New York Giants @ Pittsburgh Steelers
Final Score: PIT 26 – NYG 18
Writer: Cesar Escajeda (@cescajeda13 on Twitter)
A stalemate of a game for most of the night, the Steelers pulled away late behind superb special teams play and a swarming defensive effort.
Two Up
- Calvin Austin III, WR (PIT) – The second-year man out of Memphis made his presence known at home on Monday Night, scoring both TDs for the Steelers – the second on a beauty of a dime thrown by Russell Wilson, the first a 73-yard punt return TD that was the franchise’s first since 2019. Austin has been a relative non-factor through the first eight weeks of the season, but exploded onto the scene in this one and should look to keep it up following the bye week.
- Tyrone Tracy Jr., RB (NYG) – The rookie RB absolutely battled in this one, racking up 145 yards on 20 carries before being knocked out with a potential concussion. He was a beast on offense for the Giants, helping to alleviate the pressure on Jones that was a constant throughout the night and willing New York forward with chunk run after chunk run. The hope is that he clears protocol sooner rather than later, but at least for prime time tonight, he was electric.
Two Down
- Daniel Jones, QB (NYG) – Jones did well enough to keep the game close for the Giants for most of the night, but just couldn’t ultimately figure out a way to score on a very stingy Pittsburgh defense. He was unable to consistently push the ball downfield to stretch the secondary, and while he did manage to get New York within field goal range often on the night, his two turnovers in the 4th quarter proved far too costly to overcome. Jones has had a short leash given the woes the Giants have faced of late, and on national television he just didn’t do enough to alleviate the outside noise calling for a change at the helm.
- Devin Singletary, RB (NYG) – My, how the veteran has fallen. Since returning from injury, Singletary has been abysmal out of the backfield, quickly giving ground to Tracy as a result. Reports swirled prior to the game about the Giants switching to a more even-handed committee approach, but that was far from the case against the Steelers on Monday Night with Singletary only managing 2 carries the entire evening.
New York Giants
Quarterback
Daniel Jones: 24/38, 264 Yards, 1 INT, 1 FUM (Lost) | 3 Carries, 1 Yard
Jones managed the game decently in this one, but it was far from enough to pull a victory out on the road.
It was a ground out stalemate in the first half for both teams, but the Giants still managed to move the ball down the field early. A penalty nullified what would have been a 16-yard strike to TE Chris Manhertz in the second quarter, and New York would only manage a single TD (on the ground) after that. Jones just couldn’t find enough consistency to make the plays that mattered, and the little mistakes proved monstrously costly for him and the offense on the evening. Even the two-point attempt that followed New York’s late TD was botched by Jones – a quick disaster that came about mostly because Jones failed to ensure everyone was ready to run the bizarre-looking quick play.
Jones did seemingly have no problem hitting the open man often with both Malik Nabers and Darius Slayton registering decent games through the air – the Pittsburgh defense was just too much to handle. As the night wore on, the Steelers were able to clamp down and forced Jones right back into his turnover-prone tendencies.
Running Back
Tyrone Tracy Jr.: 20 Carries, 145 Yards, 1 TD | 3 Targets, 2 Receptions, 5 Yards
Easily the most electrifying effort on the evening.
The rookie rusher has been on a tear of late, and with how young and inconsistent this offense has been, he’s quickly established himself as a true bright spot for New York in an otherwise bleak season. His long rushing TD of 45 yards absolutely gashed the Steelers’ D, a unit that was supposed to be one of the more elite run defenses in the league though Week 8. Tracy averaged a healthy 7.3 YPC and was tough at the point of the attack, even more so considering he continued on a banged up shoulder through the second half. He managed to carry the load for the G-Men’s offense and makes them less one dimensional with the threat of the ball in his hands.
His injury obviously stings, happening on a play where he bounced his head off of the turf on a tackle late in the game. Hopefully he is fine and healthy, and he can progress through the protocol quickly enough.
Devin Singletary: 2 Carries, 11 Yards | 3 Targets, 2 Receptions, 12 Yards
Singletary had a single carry in both halves on Monday Night. That pretty much sums up his game in this one.
Eric Gray: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 3 Yards
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Darius Slayton: 7 Targets, 4 Receptions, 108 Yards
The first 100-yard game for the veteran this season.
Much of the focus followed Nabers downfield, so with lessened coverage Slayton was able to flourish in the gaps in the secondary. He managed the second most targets for the Giants and led all receivers on the night with his 108 yards, much of which came on the first possession of the game with a 43-yard heave from Jones, his long of the night by far.
Malik Nabers: 13 Targets, 7 Receptions, 71 Yards
The rookie was a target sponge for the Giants, especially in the short game.
His 13 targets lead both team’s pass catchers, though he only managed to reel in slightly more than half of them on the night. It was a better performance considering the dud that was last week against Philadelphia, but felt like meat was still left on the bones. He was the intended recipient of Jones’ pass on the two point try, a ridiculously comical attempt where literally no one was ready to block, and almost got the rookie leveled by Steelers’ LB Alex Highsmith.
Theo Johnson: 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 35 Yards
Wan’Dale Robinson: 5 Targets, 5 Receptions, 30 Yards
Third on the team in targets and perfect on every opportunity, but shallow statistically with a paltry 30 yards. It’s maddeningly inconsistent, but sadly on brand for the wideout of late.
Chris Manhertz: 1 Target
Nabers failing to get set took the TD away from Manhertz. Oh, what might have been.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Quarterback
Russell Wilson: 20/28, 278 Yards, 1 TD, 1 FUM (Lost)
Wilson wasn’t as lights-out as his season debut last week, but he didn’t have to be behind a steady rushing attack and stalwart defensive & special teams play.
It was an all-hands team effort for Pittsburgh at home on Monday Night, and Wilson simply needed to manage the game ahead to win against the hapless Giants. It was competitive early on, with the Steelers forced to settle for field goal after field goal, but the flood gates opened in the second half and he was able to tack on a TD on a beauty of a pass to Austin to go along with his explosive punt return TD just a possession prior.
Wilson appears to be willing to play team ball and compliments the rushing attack very well, opening up the threat of the passing offense in ways that defenses just didn’t have to respect with Justin Fields at QB. Entering the bye, Pittsburgh finds themselves in a good place at 6-2 and with Wilson at the helm now, this is a dangerous team in all three phases.
Running Back
Najee Harris: 19 Carries, 114 Yards | 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 17 Yards
The Steelers were unstoppable on the ground, but it was Najee at the forefront and it’ll surely stay that way.
Harris rumbled to the tune of 6.0 YPC to put up 131 total yards on the day, an exclamation point to a fairly complete game overall by Pittsburgh. He managed to out-touch Jaylen Warren 19-9 and commands a full grasp on opportunities out of the backfield at the moment. He had a number of punishing runs that simply pushed the pile forward against all odds. It was an impressive performance and one that rewarded fantasy managers across the board – it’s just a shame he couldn’t top it all off with a TD.
Jaylen Warren: 9 Carries, 46 Yards | 3 Targets, 2 Receptions, 13 Yards
Warren entered this game healthy, but is still a bit of an afterthought in the RB room. With Harris commanding the lion’s share, it’ll be hard for him to rack up more than a handful of opportunities each week. Still, he did well with what he got, averaging 5.1 YPC and looking quick and decisive while doing so. The burst is still there – he just needs more time to really earn the touches.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
George Pickens: 5 Targets, 4 Receptions, 74 Yards
It’s not much per se, but Pickens is much better off of late with Wilson steering the ship.
The former Georgia Bulldog has seen his numbers trend upward with the change at QB recently, and against the Giants he led all Pittsburgh pass catchers on the night in receiving yards, tying for second in targets. His long catch of 43 skewed his numbers favorably, but he still had a positive game through the air and helped the Steelers establish themselves in scoring range numerous times throughout the night. It wasn’t nearly as productive as last week, but could have been if not for a touchdown called back for penalty on the opening drive and another where he got two feet down but they happened to be the same one. He did solid with what Wilson sent his way and should continue to do so if tonight is any indication.
Van Jefferson: 5 Targets, 4 Receptions, 62 Yards
Jefferson has suddenly found himself coming alive of late.
He’s far from reliable consistently in fantasy, but he’s seen his targets increase since Wilson took command and the veteran QB looked his way often, tying Pickens for team lead in targets with five. His receptions were very acrobatic and in tight windows, a testament to his ability when the ball is placed where it needs to be. Again, it’s not the prettiest performance for fantasy purposes, but something to look out for as his rapport with Wilson continues to grow.
Calvin Austin III: 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 54 Yards, 1 TD, 1 Punt Return TD (73 Yards)
It’s cause to celebrate when you score on a deep punt return these days.
And celebrate Austin did, by catching a beauty of a lob by Wilson in the endzone for his second TD of the day. The return TD was massive, kicking open the game for the Steelers – but the 29-yard score later was impressive in it’s own right, a perfect spiral that landed in exactly the right place, literally just one possession later.
Darnell Washington: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 29 Yards
Pat Freiermuth: 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 19 Yards
MyCole Pruitt: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 10 Yards
Scotty Miller: 2 Targets
Photo by Shelley Lipton/Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter/X)