One of the more wild plays in the 49ers' drubbing of the Steelers in Week 1 came when it was already well out of hand, with All-Pro safety Talanoa Hufanga delivering a tribute to a mentor that did not quite go as planned

Hufanga picked off Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett with 10:23 left in the fourth quarter on a tip drill from 49ers linebacker Fred Warner and surged down the left sideline before turning the ball to fellow safety Tashaun Gipson on a lateral. Gipson took it down to the Pittsburgh 10-yard line but the officials ruled Hufanga's pass had strayed forward.

Explaining the lateral, Hufanga revealed it was inspired by Steelers legend Troy Polamalu, who has had a direct influence on one of the best young safeties in the NFL.

Per NBC Sports Bay Area, Hufanga said:

"Fred made a great play. I just happened to be right there. I was trying to overlap and help him out. Just had to come down with the ball, catch it, and run. Saw Gip and was just trying to give it to him so we can score. I knew there was a lineman trying to tackle me, and I was just trying to make a play. I thought he was a little bit further behind me, so I tried to pitch it and take the hit so he could keep running. I saw Troy [Polamalu] do that a lot in this stadium, so I just tried to do something he would do."

Nobody can fault Hufanga for the idea. Had it not been called back, the 49ers would have been in prime position to further their dominance with a fourth touchdown of the day. 

It made no difference in the end as the Niners easily closed out the win, with Hufanga rubbing salt in the wounds for Pittsburgh by disclosing that Polamalu gave him advice ahead of Week 1.

Asked about playing at the stadium Polamalu called home, Hufanga added:

“It was incredible, kind of shocking that I’m playing here. We talked about it all offseason how it was going to be a surreal moment. He just gave me all the confidence in the world to go out there and play the game that I love to the best of my ability. I talked to [Polamalu] a couple of days ago, and he told me to be on it, stay on it, read your keys, and understand that this game is going to come down to the wire. We treat it like it’s zero to zero every quarter that we go into. At the end of the day, we have to win every quarter."

The 49ers won every quarter emphatically and, though his lateral did not go as planned, Hufanga will surely have more opportunities to showcase the impact of Polamalu's training if the 49ers continue to perform at the level they produced on Sunday.

49ers receive extremely high praise from former rival after dominant Week 1 win

It’s hard to disagree after Week 1.

Featured Image Credit: Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports