The 49ers offense exploded for 41 points in Week 2 against the Bengals. Now they face a struggling Steelers defense Sunday in their home opener.
With the offense humming, here are the six players to watch:
LT Justin Skule
The rookie will make his first career start Sunday after Joe Staley broke his fibula last week. Skule faces a tough test against the Steelers with the likes of TJ Watt, Bud Dupree and Stephon Tuitt rushing off the edges. Watt, Dupree and Tuitt have combined for 4.5 of the Steelers 5.0 sacks. Skule had his share of struggles during the preseason and will have to step up against Pittsburgh’s pass rushers.
TE Levine Toilolo
Toilolo hasn’t been used much in the 49ers offense so far. He’s played in just 32 percent of the team’s snaps this season, all as a blocker who’s received no targets in the passing game. The 6-8, 270-pound tight end could see an increase in snaps Sunday on the left side of the line to help Skule with blocking to try to limit a rush from Garoppolo’s blindside.
RB Matt Breida
Breida is coming off a game where he averaged 10.08 yards per carry against the Bengals. He now has 158 yards on 27 carries this season thanks to his Week 2 performance. The Steelers run defense has been a mixed bag in their first two games this season. Pittsburgh held the Patriots to 3.41 yards per carry in Week 1, but in Week 2 allowed 4.58 yard per carry against the Seahawks.
QB Jimmy Garoppolo
While the Steelers run defense has been mixed, the pass defense has struggled through the first two weeks. Tom Brady threw for 341 yards in Week 1, with Russell Wilson following with 300 more. Garoppolo threw for 297 yards and three touchdowns against Cincinnatii. Pittsburgh’s defense could be ripe for the picking for Garoppolo, even though they added second-year defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick on Monday, which should improve that unit.
WR Dante Pettis
The issue of snaps played was fixed in Cincinnati. The second-year receiver was in on 49 percent of the plays after being in on just two plays in Week 1. Now the question is will Pettis see more targets? He touched the ball once in Week 2 on a double pass that saw Pettis take a lateral from Garoppolo, then complete a pass to Deebo Samuel across the field for a gain of 16. For the third week in a row, it will be interesting to see if and how Pettis is utilized in the offense.
TE George Kittle
Kittle only had three targets in the win Sunday, his fewest since Week 16 of 2017. This follows a week where he was targeted 10 times against Tampa Bay. The offense seemed to be centered on getting the ball to Samuel in Week 2, who was targeted a team-high seven times. Kittle remains the best playmaker on offense, and with Pittsburgh struggling against the pass, Shanahan could try to use the tight end in the offense more.
