The Pittsburgh Steelers' first team offense had a perfect preseason. They touched the ball five times and scored five touchdowns. Mike Tomlin saw enough in those five possessions to be comfortable with his offense's progress from the end of 2022 to do something out of character. Tomlin defied NFL convention and took the ball when the Steelers won the toss against the San Francisco 49ers. It turned out to be a big mistake.
Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger
Steelers future Hall of Fame quarterback Ben Roethlisberger discusses Week 1 loss to 49ers, 30-7.
On Monday night, Ben Roethlisberger and Spencer Te’o debuted Episode 34 of Footbahlin With Ben Roethlisberger. The former Steelers signal-caller was not shy about giving his thoughts about the 49ers' beatdown on his former team.
“I knew the Niners were good,” Roethlisberger began. “The biggest question was going to be around the quarterback Brock Purdy. The Niners have a great defense. It is going to be a big test. It looked to me like the Steelers were playing in the preseason still and the Niners were amped up like for a postseason already.”
The Steelers and Kenny Pickett did their best to push everyone off the fastest-filling bandwagon in the NFL leading up to this game. In retrospect, everyone who predicted that the Steelers would win this game probably fired up the 49ers, who have been to three of the last four NFC Championship games.
“I thought Kenny was off today,” Roethlisberger continued. “Which we hadn’t seen all preseason. I’ve talked about it on this show, did he get enough reps in preseason? There’s a lot of Monday morning quarterbacks that are going to ask the what-ifs. I’ll be one right now. It’s a legit question. Did he have enough reps?”
Steelers Legendary Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger Critical Over Mike Tomlin's Decision On Offense
Roethlisberger brought this point up several times in recent podcasts. The first team offense dominated the competition so thoroughly in the preseason that the Steelers ended up with very few first team repetitions for a second-year quarterback who has yet to start an entire season. The future Hall of Famer ended up being right on the mark. When the offense got smacked in the mouth early, it did not know how to respond.
“He [Pickett] was off today,” Roethlisberger continued. “He hadn’t been off at all, so far. He was behind on a lot of throws. He missed a lot of throws that he shouldn’t miss. Usually doesn’t. He has been on point. Today, he wasn’t. Was it nerves, was it jitters, was it just how good the Niners were?"
If we evaluate honestly, it was likely both nerves and the 49ers. Social media doctors have suggested that Pickett could have been concussed after an early sack. Pittsburgh is one of the leading centers for neuroscience, so suggesting they might ignore a head injury to their quarterback is, at best, irresponsible.
Justin K. Aller / Getty Images
Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett faced heavy pressure all game during the team's home opener against the San Francisco 49ers.
The 49ers are one of the best defenses in the NFL. After what they did in Pittsburgh, they might be the best in the NFL this season. It certainly is the best defense that Pickett has faced in his career. He looked overwhelmed and off-kilter, except for one drive late in the first half. He executed a two-minute drill with no timeouts to go 95 yards and give the Steelers a ray of hope at halftime.
“The touchdown to Pat [Freiermuth],” Roethlisberger observed. “The little stick route. That was as good of a throw as you are going to see by anybody in the NFL. I mean, it was the tightest of coverage, right where it had to be. That’s what we have been seeing from him. Today, he was just off. I’m not saying that if he would have been on point, the outcome would have been different. We went three and out, three and out. Our defense had to be exhausted.”
Until the final drive of the first half, the Steelers had only one yard of offense and no first downs. It was an abysmal performance that hung the defense out to dry. It was 20-0, with the 49ers controlling the ball for two-thirds of the first half. The Steelers' defensive unit made some mistakes, but if they had a chance to regroup and rest, they might have performed better in Week 1.
“When you are out there and you’re just getting pummeled, they’re scoring and doing all these things, that’s really hard to put your defense in that situation. I’ve been there. I’ve been in situations when we can’t stay on the field. You’re like, ‘I’m sorry D, I’m not trying to.’ That was the issue in the first half.”
The Steelers lost in all three phases of the game. Roethlisberger pointed out that the defense being on the field too long was a recipe for disaster on opening day. It is hard to imagine a worse scenario for a season opener for a young offense.
“I’m not saying he [Pickett] is the reason they lost,” Roethlisberger concluded. “Far from that. I am sure there is some stuff inside you when it's getting going, like I got to perform. There’s expectations.”
The hype surrounding Pickett and his advancement from the end of 2022 to 2023 was predicated on camp reporting and his magnificent preseason. Pickett is not Roethlisberger. He is not great at improvising. That is okay because he prepares differently and works harder at his craft than the future Hall of Fame quarterback. The Steelers have to take the good with the bad. Pickett will be more prepared entering the game, but he may need more time to adapt to turn around a bad day.
Gene J. Puskar / AP Photo
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Diontae Johnson, right, walks off the field during the second half of an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers, Sunday, Sept. 10, 2023, in Pittsburgh.
The Steelers lost Cam Heyward, the defensive captain, for several weeks with a groin injury. Top wide receiver, Diontae Johnson as well with a hamstring injury. The Steelers had high expectations coming into the season, and it is only one game. It is daunting for Tomlin and Pickett to turn it around in just one week, but Steelers fans should expect nothing less.
What do you think, Steeler Nation? Do you have faith this is just a blip on what will otherwise be a great season? Please comment below or on my Twitter / X: @thebubbasq.
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