Sep 15, 2023 By Dale Lolley for The Observer-Reporter newsroom@observer-Reporter.Com 5 min read

Well, that was a letdown.

The Steelers opened their season with a 30-7 loss to San Francisco in a game they played about as poorly as they could in all three phases – offense, defense and special teams.

Leading the way was second-year quarterback Kenny Pickett, who had his most inaccurate day in the NFL.

He missed some big throws early that would have converted first downs, and by the time he finally started to heat up a little bit the score was completely out of hand.

The Steelers didn’t play good complementary football, failing to pick up a single first down on their first five possessions, with the 49ers scoring points on four of five.

It was a far-cry different than the preseason, when the first-team offense scored on all five of its possessions.

But, as Pickett said, the 49ers’ defense is a little more stout – actually a lot more so – than the defenses the Steelers faced in the preseason.

What happened Sunday was what happens in the NFL when one team doesn’t play its best and the other team – who happens to be a good one – does. It turns into a blowout.

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• here’s always a recency bias when it comes to games like that. So, social media was afire with people calling that the “worst opening game loss in Steelers history.”

That’s ridiculous.

First, the Steelers have been around a long time. And for much of the first half of that existence, they were really bad.

Second, it wasn’t even the worst opening-game loss in the Super Bowl era. That would be a 51-0 loss the Steelers suffered in 1989 to the Browns at Three Rivers Stadium. The next week, they lost to the Bengals, 41-10.

That team rebounded to finish 9-7 and come within a play of reaching the AFC Championship. It also beat the Browns 17-7 in the rematch in Cleveland a few weeks later.

There also was a 37-7 loss to the Cowboys to open the 1997 season. That Steelers team finished 11-5.

The commonality in both of those instances was that the opponents were teams with plenty of playoff experience and knew how to win. Kind of like the 49ers, who have played in the past two NFC Championships.

Play poorly against a good team and you’re very likely to be embarrassed.

• The real problem for the Steelers is losing defensive lineman Cam Heyward for an extended period because of a groin injury that required surgery.

They’ll also be without wide receiver Diontae Johnson in the short term because of a hamstring injury.

Playing without Heyward for a stretch will be tough. But if T.J. Watt can continue to be as impactful as he was Sunday, recording three sacks and two forced fumbles, and Pickett plays better – which seems likely – the Steelers will be OK.

• It was a rough day for many of the teams in the AFC expected to be competing for playoff spots. Kansas City, Cincinnati, Buffalo and the Chargers all lost. The Jets won but lost quarterback Aaron Rodgers for the season. And even though the Ravens and Browns both won, nobody would say they played well. And Cleveland lost right tackle Jack Conklin to a knee injury for the season, while Baltimore saw the same thing happen to running back J.K. Dobbins while also losing safety Marcus Williams, left tackle Ronnie Stanley and center Tyler Linderbaum for various periods of time.

This week’s games

Browns (minus 2) at Steelers: The Steelers have won 20 consecutive home games on Monday Night Football, a streak that dates back to 1991. Cleveland’s defense played well against the Bengals, but the offense, particularly quarterback Deshaun Watson, wasn’t great. It will be tough for the Steelers without Heyward and Johnson, but Tomlin has a way of getting his guys up for games like this. They should ride Najee Harris. Take the Steelers, 23-20

Ravens (plus 3) at Bengals: The Bengals’ offense was atrocious in Cleveland. Baltimore’s offense wasn’t much better. And as poorly as Joe Burrow has performed against the Browns, he’s tortured the Ravens. And that was when Baltimore’s defense was much better than this current crew. Take the Bengals, 27-17

Saints (minus 3) at Panthers: The three rookie starting quarterbacks in the league went 0-3 last weekend and had typical rookie problems. The Saints are the better team in this spot and should get out of the gate 2-0. Take the Saints, 26-13

Jets (plus 9½) at Cowboys: Two good defenses take the field in Dallas. This will be a low-scoring affair, despite Dallas hanging 40 on the Giants last week. The Jets will lean heavily on their running game with Rodgers done for the season. And their defense is legit. Take the Jets to cover in a 20-13 loss

49ers (minus 7½) at Rams: If 49ers fans filled up Acrisure Stadium what will they do in Los Angeles? The 49ers might be the best team in football. The Rams, despite beating the Seahawks last week, are not in that class. Take the 49ers, 31-14

Last Week’s Record: 4-1 Straight up, 3-2 ATS

Overall Record: 4-1 Straight up, 3-2 ATS