The Steelers and 49ers will square off on Sunday, and while the stars may tell the story of the matchup, the young quarterbacks on both sides could decide the game. Kenny Pickett and Brock Purdy seem on upward trajectories and ready for another step forward in Year 2. Mike Tomlin and Kyle Shanahan have been complimentary of both quarterbacks and each others’ teams. But when an offensive guru like Shanahan likes what he sees out of an opposing young quarterback, it’s something to take notice of from that press conference.
When talking about the team at large, Shanahan snaked back around to praise Pickett when not asked about him specifically. The Steelers and 49ers have a mutual level of respect for their respective standout players, but Pickett is no different from the perspective of what Shanahan sees.
“You then get into their offense, seeing some of the players they have and the way that quarterback’s been playing and the way he played last year at the end of the year. It’s been real impressive,” Shanahan said.
That matchup between Pickett and defensive coordinator Steve Wilks might not be the prime theater of the matchup, but it will be a critical part of the team taking steps to win the game. The blitzes that Wilks needs to dial up, and he did blitz a lot when the Steelers played Carolina last year, and watching for the ballhawk playmakers at safety for the 49ers is a crucial thing to watch in the game.
The Steelers will find out in a hurry just how legitimate their offense is and how they can test it against what was the NFL’s best defense a year ago. With Nick Bosa back in the fold, there is little question about the strength of the 49ers. They’ll have the full artillery ready for the Week 1 clash.