The NFL season has finally arrived with Steelers vs 49ers at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday. The Steelers open as 2.5 point underdogs at home. However, many key players for the 49ers may not be active for the game.
Nick Bosa just received a massive extension, but he hasn’t practiced until yesterday. He will have just under a week to get himself into game shape if he plans on playing Sunday. In addition to Bosa, George Kittle’s status is also questionable. He was a limited participant in practice Wednesday and will most likely be a game time decision.
Regardless of injuries, every football game comes down to matchups. The Steelers may have the edge despite the 49ers being favored by Vegas.
The Shanahan offense lives and dies by the wide zone running game. It will even more so against Pittsburgh given the health of Brock Purdy and Kittle. In five losses last year, the 49ers averaged 99.2 rushing yards. In their wins, they averaged just under 150. When the 49ers can’t run, they generally lose.
The Steelers run defense is one of the strengths of their team. PFF ranked them as 10th among all teams last year, even with the loss of T.J. Watt. The Steelers defensive line was impressive last year, but should be even better in 2023.
A fully healthy version of T.J. Watt should be the biggest improvement on either side of the ball for the Steelers. He should heavily impact the defense and will create game altering plays. The organization also drafted both Keaanu Benton and Nick Herbig. They both seem to have bright futures but at the very least will be solid depth pieces against the 49ers.
Cole Holcomb, Elandon Roberts, and Kwon Alexander were all brought in during free agency. They are all better run defenders than what the Steelers had in 2022. These linebackers should have a big impact on stopping the run.
While Pickett and Purdy won’t be playing directly against each other, the figurative battle is extremely important. Pickett was the first quarterback taken in 2022, while Purdy was the last. Their development will be key for these franchises long term.
In the short term, this game projects to come down to the wire with both teams having great defenses and running games. It is a very real possibility that this will come down to which quarterback can lead a game winning drive.
This was Pickett’s specialty in his rookie year, where he led four game winning drives. The two drives against the Ravens and the Raiders were both exceptional touchdown drives very late in the game. Brock Purdy was undefeated as a starter, so it’s hard to say he couldn’t do it, but he has yet to prove his clutch factor.
The level of play the Steelers will get from their cornerbacks is largely unknown. While fans are optimistic that Patrick Peterson, Joey Porter Jr. and Desmond King will be good, there is a high level of variability. Both Peterson and King are out of their prime, and Porter Jr. is just a rookie.
Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk can both easily take advantage of sub par cornerback play. This will be a great test of the Steelers corners. If they can cover effectively, the Steelers should have a suffocating defense in this game and throughout the year.
Stay tuned for more exciting NFL content, including roster moves, in depth analysis, and more news from around the league.
Feature image courtesy of Steelers.com
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