A Steelers Secret Weapon Will Be Critical For Pittsburgh In Week 1 Against The 49ers

The Pittsburgh Steelers will host the San Francisco 49ers for both teams' first game of the 2023 NFL season. Mike Tomlin's group is coming off a 9-8 season in which they missed the playoffs, while Kyle Shanahan and co. are looking to bounce back after a tough loss in the NFC Championship Game. Pittsburgh is a slight underdog in the game, but the statuses of key players such as Nick Bosa and George Kittle are in question with Sunday rapidly approaching. It should be an electrifying home opener in the Steel City and is one of the best games on the league's slate for Week 1.

Both teams have stout defenses, but Bosa being unwilling to play unless he has a new contract set in stone could drastically affect the outcome of the contest. He is just as valuable on the field for San Francisco as TJ Watt is for the Steelers. If Bosa doesn't take the field on Sunday, Pittsburgh should have the advantage defensively due to what is expected to be a clean bill of health.

Both offenses have question marks and for the Steelers, Kenny Pickett enters his second professional season after an incredible showing in the team's three exhibition matchups. The success of the unit will largely depend on how the signal-caller performs in year two. In San Francisco, Brock Purdy has finally recovered from a torn ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) and will try and continue to prove he is the best "Mr. Irrelevant" ever selected.

Both sides of the ball will be the most talked about personnel groupings heading into the game and it's hard to pinpoint where the advantages are for either squad as it sets up as a pretty even matchup. There is an underrated part of the game that the Steelers have struggled with in recent years that could potentially make the difference when San Francisco comes to town.

Steelers May Have A Unique Advantage Over The 49ers In Week 1

Pittsburgh's official depth chart has third-string running back, Anthony McFarland Jr. listed as the team's kick returner. This area of the game will be more interesting than ever in 2023 after a new rule will allow players to call a fair catch, which will immediately advance the ball to the 25-yard line for the offense. While it would be ideal for the 49ers to kick off only once in the game, it's an unrealistic expectation and McFarland is bound to have some opportunities.

San Francisco was not inconsistent in many areas in 2022, but their kick return coverage team was a weak point. They allowed the most kick return yards in the league, however, that number is a bit skewed because the 49ers also had nine more kick offs than any other team. The key stat is average yards allowed per kick return and Shanahan's group fell in the bottom 10 in the league in that area (over 23 yards allowed per return).

McFarland has breakout speed and ran a 4.44 in the 40-yard dash at the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine. Pittsburgh hasn't returned a kick for a touchdown since 2017 when JuJu Smith-Schuster took one to the house. Steven Sims came close in 2022, but was caught just short of the goal line. Field position will be critical against the 49ers and a solid return or two could make a huge difference in the outcome.

The Steelers are looking to make a statement to the NFL as much of the attention in the AFC is focused on the Kansas City Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals, among a few others. It's not going to be easy against a force of an offense coming in from San Francisco, but one slight edge Pittsburgh may have could be in the kick return game with McFarland looking to use his speed. The hope is that his opportunities are minimal, but a breakout return would be incredibly advantageous.

Do you think McFarland will be a solid returner in 2023? Let us know in the comments below!

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