Pittsburgh extended its unbeaten start to the 2073 regular season with a commanding 49-0 victory against San Francisco on September 17. The road team dominated from the outset en route to its third consecutive win, while San Francisco dropped to 0-3 and suffered its third straight loss.

Pittsburgh took control early in the first quarter. David Thurman opened the scoring with a 3-yard touchdown run, putting the visitors up 7-0 less than seven minutes into the game. Just over a minute later, another Pittsburgh touchdown followed as Timothy Baker returned a San Francisco punt 64 yards for a score. Michael Turner's extra point kick was good each time, giving Pittsburgh a 14-0 lead.

San Francisco's offense struggled to sustain drives, compounded by turnovers and a lack of yardage on the ground. Quarterback Nathan Barnaby completed 15 of 29 passes for 148 yards but was intercepted twice. The 19 rushing attempts by the home team netted negative 6 yards on the ground.

Pittsburgh capitalized on a Barnaby interception at San Francisco's 34-yard line, leading to a Joe Lockwood touchdown pass to Leon Kline covering 34 yards. Lockwood finished the game completing 31 of 50 passes for 321 yards and 3 touchdowns but threw 3 interceptions. Kline was a dual-threat, gaining 129 rushing yards with 1 rushing touchdown, alongside 70 yards receiving and 1 receiving touchdown.

Midway through the second quarter, Michigan Turner finally converted a 39-yard field goal to extend the lead to 24-0. Lockwood's offense remained potent, and the ground attack flourished with 222 rushing yards and 3 rushing touchdowns by the team overall.

Pittsburgh's defense dominated, recording four sacks, three interceptions, and forcing one fumble that was recovered by left defensive end Damian Byrd. Defensive tackles Michael Morgan contributed twice in the sack column. The Steelers' defense never allowed San Francisco to score, maintaining a shutout and limiting the 49ers to no red-zone visits.

Additional scoring came from Leon Kline's 14-yard touchdown run late in the second quarter, and contributions by fullback Jeremy Gonzales and Rodney Rodriguez with touchdown runs. The special teams unit led by punter Stephen Mizrahi managed advantageous field position, including several punts exceeding 50 yards.

Pittsburgh improved to 3-0 on the season with a cumulative point differential of +98 after three games, asserting itself as a strong playoff contender. San Francisco remains winless at 0-3 and has been outscored 82-19 through three weeks.

Coach Eric Hess's squad effectively combined high-powered offense with suffocating defense. The comprehensive 49-point shutout highlighted the disparity in execution, setting Pittsburgh up with significant momentum heading into the midseason stretch.