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What to pay attention for on Monday Night
The second of back-to-back primetime contests looms as the Pittsburgh Steelers welcome the New York Giants to Acrisure Stadium for a Monday Night clash. After being written off by plenty, including myself, the Steelers prevailed hugely by defeating the New York Jets 37-15. An impressive offensive outing with Russell Wilson at the helm gives optimistic signs for what is to come for this Pittsburgh side.
The Giants on the other hand continue to struggle as they put up just three points against Philadelphia in a losing effort. Now sitting at 2-5, the Giants will look for a spark in this battle from Pittsburgh.
Surprising to some, the Giants lead the all-time series against Pittsburgh with a record of 44-31-3. However, the Steelers have earned four of the last five against the G-men, dating back to 2004. The most recent meeting came in 2020 where Pittsburgh snagged a 26-16 win with Ben Roethlisberger tossing the rock for three scores. Daniel Jones will get his chance at revenge four years later as he faces yet another talented veteran in Wilson.
The Giants will be missing two big pieces of the puzzle as left tackle Andrew Thomas and outside linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux remain on injured reserve. Another strong defender, Dexter Lawrence is questionable as he labors a hip injury.
The injury report for Pittsburgh continues to fluctuate each day. Troy Fautanu and James Daniels remain on injured reserve while Zach Frazier is once again out for Monday. Cordarrelle Patterson may just be ready in time for Monday as he comes in as questionable with the injury he sustained just a few weeks ago. On the defensive side, Montravius Adams, DeMarvin Leal, and Cory Trice Jr. sit on injured reserve with Cole Holcomb and Nick Herbig listed as out. Cornerback Donte Jackson is also questionable as he battles a shoulder injury, per coach Mike Tomlin.
After their strong performance last week and the bye week up next, it will be crucial for Pittsburgh to take advantage of a struggling Giants squad. If they are to do so, here are some key matchups they will want to win come Monday.
Brian Burns vs. Steelers OTs
Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images
After signing a massive contract this offseason, outside linebacker Brian Burns has been one of the brighter spots of a disappointing Giants team. Through seven weeks, Burns has contributed 27 tackles, four sacks, and a forced fumble. His presence seems to be made on every play as the big 6-foot-5 250-pound linebacker can apply pressure from anywhere. Burns can play both sides at the outside linebacker position, meaning both Steeler tackles must be on high alert.
For Pittsburgh, that means it will be Broderick Jones and Dan Moore drawing the difficult matchup. Amid Jones’ struggles this season, it is likely the Giants will look to plot Burns against him on Monday. However, the Steelers’ offensive line has now had back-to-back strong weeks against very good defensive fronts. If they can keep Burns under wraps with Thibodeaux and Lawrence likely out, it could give them a huge leg up.
George Pickens vs. Deonte Banks
Photo by Mark Alberti/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
It happened, the George Pickens breakout week is in the books and now (hopefully) he can continue to produce weekly. Wilson entering the lineup proved to give Pickens the boost he needed as he not only reached the end zone for the first time this season but also put up 111 yards on just five receptions. This marks Pickens’ second 100-yard-plus receiving game this season with more likely to come.
His matchup this week will be a stingy cornerback in Deonte Banks. The second-year man has 32 tackles, five passes defended, and a forced fumble through seven weeks. The University of Maryland product will look to do what the Jets’ defenders could not and lock down the brand-new Pickens-Wilson connection. Whoever comes out on top of this matchup could be a strong factor in the winner this week.
What it all means
As stated previously, the bye week comes next for Pittsburgh. With that being said, going into it on a high may be a key part of the Steelers’ grueling final stretch. With six divisional games and dates with Washington, Philadelphia, and Kansas City, being 6-2 could be more important than we all think.
For the Giants, you have to imagine they are playing each game knowing a loss could be detrimental to their season. If they are to walk out of Week 8 with six losses, it would have to be an astronomical turnaround for them to reach the playoffs. Not to mention the NFC East is extremely tight towards the top with Philadelphia, Washington, and Dallas all competing closely for spots.
Similar to last week, the Steelers will once again have to match the desperation of a struggling team. The AFC North is still up for grabs with Pittsburgh and Baltimore currently at 5-2. The Cincinnati Bengals look to have turned things around as well with three wins in their last four times out. Staying ahead of them before their head-to-heads will be vital.
Pittsburgh losing this game would be a monumental loss. In saying so, expect the Steelers to come out flying and with a sense of urgency. Similarly, expect the Giants to keep things close early on.
Score prediction: Steelers, 32, Giants, 14