Sometimes, even the best offensive tackle in the NFL needs a break.
But the Pittsburgh Steelers weren't helping 49ers star Trent Williams in that aspect during Sunday's season opener at Acrisure Stadium.
That's largely due to San Francisco's dominant defense, too, which held Pittsburgh's offense to limited possessions in the first half. The unit forced four Steelers punts and an interception in their first five possessions of the contest for just one yard in 15 plays and zero first downs (h/t Niners Wire).
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The 49ers continuously making the Steelers go three-and-out early in the game admittedly wore out Williams, who joked to The San Francisco Chronicle's Eric Branch that he started to pull for the Steelers.
“At one point,” Williams said, “you just kind of wanted [the Steelers] to get a first down. There were all those three-and-outs and we kind of needed a break.”
Williams got his wish -- kind of -- in the second half and later in the game.
The Steelers' offense scored just seven points in their home opener, flushing away all the hype surrounding their flawless preseason record. Running back Najee Harris gave Steelers fans something to finally cheer about with a 22-yard run that later set up a Kenny Pickett touchdown pass to tight end Pat Freiermuth -- their only score of the game.
San Francisco 49ers
Meanwhile, the 49ers' offense was as electric as anticipated. From Brandon Aiyuk to Christian McCaffrey, everyone played a part in San Francisco's 30-7 blowout win.
Hopefully Williams is able to catch his breath by Week 2 because the 49ers' defense shows no signs of slowing down.