Stephen A. Smith "very depressed" over 49ers' annihilation of Steelers
One of the biggest surprises in Week 1 of the NFL season came when the San Francisco 49ers blew the Pittsburgh Steelers out 30-7 on the road.
While they were 2.5 point underdogs, many had higher expecations for the Steleers with some thinking they could win their home season-opener.
First Take host Stephen A. Smith expressed his concerns for the Steelers going into the rest of the season following their disastrous start.
On The Pat McAfee Show, A.J. Hawk, Smith, and McAfee discussed the Steelers getting blown out by the 49ers. Smith is worried for the Steelers and their offense led by second-year QB Kenny Pickett.
He said:
"I'm very depressed because I've been a lifelong diehard Steelers fan and this is the first time that I've ever contemplated them finishing in last place within their own division. When you got a second-year quarterback with small hands and even a smaller resume compared to the other guys, I mean, what the hell are you going to be able to do?"
Smoth added:
"They had three sacks. T.J. Ward had all of them. Nobody else recorded a sack. And San Francisco punked them yesterday. I am significantly worried for Steelers."
The Steelers gave up 391 yards on defense and only recorded 239 total yards. They only scored one offensive touchdown and turned the ball over twice. Najee Harris only had six carries for 31 yards.
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin says the team got 'kicked in the teeth' by the San Franciso 49ers
Following Pittsburgh's embarassing loss, head coach Mike Tomlin spoke to the media after the game and took responsibility for the loss, saying that the 49ers kicked them in their teeth.
He said (via the Steelers' team website):
"We accept responsibility obviously for the outcome. We compliment those guys on the quality of work that they did. We absorb the negativity that comes with how we performed today, and we go back to work. We've got to prepare them better. They've got to play better. That's just the reality of it."
Tomlin added:
"We got kicked in the teeth today in a lot of ways."
The Steelers will host the Cleveland Browns on Monday Night Football in Week 2, and will avoid starting the 2023 season 0-2.
If you use any of the above quotes, please credit Stephen A. Smith, the Pat McAfee Show, Mike Tomlin, and H/T Sportskeeda