There was something a little different about the way the San Francisco 49ers offense took the field in Monday night's season opener.

Check that; it was a lot different.

The Niners opened the game in a three-tight end set, Vernon Davis joined by Garrett Celek and Vance McDonald. And they continued to confound the Minnesota Vikings with the alignment throughout their eventual 20-3 victory.

Per ESPN Stats & Info, the Niners used three-plus tight ends on 33 offensive plays, the most by any NFL team in a game the last 10 seasons. Plus, it was more than they combined for all of last season. What hath new offensive coordinator Geep Chryst wrought in his promotion from quarterbacks coach?

"Geep's really good," said coach Jim Tomsula. "I mean, he's just a really good person and he's a really smart man.

"No one guy here has all the answers ... we're learning something from the Silicon Valley. Isn't this the place where they made those rooms and they put bean bags in it and everybody sat around and you brainstorm and you talk about stuff? I mean, we're trying to utilize ... everything you have. And, that's what we're trying to do."

In those three-tight end sets, the 49ers averaged 6.3 yards per play, a yard better than the league average offense (5.3 yards) in any formation in Week 1.

Breaking it down further, Davis played 72 of 73 snaps while Celek was in on a career-high 51 snaps, catching a career-best three passes for 40 yards, and McDonald, seen as the blocking tight end, was in the game for 37 snaps.

On those 33 three-tight end plays, the Niners gained 209 yards and scored two touchdowns. In all 16 games last season, they had 26 such plays, gaining 85 yards and scoring two TDs.

If nothing else, it gave the Pittsburgh Steelers, whose defense looked lost at times against the New England Patriots last Thursday night, something to think about heading into Sunday's game.