3 Takeaways from 49ers' Week 1 Win vs. Steelers

It's tough for NFL teams to go out and play close to perfect in Week 1. But that's about what the San Francisco 49ers did on Sunday afternoon.

The 49ers dominated in all three facets of the game as they cruised to a 30-7 season-opening road victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium. It was a strong first impression for San Francisco, which reached the NFC Championship Game last season.

After the Steelers went three-and-out on the game's first drive, the 49ers capitalized by scoring on their initial possession, taking a 7-0 lead on Brock Purdy's 8-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Aiyuk with 9 minutes and 29 seconds to go in the opening quarter. San Francisco built a 20-point lead by midway through the second quarter and led the rest of the way.

Here are three takeaways' from the 49ers' Week 1 win.

Purdy Picked Up Right Where He Left off in Rookie Season

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PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - SEPTEMBER 10: Brock Purdy #13 of the San Francisco 49ers throws a pass in the first quarter against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium on September 10, 2023 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)

Purdy made only eight starts during his 2022 rookie campaign (three of which came in the playoffs), but he showed enough to San Francisco to be named its starting quarterback moving forward. And on Sunday, the 2022 seventh-round draft pick again showed by.

On a big day for the 49ers' offense, Purdy completed 19 of his 29 pass attempts for 220 yards and two touchdowns (each of which went to Aiyuk). The 23-year-old QB also looked healthy after tearing the UCL in his right elbow during the NFC Championship Game last season.

"Purdy shut some haters up [Sunday]," San Francisco defensive end Nick Bosa said, per ESPN's Nick Wagoner. "I think whenever a guy comes back from an injury, people kind of don't expect him to make another leap in the second year, I'm just happy for him. He's exactly who we thought he was."

It's a good sign that Purdy could have an impressive sophomore campaign, especially with all the talent around him on the 49ers' offense. He may only continue to get better as he keeps gaining experience throughout this season.

The Defense Made Quite an Early Statement

AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar

San Francisco 49ers defensive end Drake Jackson (95) celebrates after sacking Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 10, 2023, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

San Francisco had the No. 1 defense in the NFL during the 2022 season. And if Sunday's performance was an early indicator of how things could go the rest of 2023, the unit may rank as the league's best again this year.

The 49ers held the Steelers to 239 total yards, forced two turnovers (a pair of interceptions by quarterback Kenny Pickett) and collected five sacks, three of which were recorded by defensive end Drake Jackson. Pittsburgh's only points came on a 3-yard touchdown pass from Pickett to Pat Freiermuth with 10 seconds remaining in the first half.

Outside of that one play, San Francisco's defense put on a dominant display in Pittsburgh.

"Throughout the preseason, they were hot, you know," 49ers linebacker Fred Warner said, per Will Graves of the Associated Press. "I'm sure they had a lot of confidence coming in and we just came out and executed."

As long as San Francisco's defense continues to do that, it could be another special year.

Moody's Perfect Debut Provides Optimism

AP Photo/Matt Durisko

San Francisco 49ers place kicker Jake Moody (4) kicks a field goal during an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 10, 2023, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Durisko)

Robbie Gould was the 49ers' kicker for six seasons from 2017-22, but he's no longer in San Francisco. Instead, the team is relying on the leg of rookie Jake Moody, who had a stellar college career at Michigan before getting taken by the Niners in the third round of the 2023 NFL draft.

In his first NFL game, Moody lived up to the hype, as he connected on all three of his field-goal attempts. None of them were longer than 41 yards, but he showed that's capable of not letting pressure get to him, as he likely had plenty of nerves for his debut.

Moody also made all three of his extra-point attempts. According to Josh Dubow of the Associated Press, Moody is the first rookie kicker to go 3-for-3 or better on all of his extra points and field goals in a season opener since the Baltimore Ravens' Justin Tucker in 2012.

That's quite good company to have. So if Moody can build upon his stellar debut moving forward, he could eventually go on to become of the NFL's next elite kickers.