There’s always a risk that comes with showing swagger in predicting something will happen on a national stage such as the NFL that it’ll come back to haunt you.

That’s exactly what happened to Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back Patrick Peterson.

Though he had never played a game in a Steelers uniform, he forecasted an interception of 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy. “When I get my pick Sunday, we’ll talk about it,” Peterson said on his All Things Covered podcast with ex-Steeler Bryant McFadden. “There is some tell signs out there that tells us what plays we’re gonna get from those guys in certain situations.”

So much for that. He might want to be the better man and eat his words after giving up two scores and 129 yards to receiver Brandon Aiyuk.

Peterson brushed it off. “I had two opportunities to get two picks, I just didn’t grab it in,” he told TribLive’s Tim Benz of the “tells” he was so confident about.

In his first game after recovering from an elbow injury that cut his rookie season short, the defense allowed 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy to pass the ball with ease. He went 19-of-29 for 220 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. Peterson’s prediction came far from true.

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Purdy Perfect, Kenny Pickett … not so much

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Kenny Pickett struggled mightily in their 2023 regular season opener versus the San Francisco 49ers.

There was a lot of talk surrounding Kenny Pickett‘s perfect preseason. Perhaps too much. No one expected it to follow him into the 2023 regular season opener versus the San Francisco 49ers. But no one (except the haters) expected him to perform as poorly as he did, either.

The Niners are tough — their Super Bowl-caliber ways didn’t budge during the offseason, and they appear to be continuing that trajectory. Concerns about how quarterback Brock Purdy would bounce back from the late-season elbow injury were erased from the first snap.

Pickett never found a rhythm, which showed in the final numbers: 31-of-46, 232 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions and five sacks. Social media had a field day with him early and often. His offensive line, which was expected to be improved from last season, wasn’t.

The struggles weren’t just Pickett’s. T.J. Watt tying James Harrison’s franchise sack record (80.5) aside, both sides of the ball seemed to be walking through cement for all four quarters. As said umpteen times by the FOX broadcasters, the 49ers are really, really good. But the Steelers looked really, really bad.

Pickett needs to dissect film, learn from his mistakes and proceed to completely erase the game and his ugly performance . Look forward, not back.

If you’re mentally weak, this game will eat you alive,” Pickett said on a recent Steel Here podcast. “I feel like I’m in a good place mentally, and I’m excited to get going.”

Hopefully, that attitude remains.

But if this is a sign of things to come in 2023, it will be a long season. It’s time to shake off that rust and regroup as Pittsburgh heads into Week 2 on a consecutive national game on the Monday Night Football stage against the rival (1-0) Cleveland Browns. They cannot afford to start the season 0-2.

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Steelers injuries continue to pile up vs. 49ers

The Pittsburgh Steelers are down three starters versus the San Francisco 49ers.

Sheesh. A bit of a surprise to many, the Pittsburgh Steelers are utterly getting dominated by the San Fransisco 49ers on both sides of the ball. Now they’re forced to get through the game with a few key starters, in addition to the Cam Heyward exit earlier.

5 players Mike Tomlin named during opening press conference

As usual, Steelers HC Mike Tomlin praised his team’s upcoming 49ers opponent, especially the likes of Nick Bosa and Christian McCaffrey.

The first workweek of the Pittsburgh Steelers 2023 regular season kicked off with Mike Tomlin’s weekly press conference today. As usual, he praised several players of their first opponent, the San Fransisco 49ers.

Steelers vs Niners: 4 early casuses for concern this week