Tim Benz: We know how good the 49ers' rush attack is. But how does it work and how do the Steelers stop it?

In advance of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2023 regular-season opener against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, we’ve been hearing for weeks about the challenge of facing the Niners’ vaunted rushing attack.

Last year, it ranked seventh in the NFL with 2,360 yards and can also use a short passing game that, at times, acts as the rush attack. San Francisco finished fifth in the NFL with 365.5 total yards per game on offense last season.

So what makes the ground game so efficient? First off, it’s personnel, especially skill-position guys who are willing and able to block. That includes the likes of George Kittle, Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk.

“Their guys do a great job of blocking in the run game, including receivers,” Steelers linebacker Elandon Roberts said this week. “So I just feel like they do good things as an offense playing together and not just counting on the offensive line or the tight ends to get it done. They are relying on all 11. Their offensive line is good, too. They’ve got one of the greatest tackles in the NFL (Trent Williams). He has been the best tackle in the NFL for years. He should be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. He’s elite.”

As is Christian McCaffrey as a ball carrier, and Kyle Juszczyk probably is the most useful and versatile fullback in the NFL.

Related:

• Friday Football Footnotes: Steelers predictions, playoff pontification, postseason prognostication
• First Call: Patrick Peterson says 49ers' offense has 'tell signs,' promises pick; did Gerrit Cole once groove a pitch as a Pirate?
• U mad, bro?: Revamping Penguins' announcers; Steelers' 'new standard'; Pittsburgh port-a-potty fight

But it’s not just the players, it’s the blueprint as well.

“They’re well-coached in terms of the blocking schemes,” defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said Thursday. “They do a good job of getting good matchups, getting angles on guys. I think they do a good job in terms of mixing their personnel and formation adjustments, but still being able to run the same plays. That makes them effective. Guys could be in different spots, which puts us in different spots. Now they’re running the same blocking scheme and hitting holes.”

Steelers linebacker Cole Holcomb says one of the more difficult things about preparing for a 49ers game is that the way they run the ball doesn’t translate easily between the practice field and the game itself.

“It’s hard to mimic what their runs are actually going to be like in terms of how they get blocked up and then how wide the zones get. Their zones, it’s really midzone, but they get wide. So it’s hard to simulate on the practice field how wide those zones actually get,” Holcomb said.

Defensive lineman Larry Ogunjobi says it takes smarts to execute San Francisco’s rush attack.

“They’ve got smart guys. Guys like Trent Williams. They’ve got a good center (Jake Brendel). I think you have to have the right pieces. They are a solid group,” Ogunjobi said.

So how do the Steelers combat that?

First of all, it’d be nice if their two most important defensive linemen — Ogunjobi and Cameron Heyward — are healthy enough to play and play effectively. They’ve both been limited in practice this week due to a foot injury for Ogunjobi and a stomach ailment of some sort for Heyward.

But whoever gets the bulk of the reps up front needs to win regularly in the trenches and disrupt the flow of the run game from the moment the ball is snapped.

“Understand the keys. See what they’re doing. Understanding formations, the tendencies and just playing really sound fundamental football,” Ogunjobi added. “Whether it’s zone, outside zone, toss, things of that nature, just find a way to stop the run.”

But at some point, McCaffrey and Elijah Mitchell are going to break through the first wave of defenders and get into the second level of the Steelers defense in space.

“We better tackle well,” head coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday. “We better be sound schematically in terms of some matchup-related things and not put people in bad circumstances athletically. It’s a coach’s challenge. It’s a fundamental, technical player’s challenge from a tackling standpoint. They’ve got a sound, solid mode of operation offensively.”

For the linebackers, they’ll need to be at the right spot at the right time and get off the blocks when they are met with resistance.

“They’re going to get people blocked. There will not be unblocked people in the run game,” Tomlin continued. “They will be prepared from an assignment standpoint. They’ll be very technically sound — their steps, the coordination of two people working in combination to block others will be very solid.”

Off of all that comes a misdirection and play-action passing game that put quarterback Brock Purdy in a position to go from the last pick in the 2022 NFL Draft to cult hero status in the Bay Area.

A lot of the narrative about this game as an opener for the Steelers has been about the team’s blossoming offense being tested by the 49ers top-ranked defense.

That’s true. It will be. But the test will be every bit as difficult on the other side of the ball.

The Steelers have managed to beat reigning division champions in season openers on the road each of the last two seasons — the Buffalo Bills in 2021 and the Cincinnati Bengals last year. Now they get the reigning NFC West champs at home to open 2023.

The Steelers have proven effective when it comes to maximizing the additional practice time afforded after the last preseason game. The Niners have dealt with lots of players recovering from injuries throughout various stages of training camp, including Kittle and Purdy. Plus pass-rushing star Nick Bosa is just now working himself into game-ready condition after his long holdout.

I’ll pick the Steelers, but it’ll be very difficult. They win — barely — by a final score of 24-23.