49ers snap count vs. Steelers: Rookies get extra work because of injuries

The San Francisco 49ers took one on the chin in Week 2, getting thoroughly stomped 43-18 by the Pittsburgh Steelers. We saw some youngsters get extra snaps, but it had nothing to do with the blowout. Instead, injuries before and during the game opened up significant opportunities. We've got the full snap count below, and you can read over the gamebook PDF here.

The 49ers deactivated Reggie Bush and Bruce Ellington due to a calf and ankle injury, respectively. This resulted in Mike Davis and DeAndrew White being activate for the first time this season. White handled kick returns and one punt return, while Jarryd Hayne handled two punt returns. Hayne initially handled carries behind Carlos Hyde, but that quickly changed in the second half.

Hyde suffered a hit to head in the third quarter, describing it as a shot to the crown of his helmet that left him dizzy when he got up. He left the game, and went to the locker room with trainers. He took a concussion test, and passed it. The doctors cleared him to return, but the 49ers elected to not bring him back in at that point. At that point, Mike Davis took over as the 49ers primary running back, and Hayne did not see any second half offensive snaps.

Vance McDonald suffered a knee injury, which limited him to to 20 snaps. The 49ers continued their use of heavy 3-TE sets, and that meant Blake Bell got extensive work. A week after getting one offensive snap, Bell was in for 18 snaps.

The defense played significantly less snaps than the offense as Ben Roethlisberger was lighting them up with some huge chunk plays. The secondary got the bulk of the work, with Jimmie Ward and Jaquiski Tartt swapping work, to a certain extent. In Week 1, Tartt played 20 snaps, and Ward played 13 snaps. In Week 2, Ward played 27 snaps, and Tartt played 11 snaps.