Wow… That was ugly. This past offseason inspired a lot of hope. A strong draft and good hype in training camp really opened the door for this team to potentially be a better-than-expected unit. Despite my reservations, I even felt myself getting caught up in the excitement late in the process. This looked like a truly different Steelers team.
Look, I’m not going to sugarcoat it. The winners' list is going to be short while the losers' list is lengthy. That said, this was only the first week, and there is still a lot of football left to be played. With that said, here are the winners and losers from the Steelers week 1 beatdown by the 49ers.
Steelers winners:
T.J. Watt
T.J. Watt was the lone bright spot consistently on either side of the football. He was back to his usual self, dominating the line of scrimmage and pressuring the quarterback. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to stop the 49ers, but he seems poised for another strong season.
Allen Robinson
I debated putting Allen Robinson on this list, but he was the brightest receiver in the room and did everything asked of him in week one. No, it wasn’t an elite performance, but in a game that was abysmal to watch, he showcased some steady play that this team will need from him.
Steelers losers:
The gameplan
I mean, what in the world happened here? The Steelers scheme seemed pretty cut and dry. They built up a strong running game and expected to craft long drives while the defense was supposed to stifle out other teams. The preseason added even more folds, as this offense looked capable of being a stronger passing unit than many had thought.
While the defense struggled with injuries, that still isn’t an excuse. They looked sloppy early in the game and allowed a quick deficit to build up. That put the pressure on the offense to shift its focus and become a pass-first team. The offense wasn’t this efficient unit like we saw in the preseason though, as the entire unit reverted back to last season's form.
This looked like the same team that was limping through games early a year ago. The offense is flat with barely any highs and the defense is an overrated unit. Strides were made to correct this in the offseason, but that seemed to be thrown out the window in week one.
Patrick Peterson
Patrick Peterson was a big talker heading into this game, calling for an interception and the ability to read the 49ers offense with ease. In turn, he gave up two touchdowns and was a lackluster cornerback for the team. I was skeptical of his addition and his first game certainly didn’t help that feeling out.
Kenny Pickett
It was a bad game from Kenny Pickett. Preseason had showcased a lot of growth, and I was hoping for a better version of Pickett to surface in this game. Instead, his accuracy was suspect and his pocket presence was poor. He was a key reason this offense struggled so much this week.
George Pickens
On the surface, George Pickens did everything that was asked of him, and his stat line wasn’t flashy but understandable for a poor offensive showing. However, the loss was clearly getting into his head, and he earned himself a late penalty because of that. I think the sky is the limit for Pickens, but stupid penalties like that will cost this team in closer games.
It was as ugly as they come for the Steelers, who talked up a big game but came out flat this week. For a team that many expected to be a dark horse playoff team, the opposite was shown here. There is a lot to correct heading into week two.