Mike's Beer Bar War Room: Actual pretty sights within a grotesque game

The Steelers got throttled by San Francisco on Sunday in all three phases. It really wasn’t even a fair fight. The 49ers clearly made it known that they are not only the better football team, but one of the best in the NFL.

Is this a sign of things to come for the Steelers? 

Or is it just a one-off against an excellent opponent?

Other than T.J. Watt, who was simply outstanding with three sacks, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery, were there any other Steelers who played anything close to average in this football game? One who was far below average was Kenny Pickett. That's been well documented.

But, let’s get into a few bright spots at least. 

(Warning: This article might not be quite as lengthy as usual!)

DIONTAE JOHNSON

There will be a theme here that the Steelers' wide receivers didn’t play as badly as many might think, and that is especially true for Johnson. He actually played extremely well before injuring his hamstring. 

Johnson was quite productive as well when you break it down to the simplest form. He created 2.09 yards per route run against San Francisco. To put that into context, of all the wide receivers who ran at least 200 routes last year, only 22 produced 2.1 yards per route run or better. Anything over 2.0 is borderline elite. Last year, Johnson was 1.47, George Pickens 1.46. Johnson was very sharp against the 49ers.

On this play, he aligns as an outside receiver and runs a post route. Johnson is wide open in a great position to do something after the catch, but Pickett misses him badly:

Believe it or not, Johnson was open for a very high percentage of his routes in this game. This was a recurring theme against San Francisco. 

ALLEN ROBINSON

By traditional metrics, Robinson was the Steelers' best receiver. Robinson led his team with eight targets. He caught five of those passes for a team-leading 64 yards, including a 31-yarder, which was the longest reception of the day for the Steelers. He also did some excellent work blocking in the run game. He played 56 of a possible 63 offensive snaps. That tied Pickens for a team lead amongst the skill position players. Robinson will never be the game-changer he was early in his career, but he looks like a nice pickup on the cheap by the front office. 

CALVIN AUSTIN III

Austin was the direct replacement for Johnson after his hamstring injury. While Austin saw some action here and there, when all the Steelers' wide receivers were healthy, he filled Johnson’s role -- mostly on the outside -- after the starter was lost. And he did it well. As was the case with Johnson and Robinson, Austin (despite his size) was also a contributor as a run blocker, although that will never be his forte. 

BRODERICK JONES

Okay, I am reaching here! But, hey, this game wasn’t exactly loaded with top-notch performances by those in black and gold. Jones played just four snaps at left tackle when Dan Moore was moved to the right side to replace an injured Chuks Okorafor, but Jones did hold up well in those four snaps. 

CHUKS OKORAFOR

Speaking of Okorafor, he was probably the Steelers' best offensive lineman on Sunday, which isn’t saying a lot. He didn’t see Nick Bosa as often as Moore did, but Okorafor’s pass protection wasn’t much of an issue in this game. His run blocking was far from great, however, so this isn’t exactly tons of praise for Okorafor, who is now in concussion protocol. 

ANTHONY MCFARLAND

It was good just to see McFarland active for this game, something that rarely happened in 2022. McFarland showed some juice as a kick returner, with three runbacks totaling 91 yards. That isn’t nothing. He also caught two passes for 11 yards in his five snaps with the offense. 

The Steelers experimented with a pony package at training camp with two running backs on the field together. If Johnson misses time, maybe McFarland’s snap count doubles or triples. 

KEEANU BENTON

This was one of the most encouraging developments from this brutal loss. Benton continues to impress. He ended up playing 29 of a possible 68 defensive snaps, mostly after Cam Heyward’s injury, but the rookie shined once again when given the chance. His interior pass rush was superb. 

It is fair to question if Benton shouldn’t have been inserted into major action earlier. And, it is certainly fair to say that Benton absolutely must be used with more regularity going forward. He is a keeper and Benton’s time is now. He needs to play a lot. 

DEMARVIN LEAL

Leal dealt with an elbow injury throughout this game, but he did tough through it. He flashed throughout this game. That is at least somewhat encouraging for this young player, whose best days are hopefully ahead of him. 

Leal played 26 snaps Sunday. That number will increase with Heyward out of the lineup. Leal has flashed potential in his career. Now he needs to show consistency. 

ALEX HIGHSMITH

Highsmith had a brutal assignment in dealing with the NFL’s best offensive lineman, Trent Williams. But Highsmith more than held his own, particularly in the run game. When the 49ers attempted to block Highsmith with tight ends, he abused them. The Steelers also did a nice job of using Highsmith on stunts and games to get away from Williams. He’s a high-end edge defender. 

MARKUS GOLDEN

Golden is an ideal third edge defender behind Watt and Highsmith. He played 37% of the defensive snaps, which is probably the ideal usage for Golden. Golden was one of the better tacklers on the team in Week 1, and his run defense on the edge overall was quite solid. 

ELANDON ROBERTS

Roberts is a force coming downhill. He finished this game with two tackles for loss, and was very effective playing the run. His coverage wasn’t great (which is being kind), but Roberts will fill a role as a blitzer and downhill run defender. Roberts played 29 snaps compared to 53 from Cole Holcomb, who had a terrible game, and 47 from Kwon Alexander. 

This is where Roberts is at his best: in tight quarters coming downhill. He attacks the line of scrimmage in a crucial third down situation and stymies Christian McCaffrey who goes over the top. It was a great play, but unfortunately, San Francisco converted on the subsequent fourth down play. 

PATRICK PETERSON

Peterson was beaten for two touchdowns. That isn’t great, of course. However, he slipped on one and Brandon Aiyuk made a terrific play on the other touchdown -- a play in which Peterson had outstanding coverage. 

Peterson did have two pass breakups. It seemed as though the Steelers' coaching staff didn’t want Joey Porter Jr. (who only played seven snaps) facing the extreme stress Kyle Shanahan puts on a defense in his inaugural game, and Levi Wallace had one of the roughest days of anyone on the defensive side of the ball. 

Peterson is getting way too much blame: 

Aiyuk aligns on the outside. Brock Purdy sees that his star receiver has man coverage with a single high safety. That is a matchup the second-year quarterback loves and he predetermines his read that he is going Aiyuk’s way. It works out great for San Francisco and it is a gutsy decision by Purdy, but by no means was this poor coverage by Peterson. 

Look, the Steelers collectively put out an embarrassing performance in Week 1 against an excellent football team. But that doesn’t mean that several important players didn’t perform well.