PITTSBURGH (AP) — Brock Purdy threw for 220 yards and two touchdowns to Brandon Aiyuk in his return from offseason elbow surgery and the San Francisco 49ers drilled the Pittsburgh Steelers 30-7 on Sunday.
Purdy, who went from the last pick in the 2022 draft to entrenched starter in San Francisco after leading the 49ers to the NFC championship game, was crisp while completing 19 of 29 passes, including scoring strikes of 8 and 19 yards to Aiyuk.
Christian McCaffery ran for 151 yards and caught three passes for 17 more for the 49ers (1-0), who looked every bit the dominant force it was down the stretch last season when Purdy took over at quarterback.
Nick Bosa, a handful of days removed from signing the richest contract ever awarded to a defensive player, had two tackles and a quarterback hit. The 49ers didn’t need the reigning AP Defensive Player of the Year to wreak his unique brand of havoc to keep the Steelers and second-year quarterback Kenny Pickett in check.
Pickett completed 31 of 46 for 232 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions as the optimism that followed a preseason in which the first-team offense scored a touchdown in each of the five drives Pickett was on the field faded quickly.
BROWNS 24, BENGALS 3
CLEVELAND (AP) — Deshaun Watson ran for a touchdown and threw for another, and Cleveland’s defense bottled up Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow — the NFL’s new highest-paid player — as the Browns opened the season with a 24-3 win over the Bengals on Sunday.
Watson bolted for a 13-yard TD late in the first half, making the kind of dynamic play the Browns (1-0) envisioned when they signed him to a $230 million contract in 2022. He missed 11 games last season for violating the league’s personal conduct policy.
Watson is in uniform from the start this season, and his presence has Cleveland expecting big things.
He added a 3-yard TD pass in the fourth quarter to tight end Harrison Bryant, and Watson celebrated by skipping down the field in front of Cincinnati’s sideline before converting the 2-point try with a run up the middle.
Burrow had a rough opener, two days after signing a five-year, $275 million extension — giving him the highest average annual salary in league history. The Browns held Burrow to a career-worst 82 yards passing (14 of 31) as Cleveland’s rebuilt defensive line pressured him all day.
Myles Garrett sacked Burrow on fourth down with 10:27 left to help seal Cleveland’s stunningly easy win over the AFC North champions. The Browns forced the Bengals to punt 10 times in 14 possessions.
The Bengals (0-1) pulled Burrow with 5:15 left, and he spent the remainder of the game watching with his arms folded on the bench.
Dustin Hopkins kicked three field goals — from 42, 34 and 43 yards — in his debut for the Browns, who traded for him last month after cutting Cade York.
