Brock Purdy, Brandon Aiyuk Shine in 49ers Easy Victory Against Steelers
What a victory for the San Francisco 49ers.
It isn't easy to go into Heinz Field and defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers, but the 49ers did exactly that. In fact, they did it with ease and were in control from the very start of the game. Much of that easy victory is thanks to the efforts of Brock Purdy and Brandon Aiyuk. These two shined the brightest of any players on the 49ers in their 30-7 win.
Purdy looked silky smooth without any worry in the world. He completed 19-of-29 passes for 220 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions. It was critical to see if he would look calm and natural. Plenty of times when a player comes back from a serious injury, they end up playing timid in their return. That wasn't the case with Purdy. All game long his throws and pocket presence were money.
Purdy was especially money when he connected with Aiyuk. There needs to be a police report made on Aiyuk after what he did to cornerback Patrick Peterson. He completely DESTROYED Peterson all game long. Aiyuk finished the day with eight catches for 129 yards and two touchdowns. The highlight of the day for Aiyuk was when Purdy threw him a beautiful 19-yard dime for a score. It was, of course, against Peterson. Felt like Aiyuk and Purdy were trying to send Peterson into early retirement.
The Steelers had ZERO answers for the 49ers. They were steamrolled all game long and were completely dismantled. It's not like the Steelers are slouches either, so this is a phenomenal win for the 49ers who tend to start their season's out slowly. Maybe 2023 will finally be different for them as they kick off with great momentum.
Honorable mentions -- Christian McCaffrey and Drake Jackson.
McCaffrey did his thing as usual. He was electric with the ball in his hands and made defenders look silly. His main highlight was when he ripped off a 65-yard touchdown run early in the third quarter. McCaffrey finished with 22 carries for 151 yards and one touchdown along with three catches for 17 yards.
As for Jackson, he had himself a day with not one, not two, but THREE sacks. It looks like the leap that the 49ers coaches were saying all offseason may have been taken by him. Offenses will now be paying for focusing on Nick Bosa as Jackson will reap the rewards of little to no attention.
Business as usual for the 49ers who will now turn the page to the Rams next week.
