Mike Tomlin Vows Steelers Will Create Explosive Plays vs. 49ers

Mike Tomlin and the Steelers will face a talented 49ers secondary led by Talanoa Hufanga, but that does not mean they will shy away from anything. Tomlin expects the Steelers to test that secondary deep down the football field. After Kenny Pickett and the offense did just that in the preseason, nothing will change from what worked in the preseason to now.

On The Mike Tomlin Show, Tomlin addressed that after being asked about the preseason success but weighing the risk of turnovers. But Tomlin wants his offense to be efficient and explosive. To do that, the team has to take care of the football but execute those plays at a high level.

“That’s our intention,” Tomlin said. “We are going to be aggressive, appropriately so, moving forward. Understand that they are very good at what they do, and part of being good at what you do defensively is keeping a lid on it. So, we have to proceed with caution. But when you’re pursuing greatness, risk-taking is a part of it, calculated risk-taking. That’s what you’re talking about when you’re drawing up big plays schematically.”

With the return of Nick Bosa, it will be more challenging for the Steelers to do much of anything without protecting up front. That is the key, especially if they want to expose the weakness that the 49ers may have on the back end of their defense. Warren Sharp discussed what the Steelers could do, and it became clear that Pittsburgh had to push the ball down the field.

When targeting the 49ers within 15 yards of the line of scrimmage, there was not a defense better in the NFL last year in terms of EPA per attempt. However, their efficiency fell to 31st when the ball got pushed down the field past 15 yards. In other words, the bat signal just went out for George Pickens. Despite likely drawing Charvarius Ward, Pickens has been the explosive play element of the Steelers’ offense that they have missed for so long.

🗣️ the Steelers NEED to attack deep

last year the 49ers pass D splits based on target depth:

passes < 15 yards downfield?

#1 (-0.10 EPA/att)

passes 15+ yards downfield?

#31 (+0.71 EPA/att)

if Pickett has time, Pittsburgh must look to hit some explosives via @SportsGrid pic.twitter.com/zSQSBEw26Z

— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) September 9, 2023

Ward, Deommodore Lenoir, and Ambry Thomas against Pickens, Diontae Johnson, and Allen Robinson II favor the Steelers differently for each matchup. This becomes glaring if Ward doesn’t play due to a heel injury. Ward and Pickens is a heavyweight fight, Johnson should have a mismatch no matter who he faces. Meanwhile, Robinson’s savviness and even Calvin Austin’s speed give the Steelers much to play with here.