Coach Mike Tomlin didn’t mince words after the Pittsburgh Steelers were humiliated 30-7 by the San Francisco 49ers.
“You can’t start games 0-5 on third down and expect to have the kind of day you want,” Tomlin said. “You have to win the heavy downs, and it’s more than just identifying that component, man.” It was a total failure on our behalf. We need to improve our coaching and our play.
The Steelers (0-1) converted just 5 of 15 third-down opportunities, while the 49ers (1-0) converted 6 of 13. The Steelers didn’t even get a first down until there were fewer than two minutes left in the first half. The Steelers lost the time of possession battle 37:23 to 22:37, and the offence struggled to develop any form of rhythm or ground game, particularly in the first half.
“We just didn’t execute, honestly,” quarterback Kenny Pickett said. “I believe it was more of us than them.” What I was witnessing and what they were doing made me feel at ease. We just did not execute.”
That lack of execution was somewhat shocking given that the Steelers’ starting offence scored touchdowns on all five of their preseason possessions. The Steelers had one net yard, no first downs, four punts and an interception in their first five possessions against the 49ers.
“I think San Fran’s starting defence is a little bit better than some of the preseason teams we played,” the second-year quarterback explained the offensive disparity from preseason to regular season. “They’re a good team, but at the end of the day, we didn’t execute at anywhere near the level that we needed to, that we wanted to.”
Pickett, who completed 31 of 46 passes for 232 yards, was at his best right before halftime in the two-minute offence, orchestrating a 95-yard drive capped by a 3-yard Pat Freiermuth touchdown catch.
Pickett threw two interceptions following a preseason and training camp in which he shown strong decision-making and accuracy. He was sacked five times as well. Not only were several of Pickett’s throws off-target, but he wasn’t always on the same page with his receivers. Pickett and Freiermuth had a misunderstanding on a fourth-down pass to the end zone in the second half after talking about offensive coherence during the preseason, resulting in a promising drive coming up empty.
“That happens,” Pickett said. “Pat just saw one route. I perceived it differently.That doesn’t bother me. I’m concerned about our ability to remain together, play balanced football, and accomplish what we’ve worked so hard to do.”
Running back Najee Harris, who gained 31 yards on six attempts, was upbeat about the team’s potential to bounce back ahead of Monday night’s game against division foe Cleveland.
“We’ve got 16 games left,” Harris said. “We’re not even blinking.” It’s all part of the game. You will win some, and you will lose some. All that counts is how you’re going to return the next week and win that one. So here we are, still optimistic for this year.”
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