The San Francisco 49ers had the tough task of going into Acrisure Stadium (formerly Heinz Field) at 10 a.m. Pacific Time and taking on a Pittsburgh Steelers team who historically play well in their season home openers.

San Francisco’s response? Challenge accepted!

The 49ers were in control from the get-go and took a stunned Steelers crowd out of the game early by imposing their will through offense, defense, and special teams.

With a 30-7 victory to kick off the season, the 49ers clearly sent a message to the rest of the league that they mean business.

Here were my immediate postgame thoughts through my YouTube channel.

Other observations from today’s game…

1. 49ers stud wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk not only led all players with 129 receiving yards with two touchdowns but also made his presence felt when blocking down field; including on running back Christian McCaffrey’s 65-yard touchdown run which was a thing of beauty.

2. The 49ers signed free agent defensive tackle Javon Hargrave during the off-season to bolster their defensive line; and it’s evident how much of a difference he can make.

Disrupting the middle is a specialty of Hargrave that the 49ers have been missing since current Denver Broncos nose tackle D.J. Jones’ departure after the 2021 season.

Hargrave posted two tackles with a sack in his 49ers debut.

3. The game was pretty much a wrap by the time the fourth quarter started; so I was asking myself why some of the 49ers starters such as McCaffrey, left tackle Trent Williams and quarterback Brock Purdy were still in the game.

Credit to 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan for having an excellent game today, but it would have been unfortunate for a key player to suffer a critical injury that could have been avoided.

4. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has been with the organization since 2007 and is one of the most well-respected coaches in the league.

Today’s 30-7 loss to the 49ers is Tomlin’s worst home loss ever since coaching the Steelers.

5. 49ers fans are known to travel well and come out in full force at opposing stadiums; but the amount of red that could be seen inside Acrisure Stadium was astounding considering how well Steeler fans protect their home field.

And it wasn’t long before Steeler fans began to witness how much red was in their stadium; and they didn’t take too kindly to that as expected.

Click here to see some of the reactions.

2. The 49ers next game will be next Sunday (Sept. 17 at 1:05 p.m. Pacific Time) in Los Angeles when they will take on the division rival Rams.

The Rams are also 1-0 after defeating the Seattle Seahawks on the road 30-13.