The Pittsburgh Steelers did not have a good start to their 2023 campaign, as they were routed by the San Francisco 49ers 30-7 in a fairly uncompetitive contest. It's clear that the Steelers need to be better moving forward in order to capitalize on some of the excitement surrounding their team entering the season, and Mike Tomlin wasn't holding any punches when discussing the team's Week 1 play.

From the get-go, the Steelers were outmatched by a 49ers squad that came out on fire. In every facet of the game, San Francisco dominated, and it was a very tough way to open the year given how strong Pittsburgh finished their 2022 action. Tomlin wasn't going to gloss over the team's struggles, and admitted that Pittsburgh was awful in their season-opener against San Francisco.

Via Albert Breer:

“Steelers coach Mike Tomlin opens his weekly press conference bluntly, addressing Sunday: ‘It was a stinker. We stunk up the joint, myself included.'”

Nobody really played well for the Steelers in this one, and while the 49ers are a very good team in their own right, this game wasn't competitive from the get go. Tomlin isn't hiding from the fact that he deserves some of the blame, but at the end of the day, the players have to go out and perform as well.

The Steelers won't get much relief in Week 2, as they will take on a Cleveland Browns squad that just dominated the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1. However, the Browns aren't the 49ers, and given they are a division opponent, the Steelers should be able to use their familiarity with Cleveland to their advantage. Tomlin is right on here in saying Week 1 was a stinker, though, and it will be imperative that the Steelers turn things around in Week 2.