Kovacevic: Pickett's many misfires might've been ugliest facet of all

The only possible positive to the most unsightly passing performance of Kenny Pickett's young NFL career could be that ... well, this really wasn't like him.

It wasn't so much his stats -- 31 of 46 for 232 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions -- in the Steelers' 30-7 season-opening loss to the 49ers on this Sunday at Acrisure Stadium. Those are skewed in his favor somewhat by falling behind as badly as the home side did early and, thus, forcing a slew of meaningless downfield throws late.

But what tells the tale more truthfully, I'd suggest, is that he threw in front of his targets:

He threw over them:

He threw behind them, including when they'd have otherwise turned it into a touchdown:

And of his 15 incompletions, he'd make, by my unofficial count, no fewer than seven flat-out misfires. Even exempting one occasion where I'm fairly sure his elbow was bumped upon release.

That's ... not good.

Was it something San Francisco's super-fast, super-fluid defense might've influenced?

"Yeah, we just didn't execute, honestly," Pickett would say to that. "I think it was more us than them. I felt comfortable with what I was seeing and what they were doing. We just didn't execute like we needed to."

Timing off, maybe?

"No, wouldn't say it was a timing thing. Just need to be better."

Disappointing to have this happen after that pristine preseason?

"A hundred percent. No doubt about it. Has to be a lot better moving forward."

Most of his responses were about that length and about that substantive.

Mike Tomlin offered that much less on the topic, managing to flip a question about Pickett's inaccuracy into, "It doesn't matter. We've got to perform better. We do. We didn't. Particularly on possession downs."

That actually was his stock response to nearly everything asked, for sure signifying it's the specific message he's sending to his offense. That's how he rolls.

But the reality's that third downs don't matter any more than first and second when a quarterback can't connect. From my perspective, the wide receivers and tight ends did fine in running their routes and in clinging to catchable balls. The offensive line, though consistently shoved back, still held Pickett's pocket for a healthy average of 2.89 seconds to throw, a sliver more than counterpart Brock Purdy's 2.88. And though the running game wasn't exactly electric, it also didn't prevent pass plays from becoming available.

What happened?

Not going to lie or try to sound smart: I don't get this one at all. Not the inaccuracy. Not the happy feet. Not the odd choices to push deep when unnecessary and, worse, unavailable.

Maybe he'll just magically boomerang back against the Browns next Monday night.

JUSTIN K. ALLER / GETTY

T.J. Watt strip-sacks the 49ers' Brock Purdy in the second quarter Sunday at Acrisure Stadium.

• Only on this kind of day could I condense the list of quality performers from a 53-man roster to three: But I appreciated what I saw of T.J. Watt, Anthony McFarland and Pat Freiermuth ... and no one else on the home side except maybe the grounds crew that did well to rescue the field from a Pitt game Saturday evening, then overnight rain.

Watt, back in full form for the first time since the 2022 opener in Cincinnati, wound up with three sacks for 17 yards in losses, five quarterback hits, a tackle for loss, a pass defensed, two forced fumbles and one of those recovered.

To boot, the three sacks tied James Harrison's franchise-record mark of 80.5.

"I mean, really, I don't want to diminish what it is," Watt would say to the latter. "But I'm just super-upset about the result of today, not happy with it at all, not acceptable in any way. There were so many more plays to be made out there, myself included. We just need to get in the lab."

• To reinforce that final point he made, I saw, just as the locker room scene was winding down following the game, Minkah Fitzpatrick and Alex Highsmith engage in what appeared to be a lengthy strategic discussion of some kind at Watt's stall. Maybe that's the lab.

• There's daylight between two of the inside linebackers, Kwon Alexander and Elandon Roberts, and Cole Holcomb. The latter was flat on his back following one Christian McCaffrey run and was regularly spun by the San Francisco wide receivers' dizzying crossing routes. Alexander finished with a game-high nine tackles, eight of them solo. Roberts had seven tackles, six solo and two for losses.

I'll keep repeating: That room's a problem until it isn't. And conceding 188 yards on the ground wasn't on anyone's wish list in there.

• Let's not undersell that the greatest loss of this game might've been something other than the outcome: No fewer than five players sustained injuries, any and all of which might carry into next week or longer, and to three people who can't be replaced: Diontae Johnson's hamstring injury on a 26-yard catch to open the second half looked the most serious, and it didn't help that he was ruled out of the rest of the game almost immediately. Hamstrings don't heal quickly. Cam Heyward's groin injury in the first half saw him -- predictably -- hobble back onto the field a few minutes later, but that was a no-go. Groins don't heal quickly. And Pat Freiermuth's chest injury ... all I'll assess is that he seemed like he could barely breathe as he was telling me afterward that he's fine.

There's a whole lotta yikes in that paragraph up there.

• I'd written in advance of the game that the smaller players on offense could make the difference. What I hadn't counted on was that they'd make ... the only difference?

McFarland had two catches for 11 yards in the regular offense, plus three kickoff returns for a combined 91 yards.

"I'm not thinking about how I did," he replied when I raised that with him. "That's a tough loss. We all need to be better."

Calvin Austin III didn't have a chance at his own special teams splash -- one punt return for 2 yards -- but he did catch all six of his targets with the regular offense for 37 yards.

If Johnson's out for any sizable span, expect both to be that much more involved. Especially Austin.

• George Pickens would get five catches on seven targets -- with a one-handed would've-been beauty that saw him set one foot into the end zone -- for 36 yards, but that didn't appear to satisfy him. He looked visibly disappointed at times on the field, told reporters afterward he was in no mood to talk, then did this on social media:

Liking an Instagram post might not be a big deal for some, depending on the generation, but it's a big one for his. He knows it'll be seen. And that it'll draw a reaction. Internally.

Between that and a senseless 15-yard personal foul flag for shoving some dude in the face ... yeah.

• In contrast, Patrick Peterson's supposed to be one of the adults, but he was the one who'd publicly teased the 49ers earlier in the week that their offense was exposing "tells" in the Steelers' film studies and that he'd prove that with an interception of his own.

Instead, he was victimized by two Brandon Aiyuk touchdowns.

“Was that one on Patrick Peterson?” Purdy would say playfully when asked about the second of those. “That one, all right ... that felt good.”

Peterson wouldn't relent afterward, pointing out, "I had an opportunity to grab two picks. I just didn’t grab 'em.”

That's as true as it was irrelevant.

• Peterson slipped on the first one, just as several other Steelers slipped in critical situations. But unless I'm mistaken, the 49ers were using the same field and still prevailed by 23. Shouldn't come up from anyone on the inside or outside and, to be fair, it didn't on the inside.

• Fred Warner, the omnipresent San Francisco linebacker who was the peak performer for either side, might've assessed the Steelers as well as anyone: "Throughout the preseason, they were hot, you know. I’m sure they had a lot of confidence coming in. We just came out and executed.”

What I'm betting Warner meant is that the better football team -- by a mile -- won this one by merely being what it's been for a while now. And the 49ers likely would've won even if the Steelers had somehow sustained their preseason peaks. Don't overanalyze.

• Aside to Cleveland fans: Looking for seats for next Monday? Call a Steelers season-ticket holder who can't be bothered to make the trip all the way to Pittsburgh! I hear they'll be all too happy to accommodate! Because it's totally OK to dispassionately watch your favorite team's venue get taken over!

• Know where that never happens, by the way? Try Cleveland. They bark like dogs, they semi-worship an elf, but almost all 73,000 are wearing orange.

• Know where else? Baltimore. Purple from the first row to the last.

• The main column is an overview of a miserable day on and off the field.

• Thanks so much for reading both columns and all of my Steelers coverage. It's never taken for granted.