Five Steelers primed to have big game against Giants
The Pittsburgh Steelers will play their second primetime NFL game in as many weeks when they host the New York Giants. The Steelers are on a roll while the Giants are trying to find an identity. Although Pittsburgh can’t afford to overlook their opponent, there are five Steelers players who look primed for a big game on Monday Night Football.
Najee Harris
In the past two weeks, Harris has
been able to put together back-to-back games with at least 100 yards rushing. Credit goes not just to the running back, who has decidedly been grabbing extra yardage, but also the Steelers’ offensive line who has not let the change of personnel affect their overall performance.
Although the Giants have found success in their pass rush, overall they’ve allowed 138.1 rushing yards per game to opponents (25th in the league). They’ve given up a league-worst 5.4 yards per carry.
Harris is on pace to overtake his rookie season (2021) 1,200 yard rushing mark. He currently has 478. If the Steelers offense gets a full head of steam, like they did in Week 7, watch for Harris to go over 100 yards in this matchup.
Alex Highsmith
Last weekend, Highsmith returned from injury and shook things up from Aaron Rodgers‘ blind side. This week, Highsmith admitted he feels even closer to being 100-percent healthy, saying, “I feel like I am getting really close to 100 percent. It feels great to be back out there, being with the guys. Looking forward to getting better every week. Just continue to rehab and stay on top of it so nothing else happens.”
As we discussed in our scouting report on the Giants, there are issues along their offensive line, especially at left tackle – Daniel Jones‘ blind side. Joshua Ezeudu is expected to start at that position, and it has Giants fans concerned. Chris Hubbard did practice at the spot this week as well, but it’s unclear if the Giants will start him over Ezeudu.
T.J. Watt, likely to get as many double-team blocks as he usually does, can still blow up this game, but things certainly swing in Highsmith’s favor on Monday night. Watch for him to make moves to get into the Giants’ offensive backfield.
Russell Wilson
Last week, Wilson made his Steelers debut. He looked rusty early but shook it off to complete 16 passes for 264 yards; the most passing yards by a quarterback in their first game with Pittsburgh since Earl Morrall (1957). His passer rating was 109.0.
“I think the best thing we did as a team was we responded well, obviously we scored 37. We felt like we left some more touchdowns out there on the field that we could have had potentially, so we’ve got the right mentality.” – Russell Wilson
The 37-15 win was a morale booster, and the Giants aren’t as formidable as the Jets. Yes, Dexter Lawrence is more than capable of getting to Wilson, just like he has every quarterback he’s faced this season, but Brian Burns popped up on the injury report and may not be 100-percent on Monday.
Regardless, Wilson seems to have found a way to tap into something this Steelers team has needed in order to get to next-level play. He spread the ball around to several receivers, remained poised under pressure, and helped set up the run game. His pairing with offensive coordinator Arthur Smith should look even better in this game.
The Giants secondary has allowed a 72.7 percent completion percentage (ranked last in the league). They’ve been especially burned on the deep pass.
Pat Freiermuth
The tight ends are utilized in unique ways in Smith’s offensive schemes. Freiermuth, who has 24 receptions in 7 games for 245 yards and 2 touchdowns may be an excellent x-factor for the Steelers offense in Week 8. He has assisted in pass protection and run blocking while still grabbing passes.
The Giants have allowed 28 receptions to opposing tight ends this season for 246 yards (8.7 yards per catch average). Although they have yet to allow a touchdown by a tight end, Freiermuth has a knack for finding a way to get into the end zone.
Special teams
We realize that this is a unit and not a single player. We’re lumping this group together for one reason, though. While Chris Boswell has become one of the most accurate placekickers in the league, and Corliss Waitman has been a breath of fresh air in the punting game, this unit is energized in coverage and kick-blocking.
In Week 7, it was Dean Lowry that got his hand on a field goal to take points away from the Jets. The unit, however, has blocked a kick in three consecutive games – the third longest streak behind just the 2015 Ravens (five games) and 2007 Bears (four games).
Special teams coordinator Danny Smith drills down on practicing how you play, and has this unit on pace to set the franchise record this season. Since the 2021 season, the Steelers have recorded 11 blocked kicks; that is the most by any team in the NFL during that span.
Giants punter Jamie Gillan has a hamstring injury, which has led to Matt Haack handling the punting duties over the past two weeks to the tune of 15 kicks (11 in the game with the Philadelphia Eagles). That is a lot of opportunities that the Steelers could take advantage of.
