Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
Rapid Reaction to the 49ers’ 24-20 Victory over the Steelers
The San Francisco 49ers held on to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 24-20 in the home opener at Levi's Stadium. It also marks the first time since 1998 that the Niners have gotten off to a 3-0 start. Here are some rapid reactions to a very difficult and sometimes very ugly game.
1) Turnovers and Self-Inflicted Wounds
The 49ers looked very good on offense the entire game...except when they turned the ball over.
San Francisco made things harder than they had to be with bad bounces, errant throws, bad snaps, and not hanging onto the ball, but in the end, it overcame them.
That said, the 49ers cannot afford to have that amount of sloppiness going forward. Hopefully, they got it out of their system.
2) Jimmy Garoppolo is a Tough Quarterback
Garoppolo was getting hammered, but he hung in the pocket and made great throw after great throw, especially in the second half.
Pittsburgh is no slouch on defense and Garoppolo consistently moved the offense into scoring position and was able to make the game-winning throw at the end.
It is safe to say the 49ers have the quarterback they need to win games and he is tougher than some people think.
3) This Defense is Outstanding
While there were some hiccups, overall, the defense is doing its thing. Despite the number of turnovers, the Steelers only converted them into six points.
The defense can be leaned on during difficult times and it can also close games.
It was great to see Dee Ford and
Nick Bosa meeting at the quarterback on the final drive, which is precisely what they were brought in to do.
4) The 49ers Know How to Handle Adversity
Since Kyle Shanahan arrived, the 49ers have endured tremendous frustration and adversity in close losses and injuries. It never phased them.
Instead, the 49ers learned how to fight through difficult situations and it has paid off. They do not panic. They never stop believing. They keep fighting and know they can overcome mistakes and adverse circumstances.
That is a sign of a team that has turned the corner as it probably does not win this game last year or the year before.
The opinions within this article are those of the writer and, while just as important, are not necessarily those of the site as a whole.
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Jim
This was a very close win with far too many mistakes by the offence. The defense held the Steelers in check but, I would say against a top team the score would have been much higher then 6 in the 1st half.
Sep 25, 2019 at 4:46 AM
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Devon
This team has the tools. It's incredibly fast. And it's learning how to win, which is something championship teams know and other teams don't. The mistakes they're making so far will go away with practice and more play. And once that happens, they'll be one of the four or five dominant teams in the league. Absent the tipped passes and fumbles, they'd have probably had at least two more touchdowns and Pittsburgh would have even been close to being in it.
Sep 24, 2019 at 1:35 PM
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Tony
to keep coming back after the turnovers blows my mind. i almost forgot who i was rooting for. rebuilding a team with good backups & good coaches has always been the goal. now we see why. witherspoon will be back. next man up. Jimmy G got beat up Sunday but his toughness showed. i just don't see many QBs do that. he kept his focus no matter what. no matter what was happening. great job Jimmy G
Sep 23, 2019 at 11:12 PM
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NinerTy
To “worthless franchise” looks like you’ve never had a bad day. You must be a billionaire with a trophy wife, kids who are Mensa and you must crap gold! Turnovers are part of the game and by all rights the Niners should have lost. But they persevered and won. I don’t believe that they will lose to those teams completely. And save your dumb defeatist comments for your team
Sep 23, 2019 at 5:02 AM
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Worthless Franchise
This was a shitty Steelers team without their starting QB. They havent wont a game this season and the defending champions completely destroyed them opening weekend. The 49ers survived this game against a upper bottom/low mid (at best) team. That is the barometer for the quality of niner team on the field. The reality is they are not a super bowl contender. The goal for every team is to win the super bowl and the niners cant/wont. Dont be butt hurt when the Rams, Packers, and Ravens completely dominate and embarrass this "team."
Sep 23, 2019 at 3:24 AM
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Bill Bruneau
When Dante was struggling and asked how he was going to improve in contested catches, he said moving up on the ball, which is exactly what he did, stepped forward out of the end zone, the two defenders trying to sandwichhim took each other out. bright guy. got the message
Sep 22, 2019 at 9:32 PM
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