The San Francisco 49ers jumped on the Pittsburgh Steelers early and showed why they are considered a Super Bowl contender following a 30-7 victory Sunday at Acrisure Stadium. The 49ers led 20-7 by halftime.
The Steelers scored their lone touchdown with :10 seconds remaining in the opening half, when quarterback Kenny Pickett hit tight end Pat Freiermuth for a three-yard pass. Pickett was 31-for-46 in the game for 232 yards, but was picked off twice.
The lone bright spot for the Steelers was linebacker T.J. Watt who had all three of the Steelers sacks. He has now tied James Harrison for the most sacks in team history with 80-1/2 in the regular season. Watt has now had multiple sacks in the Steelers season-opener four times, with 11 sacks total in those openers.
49ers running back Christian McCaffery rushed for 152 yards, including a 65-yard touchdown run.
The Steelers had four players leave the game due to injuries, including wide receiver Diontae Johnson and defensive lineman Cam Heyward.
The Steelers host the Cleveland Browns next Monday night.
The Browns pounded the Cincinnati Bengals 24-3 in their home opener Sunday.
The Baltimore Ravens defeated the Houston Texans 25-9 in their opener, but lost starting running back J.K. Dobbins for the season with a torn Achilles.
Sunday Night Football
–Dallas shutout the New York Giants 40-0. The Cowboys defense sacked Giants quarterback Daniel Jones seven times and held him to 104 yards passing.