New York Giants (2-5) at Pittsburgh (5-2)
Monday, 8:15 p.m. EDT, ESPN
BetMGM NFL Odds: Steelers by 6 1/2
Series record: Giants lead 46-32-3
Against the spread: Giants 3-4; Steelers 5-2
Last meeting: Steelers beat Giants 26-16 on Sept. 14, 2020, in New Jersey.
Last week: Giants lost to Philadelphia 28-3 in New Jersey. Steelers beat the Jets 37-15 in Pittsburgh.
Giants offense: overall (28), rush (25), pass (23), scoring (30)
Giants defense: overall (12), rush (25), pass (6), scoring (12)
Steelers offense: overall (19), rush (9), pass (26), scoring (16)
Steelers defense: overall (8), rush (3) pass (22), scoring (2)
Turnover differential: Giants minus-2; Steelers plus-9.
Giants player to watch
DT Dexter Lawrence. The two-time Pro Bowler leads the NFL with a career-high nine sacks. It’s the highest total by a Giants player in the first seven games since Pro Football Hall of Famer Michael Strahan had 12 1/2 in 2001. The 2019 first-round pick has six sacks in the past three games, the first Giants defender to do that since Jason Pierre-Paul from Nov. 30-Dec. 14, 2014.
Steelers player to watch
RB Najee Harris. The fourth-year pro and the offensive line in front of him are both starting to gain some traction in the running game. Harris has topped 100 yards in each of Pittsburgh’s past two games, just the second time in his career he’s gone over 100 yards in consecutive weeks. If QB Russell Wilson can build off his 264-yard performance in his Pittsburgh debut last Sunday against the Jets, the running lanes only figure to get wider for Harris.
Key matchup
New York’s offensive line against Steeler linebackers T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith. The Giants have struggled at times to protect QB Daniel Jones and now find themselves tasked with trying to slow down one of the best pass rush tandems in the league. Watt is putting together another All-Pro season and Highsmith appears to be fully recovered from a groin injury that forced him to miss three games.
Key injuries
Giants P Jamie Gillan (hamstring) and CB Adoree Jackson (neck) missed last week. CB Cor’Dale Flott (groin) and backup LB Ty Summers (ankle) left the game last week with injuries. … The Steelers will be without starting center Zach Frazier (ankle) and backup outside linebacker Nick Herbig (hamstring). Pittsburgh RB/KR Cordarrelle Patterson (ankle) could be back after missing three games. S Damontae Kazee (ankle) is also expected to play.
Series notes
The longtime NFL franchises have met 81 times, with 70 of those contests coming before the AFL-NFL merger in 1970, when the Steelers joined the AFC and the Giants were placed in the NFC. Pittsburgh has won four of the past five meetings, including three straight. The Giants are 1-1 at Acrisure Stadium, winning 21-14 in 2008 and losing 24-14 in 2016.
Stats and stuff
New York is 2-1 on the road and 0-4 at home. … The Steelers have won two straight since back-to-back losses to Indianapolis and Dallas. … Pittsburgh is searching for its best start (6-2) since 2020, when the club won its first 11 games. … Giants RB Devin Singletary has run for a TD in five of his past six games on the road. … WR Wan’Dale Robinson is fifth in the NFL with 43 receptions. … Rookie WR Malik Nabers caught four passes Sunday in returning to the lineup after missing two games with a concussion. He has 39 catches … The Giants lead the NFL with 31 sacks. New York had 34 sacks all last season. … Philadelphia completed just 10 passes last week, the fewest by a Giants opponent since Washington had nine late in the 2021 season. … New York QB Daniel Jones was sacked seven times Sunday, tying his third-highest one-game total. He has now been sacked 200 times in his career. He is the 13th active quarterback to have been sacked at least 200 times. The top three are Aaron Rodgers (548), Russell Wilson (528), and Matthew Stafford (491). … The Giants held Philadelphia to one third down conversion on 13 attempts. … Safety Tyler Nubin leads the Giants and all NFL rookies with 48 tackles. … The Giants intercepted a pass in the opener and have not had another. … Pittsburgh has been unbeatable at home on Monday night through the years. The Steelers have won 21 straight Monday night games at Three Rivers Stadium/Acrisure Stadium going back to 1992. … The previous team to beat the Steelers on the road on Monday night? The Giants, who pulled out a 23-20 win on Oct. 14, 1991 on a late field goal by Matt Bahr. … Wilson’s 264 yards passing last week against the Jets were the second-highest in team history for a quarterback making his debut with the Steelers. … Wilson has thrown a touchdown pass in 20 straight games, the longest active streak in the NFL. … Pittsburgh has topped 30 points in consecutive games for the first time since Weeks 5 and 6 of the 2020 season. The Steelers haven’t reached 30 points in three straight games since 2015. … Steelers longtime DT Cam Heyward will play in his 202nd regular-season game, breaking Hall of Fame defensive back Donnie Shell’s franchise record for most regular-season games by a defensive player … Pittsburgh has blocked at least one kick in three consecutive games. The Steelers’ six blocked kicks since the start of 2023 is the most in the NFL over that span. … Pittsburgh has dominated opponents in the third quarter through seven games, outscoring the opposition 46-0. … The Steelers have done an excellent job of taking care of the ball. Pittsburgh’s four turnovers are fourth fewest in the league and its plus-nine turnover margin trails only Buffalo (plus-10). … Pittsburgh has the NFL’s best record in October since the 1970 merger. The Steelers are 143-75 in October over that span, including a 2-1 mark this season.
Fantasy tip
Wilson has made it very clear he intends to get the ball to George Pickens as much as possible. Pickens was targeted nine times last week against the Jets and that number could potentially climb even higher with the chemistry between the two figuring to grow the more Wilson plays. New York’s pass defense has been solid statistically but also only has one interception through seven games. Expect Wilson to test the Giants by looking downfield for Pickens regularly.
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