Three words: Calvin Austin III
In front of a capacity crowd at Acrisure Stadium, sporting their color rush uniforms, the Pittsburgh Steelers pulled out a hard-fought 26-18 win over the New York Giants to improve their record to 6-2 before their upcoming bye week.
This game, in many ways, could be defined by missed opportunities. In the first half, quarterback Russell Wilson and the offense put together three straight drives that took them to the Giants' red zone, but they failed to turn them into touchdowns. In the second half, the team finally broke the seal courtesy of receiver Calvin Austin III, who took a punt return 73 yards for a touchdown.
On their next offensive series, they put together a 9-play, 80-yard drive capped off by another touchdown by Austin III, making it 23-9 late in the third quarter. Austin III finished the game with three receptions for 54 yards and two touchdowns to help lift the team.
Wilson, for the second straight week, was efficient as he made completions to nine different pass catchers, finishing with 278 yards on 20 completions and a passing touchdown. Receiver George Pickens was denied a touchdown late in the second quarter but led his team with 74 yards on four receptions. Veteran receiver Van Jefferson was equally impressive, finishing with 62 yards on four receptions.
The other standout was running back Najee Harris, who registered his third straight 100-yard rushing performance, along with three receptions for 17 yards.
The Steelers defense struggled to make plays in the first half, but as has been the case all season, they emerged with big plays in the second half to help guide the team to a big win.
The story on this side of the ball was All-Pro T.J. Watt, who was quiet in the first half, then exploded in the second half with two sacks and a timely forced fumble on Giants quarterback Daniel Jones late in the game to help secure their lead. His partner-in-crime, Alex Highsmith, was just as disruptive, recording two sacks and four tackles.
Defensive back DeShon Elliott once again showed his ability to make big stops when it counted, finishing with seven tackles, one of them for a loss, and a pass deflection. Both linebacker Patrick Queen and cornerback Joey Porter Jr. each recorded eight tackles, while rookie defensive back Beanie Bishop finished with five tackles and the game-clinching interception.
Comments