NFL Week 1: Keys for Steelers defense vs. 49ers
Steelers Need That Week 1 Turnover Magic
In each of the Steelers last three regular season opener wins, Pittsburgh won the turnover battle.
Last year was egregious. The Cincinnati Bengals gave the Steelers defense the football five times. In 2021, the Steelers forced one turnover against the Buffalo Bills. The New York Giants in 2020 turned the ball over twice.
If this holds up, there's a 50/50 shot T.J. Watt gets a pick vs 49ers. That's pretty insane Week 1 production. https://t.co/rWHBsrK19f
— Tommy Jaggi (@TommyJaggi) September 6, 2023
Brock Purdy only had four interceptions and one fumble he didn't lose during his rookie season. With so much talent around him, it's not too surprising that facilitating the football to his playmakers took away the opportunity to make bone-headed decisions that cost his team.
The 49ers won eight games with him at quarterback for a reason.
Conversely, Samuel and McCaffrey didn't earn their league-wide respect by putting the ball on the turf either. Forcing turnovers won't be easy against a team that gave up the third-fewest in the league last year with just 17 total giveaways.
dark. Next. 3 questions the Steelers must answer in Week 1 against the 49ers. 3 questions the Steelers must answer in Week 1 against the 49ers
But the Steelers have some magic to them in Week 1, particularly in recent seasons. While replicating last year's dominance might be an unrealistic demand, winning the turnover battle and giving Kenny Pickett and his offense more opportunities to put points on the board with short fields would be more than significant.