Steelers vs. 49ers: 5 things to know about Pittsburgh's Week 1 matchup

Can the Steelers offense duplicate their preseason efforts against the vaunted 49ers defense?

The Steelers couldn’t have asked for a better pre-season, especially from an offensive perspective. A season after finishing 26th in the NFL with an average of 18.1 points per game and tossing just 12 TD passes for the entire 17-game season, Pittsburgh looks to be much improved on offense.

According to PFF, second-year QB Kenny Pickett was the highest-graded player at his position in the preseason, grading out at 94.7. He led the Steelers to TDs on all five drives, completing 13-of-15 passes for 199 yards, 2 TDs, 0 interceptions, and a perfect 158.3 QB Rating. Coming on the heels of guiding the Steelers to within one game of a playoff berth last season as a rookie, and it’s easy to get excited about Pickett taking a big leap in 2023.

Pickett has plenty of weapons at his disposal, starting with fellow second-year player George Pickens, the wideout from Georgia. Pickens is looking to “take a big leap” as well, and his display of a wide catch radius and acrobatic receptions certainly make it seem possible that he could be the Steelers’ number one receiver soon.

The current number one receiver, Diontae Johnson, failed to catch a TD pass all of last season. But that’s virtually guaranteed not to happen again. He’s too talented of a player, with great quickness and route-running ability. 

While newcomers Robinson and Austin will strengthen the slot receiver role, it’s worth noting that returning tight ends Pat Freiermuth and Connor Heyward could be the beneficiaries of such a solid receiver group. Thanks to the blocking prowess exhibited by rookie Darnell Washington, Freiermuth, and the versatile Hayward will be able to spend some time in the slot as well.

Heyward joined Pickett and reserve RB Jaylen Warren on PFF’s list of highest-graded players during the pre-season. Stepping out of the shadow of his older brother (Cam), Connor posted a 91.8 grade. Warren posted a 91.0 grade, showing off his explosiveness with a long TD run in the Buffalo exhibition. 

Of course, starting RB Najee Harris returns to the fold on Sunday after seeing very little action during the pre-season. Harris has back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing campaigns in his first two seasons and has also proven to be a threat out of the backfield.

Sunday’s game against the 49ers will be a test for the Steelers’ offensive line. There’s a possibility that Bosa won’t be in the lineup due to his holdout, but the 49ers still have a stalwart front that now includes former Steelers DT Javon Hargrave. But with four starters returning and the addition of Seumalo, it should be a battle in the trenches.

The 49ers’ defense led the NFL by allowing just 16.3 points per game last season. This unit is led by the All-Pro Bosa and a strong linebacker group featuring All-Pro Fred Warner and fellow linebacker Dre Greenlaw. In addition, fellow All-Pro selection Talanoa Hufanga roams the secondary.

However, the 49ers did lose defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans, who became the head coach of the Houston Texans following last season. Steve Wilks takes over the DC role in San Francisco and will attempt to keep the 49ers defense on top of the league.