The 49ers tried their best to give away their home opener. Their offense turned it over five times, including three in the red zone, but they still managed to come away with a 24-20 victory.
Here are nine takeaways from the 49ers’ first home game of the year:
49ers 3-0 for the first time in forever
If a person was born the last time the 49ers were 3-0, they’d be able to legally purchase alcohol in the United States. San Francisco’s win over Pittsburgh pushed them to 3-0 for the first time since 1998 when Steve Mariucci guided them to a 3-0 start and a playoff berth. Between 1990 and 2013, teams that started 3-0 went on to make the playoffs 75 percent of the time according to FiveThirtyEight.
Five early miscues …
The 49ers have managed to get through the first couple weeks without too many crucial mistakes. They had two on back-to-back possessions to open the game. First, Matt Breida had a ball pop out of his hands and into the arms of TJ Watt for an interception. San Francisco followed that up with a fumble on a toss play that lost them 18 yards. Their third possession ended in an interception off the hands of Dante Pettis. The 49ers got into the red zone on their fourth possession and it ended on a Raheem Mostert fumble. Their fifth possession went into the red zone again, but Jimmy Garoppolo fumbled the snap and the Steelers recovered.
… but the defense holds
San Francisco could’ve been blown out early in Sunday’s game, but the defense did a tremendous job holding the Steelers to just six points on four 49ers turnovers in their first five series. The 49ers invested heavily in their defensive front, and that unit’s dominance has elevated the play of the entire defense. It helped them stay in the game against Pittsburgh in a brutal first half.
No, seriously. The 49ers defense was great
Surely Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph making his NFL debut helped the 49ers defense some, but they were sensational all day Sunday. They were fast, aggressive, constantly around the football, and their heavy investment on the defensive line has paid off with a unit that comes in waves for four quarters. If San Francisco is going to make a push for a playoff spot, it’s going to start with this defense.
Garoppolo to Samuel rapport growing
Deebo Samuel is very quickly rising up the 49ers’ wide receiver ranks. The rookie hasn’t gotten off to a slow start thanks to a growing rapport with Garoppolo. The quarterback found the rookie three times for 44 yards on four targets. What stood out though was the 50-50 ball Garoppolo threw up for Samuel deep down the middle of the field in the second half Sunday. He trusted the receiver to go up and make a play, and Samuel nearly answered the bell. He pulled the ball down and secured it, but the ground jarred the ball loose for an incompletion. Garoppolo’s willingness to throw that ball speaks volumes.
Jeff Wilson Jr. – Touchdown machine
Wilson was activated from the practice squad in Week 2 and quickly became the 49ers’ go-to short-yardage back. He plowed in for two more touchdowns Sunday after scoring two against the Bengals. He has four scores on 18 carries this season.
Rough debut for Jason Verrett
Verrett entered the game for Ahkello Witherspoon who was carted off with a foot injury. He was tested on the first play and had to drag the receiver down because he got beat so badly. Pittsburgh went after him again the very next play and beat him for an easy 39-yard touchdown. Emmanuel Moseley was in at right corner for the rest of the game. San Francisco can’t afford for Witherspoon to be out long.
Three red zone turnovers
The 49ers managed to win and score 24 points despite giving away three turnovers in the red zone. They had two early in the game, then a near backbreaker late when a snap hit wide receiver Richie James as he came in motion. Pittsburgh recovered and had a chance to run the clock out, but the 49ers defense came up with a takeaway of their own. San Francisco won’t get away with red zone turnovers every week.
Dante Pettis’ return
The 2018 second-round pick found his stride for the first time all year with a four-catch, 20-yard performance that included the game-winning touchdown with 1:15 left. Pettis earned only two snaps in the season opener, and then played more than half the game in Week 2 only to be ignored on offense. Garoppolo found him at the goal line when it counted though, and Pettis made a tough, contested catch to secure the win.
