The San Francisco 49ers are heading to Pittsburgh to face the Steelers at Heinz Field this Sunday. The matchup is between two of the greatest franchises in the history of football, with the Steelers having ruled the ’70s and the 49ers having ruled the ’80s.
Here’s 4 reasons why the Steelers will triumph over the Niners.
1. Pittsburgh is playing at home
Let’s get one of the basic ones out of the way. Home field advantage is a huge plus in any game, and seeing as this is Pittsburgh’s first home game, fans can be sure that the stadium will be a wave of terrible towels. The Steelers went 6-2 at home during the regular season last year, and both of their losses, while to teams they should’ve beat, were within 3 points.
2. It’s a more important game for Pittsburgh
Yes, it’s only Week 2. This is the last week for Pittsburgh without running back Le’Veon Bell. Once Bell is back, one can expect the Steelers offense will begin to explode, even without wide receiver Martavis Bryant.
If the Steelers can acquire a win this week, it will help them quite a bit, while an 0-2 record to start the season could seriously hurt their morale. San Francisco already won in Week 1, and while they shouldn’t ease off the gas in a heated NFC West, it’s possible that they might.
3. Pittsburgh’s Defense
Yes, Pittsburgh’s defense. It’s hard to say Pittsburgh defense could actually be a potential factor in a victory for the Steelers. Now a days, it’s all about the offense and the need for them to constantly be on a roll for the Steelers to squeak out a victory.
This isn’t the Steel Curtain, this isn’t Blitzburgh, but it might actually help the Steelers win this Sunday. The 49ers rushed for the most yards out of any team on Monday night, a total of 230 rushing yards, but because of that, San Francisco passed for one of the least amount of yards of any team, ranking 29th league-wide.
The Steelers weak secondary may be intriguing enough to force Colin Kaepernick to throw. Let’s just say Kaepernick isn’t quite on the level as Tom Brady yet, and the Steelers secondary may actually have a chance, definitely with the 49ers lack of great receivers (They don’t have a Gronk).
Even if the 49ers do decide to rush the ball, the Steelers do have a decently stout run defense, and while fairly untested, has done a fairly good job in recent games.
4. San Francisco’s tough offseason
People have been watching the 49ers closely as time and time again they have been hit with unfortunate news that has left the team in shambles. Football fans witnessed one of the most epic exodus’ of players in the history of football this offseason.
Names such as Patrick Willis, Chris Borland, Aldon Smith being players that truly defined their defense, are now gone. This Monday, the 49ers didn’t seem to have an issue with it, dismantling the Vikings and shutting them down completely.
The Steelers, with one of the best offenses in the league, is a whole different story, and could easily expose some of the offseason issues the 49ers faced. Let it also be known that the 49ers have a completely new head coach in Jim Tomsula, and it’d sure be nice to see Pittsburgh be the first defeat of his coaching career.
With all that being said, the rust should’ve been knocked off during the game at New England, and Pittsburgh should truly begin to enter full form heading into this Week 2 affair. If the Steelers defense can have a decent game, and nothing crazily bizarre happens, the Steelers should be able to force their ways out with a win.
Next: Three Steelers who need to step up
More from Still Curtain
- Kenny Pickett gets his guy in latest Steelers mock draft with trades
- Steelers face potentially dark reality if Matt Canada doesn’t pan out
- Senior Bowl sleepers the Steelers must have on their radar
- One simple change Omar Khan must make for the Steelers draft
- Veteran quarterbacks the Steelers should sign this offseason