An hour or so before kickoff, we found Ben Roethlisburger on the sidelines. Many fans, remembering the team's subpar performance at New England, wondered how the Steelers would fare in their home opener.(Steve Mellon/Post-Gazette)
We knew football had returned to Pittsburgh when we strolled through the Heinz Field parking lot, where the party was in full swing before the game.(Steve Mellon/Post-Gazette)
Back inside the stadium, we were surprised to find a baby checking out the scene on the sidelines. The child is Duke Rooney -- yes, he's part of THE Rooney family. He's 12 weeks old and grandson of Patrick Rooney Sr.(Steve Mellon/Post-Gazette)
Rapper and Pittsburgh native Mac Miller led the crowd in an energetic waving of the Terrible Towel.(Steve Mellon/Post-Gazette)
Smoke and wild cheers greeted the Steelers as they took the field. Darrius Heyward-Bey gave the crowd a salute.(Steve Mellon/Post-Gazette)
Ben couldn't believe the call, the second of two penalties against his teammates in the Steelers' first offensive series. The next play, redemption arrived in the form of a 28-yard pass reception by Antonio Brown.(Steve Mellon/Post-Gazette)
Brown had a stellar day: Nine receptions for 195 yards.(Peter Diana/Post-Gazette)
Linebacker Ryan Shazier was fun to watch. He reveled in wrecking the San Francisco offense. Here, he brings down 49er quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who bobbled and then recovered the ball as he hit the ground.(Steve Mellon/Post-Gazette)
The day was looking super for the Steeler Nation, with blue skies and the Steelers on a roll.(Steve Mellon/Post-Gazette)
The hand you see coming from nowhere to snatch this fumble belong to Ryan Shazier. The Steelers linebacker forced and recovered a fumble, and crushed the 49ers with 15 total tackles (11 solo and 4 assists).(Steve Mellon/Post-Gazette)
We tip our hat to whoever manufactures the jerseys worn by Colin Kaepernick. Steeler defenders pulled and stretched them mercilessly. Here are just a few examples.(Steve Mellon/Post-Gazette)
Now, that's elasticity.(Steve Mellon/Post-Gazette)
Fans were clearly enjoying themselves while the Steelers rolled.(Steve Mellon/Post-Gazette)
Linebacker Arthur Moats celebrated a sack in the second half.(Steve Mellon/Post-Gazette)
Big Ben pumped his fist while DeAngelo Williams followed his blockers and headed for the end zone in the second half.(Steve Mellon/Post-Gazette)
After scoring, Williams and Antonio Brown showed off their dance moves.(Steve Mellon/Post-Gazette)
As always, Heath Miller made it look easy. He rested on the sideline after scoring on a two-yard pass.(Steve Mellon/Post-Gazette)
Late in the game, coach Mike Tomlin watched his defense try to keep the 49ers out of the end zone.(Steve Mellon/Post-Gazette)
We're not sure what coach Tomlin was doing here.(Steve Mellon/Post-Gazette)
Antonion Brown hauled in a second-half touchdown pass.(Steve Mellon/Post-Gazette)
These two guys went crazy when Brown scored. They're Rodney Richardson (left) and Deon Carroll, and they traveled from Fayeteville, North Carolina, to see the game.(Steve Mellon/Post-Gazette)
As the game wore on the the outcome became clear, we almost felt sorry for the guy in the Montana jersey. Almost.(Steve Mellon/Post-Gazette)
Ben and Colin meet briefly on the field after the game. We weren't close enough to hear what they said to each other.(Steve Mellon/Post-Gazette)
Before heading to the locker room, Antonio Brown chatted with a pal on the San Francisco squad.(Steve Mellon/Post-Gazette)