AFC North Power Rankings sees dramatic drop of Bengals after Week 1
- Bengals in the basement
- Who takes the top spot between the Browns and Ravens?
By Glenn Adams
3. Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers were in the unenviable position of going up against the San Francisco 49ers in the season opener. As one of the best teams in the NFL and a Super Bowl contender, San Francisco looked the part right out of the gate, whereas the Steelers decidedly did not.
The Steelers defense gave up 188 total rushing yards to the 49ers rushing attack. Christian McCaffrey ran for 152 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries. The Steelers defense also allowed a 100-yard receiver, Brandon Aiyuk. He had eight receptions for 129 yards and two touchdowns on eight targets. They were not the dominant Pittsburgh defense we are accustomed to watching play.
Unfortunately for the Steelers, they suffered miscues on both offense and defense. Missed assignments cost them touchdowns on defense, while missed cues and miscommunications cost them turnovers on offense.
In the end, the Steelers fell to the 49ers 30-7.
While they didn’t fare much better than the Cincinnati Bengals in their first outing of the season, their passing offense more than doubled that of the Bengals. Furthermore, expect the 49ers to end up as a better team than the Browns but that could eventually be proven wrong. After all, it is a long season.