Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
Videos are auto-populated by an affiliate. This site has no control over the videos that appear above.
The San Francisco 49ers defense is starting to look scary good. The offense committed five turnovers on Sunday, yet the team still found a way to overcome and beat the Pittsburgh Steelers for its first 3-0 start since 1998.
DeForest Buckner must know how scary the defense appears. The Pro Bowl defensive tackle stepped up to the podium after the 24-20 victory and welcomed questions, telling reporters, "Don't be scared. Fire away."
It was just a week ago that the 49ers won a 41-17 rout of the Cincinnati Bengals. Buckner and the defense welcomed the challenge of winning in such an unconventional way, and the lineman is proud of his teammates' resilience.
"It's more opportunities for us, as a defense, to get better, to show what we can do," Buckner said. "It just shows the hard work that we put in [during] the offseason altogether, and it's coming to [fruition]."
Added linebacker
Fred Warner: "We never flinched. Every time [there was a turnover] out there, we went out there thinking we're going to get the ball back. That was the message I gave the guys every time when I went out there."
Buckner has endured some tough seasons with the 49ers. He has never been part of a winning team as a pro, and if San Francisco's success continues, that will finally change.
Oh, and there was a bonus, which the Niner Faithful will appreciate.
"The Seahawks lost today," Buckner noted. "That's also a good thing."
Buckner knows that even though the team remains undefeated, there is still room for improvement. Obviously, the five turnovers by the offense are a glaring blemish on an otherwise enjoyable outing. Even on defense, Buckner feels they let some opportunities slip out of their grasp.
"A lot of the guys, we're a young team, and we're still learning to win," Buckner added. "We could have made that game a lot easier on ourselves. We found every possible way, as a team, to kind of shoot ourselves in the foot a little bit, make it a little challenging, but the main thing is coming out with the win, and that's what we did."
The 49ers enter their bye week and won't play another game until Monday, October 7 when they host the Cleveland Browns at Levi's Stadium.
According to NFL Insider, Benjamin Allbright, the Pittsburgh Steelers are trying to trade for San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, to add him as a weapon for QB Russell Wilson. The Steelers added Wilson earlier this offseason after the Denver Broncos decided to move on from him. Aiyuk, if paired with Steelers WR George Pickens, would give Wilson two dangerous threats in the passing game.
👀 pic.twitter.com/261FS6DjhL— Benjamin Allbright (@AllbrightNFL)
The San Francisco 49ers announced the signing of wide receiver Trent Taylor to a one-year deal, reuniting with the team's former fifth-round draft pick out of Louisiana Tech.
Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area was the first to report that the 49ers were discussing a potential reunion with Taylor. The receiver was part of head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch's first draft class in 2017 and spent his first four NFL seasons with the team.
The #49ers are talking with free-agent slot receiver/return man
The San Francisco 49ers are hosting several draft prospects this week as the deadline for pre-draft visits draws near. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2, the team will host former Western Kentucky wide receiver Malachi Corley on Wednesday.
Corley is expected to be a Day 2 pick. San Francisco owns two selections on Day 2—the No. 63 overall pick in the second round and the No. 94 overall pick in the third round. Currently, the receiver is visiting with the Seattle Seahawks.
Western Kentucky @WKUFootball receiver Malachi Worley
Ian Rapoport didn't offer much of an update on the ongoing contract negotiations between the San Francisco 49ers and their standout wide receiver, Brandon Aiyuk. However, the NFL insider emphasized one thing: The team is not entertaining trade discussions at this juncture.
Reacting to Aiyuk's decision to unfollow the 49ers on Instagram, Rapoport couldn't help but chuckle at the latest development. This practice has become commonplace among players who are unhappy with their contract situations. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel similarly took this action in 2022 before requesting to be traded just before the draft.
Things have yet to escalate that far with Aiyuk, but Rapoport sees his
