In the Pittsburgh Steelers' week one loss against the New England Patriots, the offense looked great. Putting up 464 yards without three of their five best offensive players was definitely an accomplishment. The offense will likely see the same results this week. The San Francisco 49ers defense is no better than the Patriots, so the offense will have no trouble putting up points, as long as they improve their ability to finish drives.
Their really only is one key to victory for the Steelers: contain Carlos Hyde. Colin Kaepernick is not a good enough quarterback to give any Defensive Coordinators nightmares. Even with the Steelers shaky secondary, Kaepernick will probably be lucky to put up 200 yards in the air. That is also bad news for Vernon Davis and Torrey Smith.
The good news for the Steelers is that the run defense looked much better than the secondary in week one. Sure, not many secondaries will look great against Tom Brady, and the defensive line benefited from injuries to the Patriots offensive line, as well as LeGarrette Blount's suspension. But either way, the front seven still looked sharp, especially Steve McClendon. He, along with Cam Heyward, will lead the defense on Sunday.
Offensively, it is hard to imagine the Steelers putting up 464 yards again. The Patriots defense made it easy for Pittsburgh to throw the ball. San Francisco's defense isn't any better, but it is more balanced, so expect the Steelers to be balanced in their offensive attack. They likely could run the ball a lot, along with their great aerial assault. If things get interesting, look for Big Ben Roethlisberger to throw to his favorite receiver, Antonio Brown. Brown is looking to continue his NFL record streak of consecutive games with at least five catches and 50 yards. It is very probable that his streak will be improved to 34 consecutive games on Sunday.
So, with that being said, expect the Steelers to beat the 49ers by at least two touchdowns. All they really have to do is take care of the little things, like actually covering the opposing team's best offensive threat (which they failed to do twice against Rob Gronkowski) and make field goals. If those things happen, the talent gap in favor of the Steelers will show on the scoreboard. After starting the season on the wrong foot, this game against San Francisco (and next week against the St. Louis Rams) should provide the Steelers with some momentum going into their week four showdown with the Baltimore Ravens. That might be a good game, but if things go as planned, week two should be an easy victory as the Steelers move into their season at 1-1.