The Good, The Bad and The Ugly of Steelers embarrassing Week 1 loss vs. 49ers

Every week through the Pittsburgh Steelers 2023 campaign, I'll diagnose the good, the bad, and the ugly regardless of the outcome of each contest. It's always wise to take note of what went particularly well but also take an extra step to see what can be improved upon. What's working, what can work a bit better, and what appears to be completely broken?

The Steelers opened the 2023 NFL regular season at home for the first time in eight years by hosting one of the NFC's highest-touted teams, the San Francisco 49ers.

Things got ugly early as the promising Steelers offense from the preseason was nowhere to be found. At one point in the first half, The 49ers had 199 yards to the Steelers 1. A late drive gave the Steelers some momentum, a few first downs, and some points, but ultimately it was not enough to sway the momentum in the Steelers' favor.

Defensively, it was difficult for the Steelers to create the necessary carnage to give the Steelers offense short-field opportunities. Despite a clear focus to drown out stars like George Kittel and Deebo Samuel, Christian McCaffrey and company dominate much of the afternoon contest in Acrisure Stadium.

The Steelers struggled mightily against one of the best teams in football, crushing the hype surrounding the Black and Gold. The Steelers will have time to lick their wounds. Before the clock hit zeros, there were some positives to take away, though not many. Building on those while addressing the bad and worse will be the task before looking to Week 2 where the Cleveland Browns await for a Monday night matchup.

The Good: T.J. Watt Does His Best To Change the Game

T.J. Watt tied the Steelers franchise sack record with James Harrison by recording the 80.5 of his career. He did so by getting three sacks within the first three quarters.

Two of those sacks were strip-sacks. The first didn't result in a turnover as Brock Purdy somehow retained possession with the ball pinned under his back. However, it did spark momentum that translated later into the Steelers' final offensive drive of the first half, which ended with a touchdown.

The second was a fun one, as Watt arrived at Purdy with his fellow Wisconsin Badger Nick Herbig. Watt got full credit for the sack, but it was a sign that Herbig can contribute when he's in the game.

The third one put Watt in the record book as he awaits the next opportunity to take full possession of the Steelers franchise record for sacks. Watt forced another fumble on Purdy and recovered the football clearly. Unfortunately, it didn't result in any points for Pittsburgh.

Watt is a menace in Week 1 just as he is throughout the season. As the best player on the roster, it's on his shoulders to spark the team with his play when momentum is down. He did what he had to do, it just wasn't enough.

The Bad: The Steelers Couldn't Cover Brandon Aiyuk

Levi Wallace had a day to forget, and Patrick Peterson didn't get that pick he forecasted. The Steelers can point to just how long the defense was on the field throughout the game, but that is just one of many excuses that isn't worth dwelling on.

The Steelers have a solid defense on paper. Truth be told, Pittsburgh did a solid job of containing Deebo Samuel and George Kittle. But they could not stop Brandon Aiyuk.

Prock Purdy had 220 passing yards and 129 went to Aiyuk on eight receptions. He scored both passing touchdowns from Purdy as well, the first wide-open on the 49ers' first drive and the second over Peterson in the shallow corner of the endzone.

It's understandable that someone would feast if the Steelers could corral Samuel and Kittle, but it's particularly problematic that nothing could be done to slow down the massively overlooked Aiyuk. A 1,000+ yard receiver in 2022, he's not a scrub.

Aiyuk is a strong route runner and he showed as much by consistently having considerable space on his targets.

The Steelers have a lot of turnover in the defensive backfield, so miscommunication is to be expected. Conversely, most teams don't employ the skill position firepower San Francisco has. Still, if Wallace and company are going to allow the number two receiver to have this much space to work, it's going to be a frustrating season for the Steelers defense.

The Ugly: The Steelers Poor Time of Possession

See also: Steelers couldn't establish the run, Kenny Pickett's poor ball placement, Steelers offensive line was inconsistent. All of those failures created the ultimate failure in the Steelers' lack of offensive possession.

The Steelers played horrendous football in the first half. While there was some improvement, it was never enough to truly get the Steelers back in the game.

The Steelers came out throwing, as would be expected. The 49ers' weakness is in the defensive backfield and quick throws should work against them. But the Steelers having just 41 rushing yards on 10 attempts is wholly unacceptable, especially when 25 of that came on one rush by Najee Harris.

When a team gets down early, they're forced to be one-dimensional. Naturally, the more times a quarterback puts the ball in the air, the higher the odds things can go south with quickness.

The 49ers front seven, particularly Fred Warner, controlled the football game. They took away underneath throws, swarmed Pickett with pressure, and stuffed every Steelers rushing attempt save one.

Again, the 49ers are elite in the areas that matter most. It's why they're one of the four or five best teams in the entire league. But if the Steelers are to be a playoff team in 2023, it can't be excusable to struggle so massively in its offensive efforts.