6 overreactions from the Steelers’ 26-18 win over the New York Giants

Takeaways, overreactions, and random musings from the Steelers’ Monday Night Football performance.

The Steelers enter their bye week with a 6-2 record following Monday’s 26-18 over the New York Giants. As always, there are plenty of takeaways to be had:

1. A strong start

…Not for the game, but the season. Heading into their bye week, the Steelers have a 6-2 record, good enough to be tied for second in the AFC and in sole possession of first place in the AFC North. Pittsburgh is on a three-game win streak with a +68 point differential on the season — fourth-best in the NFL. The offense has its flaws but is still the best the Steelers have had in years.

There are gripes to be had, and I’m sure they’ll marinate over the next two weeks, but for now, it’s hard not to be happy with where the team is at during the midway point of the season. Pittsburgh is right in the thick of things in the AFC with a better record than anyone could’ve predicted following the preseason.

The 6-2 start also gives the Steelers some wiggle room ahead of their gauntlet that begins Week 10. It’s a brutal stretch that goes (deep breath) Commanders, Ravens, Browns, Bengals, Browns, Eagles, Ravens, Chiefs, Bengals.

Maybe the Browns and Bengals aren’t as scary as they looked to start the season, but believe me — if it’s AFC North football, it’ll be physical. At least the Steelers have some momentum (and will get some rest) ahead of time.

2. There’s plenty to fix over the bye

Don’t let my optimism in the previous section give the impression that the Steelers are currently on a Super Bowl trajectory. They’re a good football team — at 6-2 you kind of have to be — but there are a lot of things that need to get cleaned up ahead of Week 10.

For instance, just look at the Steelers’ run defense against the Giants. New York averaged a whopping 6.3 yards per rush against Pittsburgh. It wasn’t just Tyrone Tracy Jr.’s 45-yard long, either. The Steelers weren’t very physical in run defense for most of the night, often being driven back even when gang tackling.

Pass defense was marginally better, but the Steelers still made Daniel Jones look like a $40 million quarterback at times — wait — giving up passes of 43 yards, 36 yards, 25 yards, and a handful of intermediate gains. The Steelers have a talented secondary with two excellent safeties, but they continue to be inconsistent when it comes to deep shots.

Again — Monday’s matchup was against Daniel Jones and Tyrone Tracy Jr. Patrick Mahomes, Jayden Daniels, Derrick Henry, Saquon Barkley, and a number of other talented offensive playmakers loom on the second half of Pittsburgh’s schedule. There’s a lot to clean up on a defense with the talent to be the NFL’s best.

And then there’s the offense, which put up plenty of yards against the Giants but only saw the end zone once. Building consistency, discipline and chemistry with Russell Wilson in the lineup remain paramount over the bye.

The Steelers also need to take a good hard look at offensive tackle Dylan Cook as he comes off injured reserve over the bye week. Is there any chance he could be a better option than Broderick Jones? The former first-rounder flashes his talent from time to time, but he’s simply not playing at a starting level right now.

It’s a shame Troy Fautanu is out for the season, but Cook could be a sleeper for the starting lineup instead. This isn’t to say he’ll be an all-world player, but there’s a chance he’d be an upgrade. The Steelers should at least experiment.

If there’s good news for the O-line, it’s that impressive rookie center Zach Frazier will be back for Week 10. Ryan McCollum has held up about as well as can be expected of a third-string center against Quinnen Williams and Dexter Lawrence, but Frazier has been sorely missed.

Pittsburgh could also get some reinforcements from players who haven’t appeared yet this season. Don’t forget linebacker Cole Holcomb, who seems due to return from the PUP list, and cornerback Cameron Sutton, whose suspension ended following the Giants game. It’s impossible to separate Sutton’s domestic violence charges from his football value, but he is a notable addition to a secondary low on depth.

Pittsburgh will also see the return of players who have missed the last few weeks, namely Cordarrelle Patterson at running back and Nick Herbig at outside linebacker. Justin Fields will also be back, and his presence could be a boost for a struggling red zone offense.

After the bye, the Steelers’ schedule gets tougher. But they should have a stronger roster to take on a challenging second half of the season.

3. Best in the business

Enough with the long term, let’s get back to talking about Monday night. Namely, the Steelers’ pass-rush duo of T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith, who each put up monster stat lines in the win over the Giants. Watt’s sack-fumble-recovery was the dagger in a game that was closer than it needed to be in the final quarter.

By his high standards, Watt hasn’t had the flashiest season thus far in terms of sack production, but he continues to be the Steelers’ MVP. When he’s not getting sacks, he’s forcing fumbles, affecting passes, or stuffing the run. He did a little bit of everything against the Giants, while getting back in the NFL sack race with two takedowns of Daniel Jones.

Highsmith has had the more noticeable “down” year, with some calling for him to be replaced with Nick Herbig in the starting lineup earlier this season. But since he’s gotten healthy, Highsmith has asserted why he remains an important member of the Steelers defense. He’s played well this season but finally had a big statistical game against the Giants — well-deserved considering his normally under-the-radar contributions.

The Steelers have spent big on their outside linebacker duo, a choice that sees some criticism from time to time in an offense-driven league. But Monday night’s performance showed that Watt and Highsmith are worth the extra cash.

4. Russ is cooking

Russell Wilson played well last week, but there’s no denying that some of his best plays felt more lucky than good against the Jets, such as a throw that bounced off a defender’s helmet before George Pickens hauled it in for a juggling catch. Regression to the mean was a legitimate worry entering Week 8.

To a certain extent, it happened, with the Steelers offense finally dropping below 30 points scored for the first time in three weeks. But as I wrote in Read & React last week, “While Wilson’s luck might decrease, his sharpness might increase. At the very least, I think his ball placement will improve some from the Jets game.”

That was definitely the case against the Giants. Pittsburgh repeatedly stalled in the red zone. Two touchdown passes were called back. But Wilson’s deep ball looked like prime Russ, including a 36-yard back shoulder to Van Jefferson, a 29-yard touchdown to Calvin Austin III, and a gorgeous bomb to George Pickens that had some of the best ball placement you’ll see all year.

Wilson’s numbers for the entire game are also solid: 20/28, 278 passing yards, one touchdown, and no interceptions. The Steelers scored on five of their nine drives (not counting end-of-half/end-of-game drives).

Wilson’s fumble was obviously a near-disaster, and mobility-wise he’s a clear downgrade from Justin Fields, but even then, he’s playing undeniably good football right now for the Steelers. If he can keep it up, it’s hard not to be optimistic regarding what Pittsburgh can do in 2024.

Wilson is playing clean football, providing vertical explosiveness, and making the most out of a thin group of pass-catchers. (This is not to say the Steelers shouldn’t still be inquiring about trades — don’t tell me Darius Slayton wouldn’t be a huge addition). Pickens is a star, but Van Jefferson finally put together a good WR2 performance with four catches for 62 yards. Austin added another 53 and a score. Overall, eight Steelers recorded catches on Monday, and it should’ve been nine if Scotty Miller had managed to haul in a well-placed deep ball.

Russ is cooking, and he’s distributing as well. Introduce an occasional Justin Fields package when the ground game needs a boost, and this Steelers quarterback room could turn into a team strength for the first time since Ben Roethlisberger was under center.

5. Calvin Austin III breaks out

Was Calvin Austin III the Steelers’ WR2 all along? I don’t know if I’d go that far quite yet, but his play this season has certainly been a highlight.

Austin was a fourth-round pick in 2022 who missed his entire rookie season with injury. It was a brutal blow considering Austin’s size (5’9, 162 pounds) was always going to be a concern at the NFL level. But his 4.3 40-time was also a concern for NFL defensive backs, and Austin, in essentially a redshirt sophomore year, is starting to come into his own as a speed threat.

Austin has been open a lot this season, and by the eye test, he’s probably been getting the most separation out of anyone on the Steelers. His speed continues to be good for one or two explosive offensive plays a game, something that was apparent on his long touchdown catch from Wilson where he plain-and-simple outran the coverage.

But the fun part has been Austin’s slow ascension as a punt returner. The talented receiver finally scored a return touchdown on a dynamic, 73-yard play that unfortunately didn’t feel as magical as it should’ve due to a misleading flag thrown early on.

But the flag was on New York, the score stood, and Austin gave the Steelers a jolt of momentum that led to the win.

Austin’s future projection is hard to nail down. I still see him as a very solid WR3/gadget player moving forward, but it’s hard to deny how much he is (and could) be bringing to this offense. He’s been getting open a whole lot more than the ball is being thrown to him.

But even if this was a rare big game from Austin going forward, it’s safe to say he has left the “bust” label as far behind as the Giants’ punt unit. Austin has been a fantastic return for a fourth-round pick.

6. Odds and ends

• It’s Danny Smith’s world, and we’re just living in it. The Steelers’ special teams continue to be excellent.
• A good week for the memes. Mike Tomlin breaking the fourth wall and the Giants’ two-point conversion attempt, of course, but then there was George Pickens: His one-legged touchdown that somehow wasn’t, hitting every juke move in the book at half speed while getting yards after the catch, and then whatever this was:

• Patrick Queen hasn’t had the greatest start to his Steelers career, but over the last few weeks it’s become more obvious why Pittsburgh spent big money to sign him. His closing speed really pops off the screen.
• Beanie Bishop Jr. recorded another big interception — now he’s up to three in two weeks. The UDFA’s NFL story keeps getting better.
• Dan Moore Jr. has quietly turned into one of the Steelers’ better offensive linemen. When he came out, Calvin Anderson immediately gave up a sack, and to that point, the Steelers need to hope that Dylan Cook can be solid. Depth at offensive tackle is thin.
• Yet another 100-yard game for Najee Harris — this time with six yards per carry. He and Jaylen Warren continue to get better as the season goes on.
• Chris Boswell: 4/4. From short range, sure, but don’t take what’s been an incredibly reliable season for granted.
• If it wasn’t apparent last week, Mike Tomlin deserves credit for sticking with his guns and naming Russell Wilson the starter. So far, it looks like the right choice for the Steelers.

After a Monday Night Football win, the Steelers get a week off with a Week 9 bye. After that, they’ll take on a rising Washington Commanders squad on the road: Week 10 on Nov. 10 at 1 p.m. ET.

What are your takeaways from Steelers vs. Giants? Agree/disagree with the ones above?Join our Behind The Steel Curtain community and let us know in the comments!