The Pittsburgh Steelers are hoping to turn their season around as they travel out west to take on the San Francisco 49ers. We reached out to Kyle Madson, managing editor of Niners Wire, to get some insight about this week’s game.
Aside from the return of Jimmy Garopolo, what’s the biggest reason for the 49ers’ improvement this season?
It’s all about the defense. Garoppolo has been fine, but San Francisco’s pass rush, linebacking corps and secondary are all playing at a playoff level early in the year. If they continue getting production from defensive ends Dee Ford and Nick Bosa, and continue making quarterbacks uncomfortable, the 49ers might be a legitimate threat to make the postseason.
Which positional unit are you most concerned with this week matched up against the Steelers?
Offensive tackle. You mentioned earlier in our chat that Bud Dupree hasn’t been great, but the 49ers are down starting left tackle Joe Staley. In his place is rookie sixth-round pick Justin Skule. Behind him is Daniel Brunskill, who’s a converted tight end and has never played in an NFL game. Second-year right tackle Mike McGlinchey is fine, but Garoppolo’s blind side is vulnerable against a very good Steelers pass rush.
Who is a player or two on the 49ers NFL fans don’t know enough about?
I’ll go with one on each side of the ball. On defense it’s Ahkello Witherspoon. He was a third-round pick in 2017 who followed up a good rookie year with a lackluster sophomore campaign. Now he’s playing at an All-Pro level. He has a pick-six already and is allowing a 16.0 passer rating on balls thrown his direction. On offense it has to be rookie wide receiver Deebo Samuel. He was a second-round pick and only has two NFL games under his belt, but his rapport with Garoppolo is developing quickly. He’s a threat on handoffs, screens, in the red zone and down the field. If you’re not familiar with Deebo yet, you will be by the end of the season.
If you were coaching against the 49ers, what would you do?
I’d pressure the heck out of Garoppolo. Throw every blitz in your playbook at him. He’s already susceptible to bad decisions and interceptions, and that becomes even more prevalent when he has pass rushers in his face. With the 49ers’ uncertain offensive line, I’d make life as difficult as possible for that unit. If a team does that, it’s hard to imagine the 49ers put up a ton of points.On offense I would at least try Richard Sherman. He’s still playing well, but the Buccaneers found a little success against him the last two years, but nobody else seems to want to test him. Try throwing to his side a couple times and see how it goes, especially if he’s matched up against a faster receiver.
Give me a prediction for the game.
The 49ers should win this one, which is not a thing I would’ve said before the season. San Francisco is playing their best football right now, while Pittsburgh is stumbling and dealing with the loss of their quarterback. It won’t be a blowout, though, thanks to Pittsburgh’s defense keeping it close. 49ers 23, Steelers 21
