FULL BOX SCORE

1. Russ, Pickens has something special brewing. The best thing that could have happened George Pickens‘ career (and character) Mike Tomlin decided to insert Russell Wilson in the starting line-up. After catching five passes for 111 yards and a touchdown in his first game with Wilson last week, Pickens and his new QB1 kept the magic going in a defensive battle Monday night, connecting four times for 74 yards — and twice for touchdowns that were wiped out, one by penalty and one by replay review. It’s clear that Wilson likes to look in Pickens’ direction (especially in the field), and he’s unlocked the Steelers’ most talented weapon, providing a new threat to an offense that needed one. It also opens up opportunities for others like From Jeffersonwho racked up four catches for 62 yards, offsetting an offense that has produced a pair of solid performances from Naje Harris (19 carries for 114 yards) in the last two games. This was what Tomlin hoped would come from making the somewhat controversial change Justin Fields to Wilson, and after two wins they haven’t looked back.
2. Giants struggle and then rumble away opportunities. New York’s offense put up a total of ten points in the last two games, and through three quarters the Giants had scored nine points on three field goals. They had gained 222 yards entering the fourth, but were just 3 for 8 on third down and hadn’t threatened to reach the end zone since their second drive of the night. Urgency proved to be the best motivator as a two-touchdown deficit seemed to wake up this Giants offense, which had surprising success on the ground in the fourth. But in the end, the Giants squandered their best chances. New York regained possession after forcing a Wilson fumble, then fumbled it away by leaving the right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor on an island against the edge rusher of the world TJ Wattwhich unsurprisingly resulted in a strip sack on a crucial third down. That was just the latest example of the Giants’ failure to provide their tackles with any pass protection help, and ended up being the most costly (and frustrating, since it potentially could have been avoided with a chip from a running back) . That’s been the story of the Giants for most of this season: They make a lot of mistakes from a strategic and execution standpoint (see: their comically failed two-point conversion) and when they get opportunities to fight their way back, they sink themselves. Jones’ interception could be seen from miles away. These are your giants of 2024.
3. The Steelers special teams make the difference again. The Steelers have had an excellent special teams unit all season, blocking a handful of opposing field goal attempts to prevent them from getting opportunities. They built on that Monday night, breaking what had been a field goal festival via a 73-yarder Calvin Austin III punt return touchdown. It felt like that return officially burst the dam that had trapped both offenses, kicking off three straight scores on as many possessions, with Wilson finding Austin for a touchdown and Chris Boswell tacking on a field goal to maintain their lead within the margin of a touchdown. The Steelers have a strong defense and a surging offense, but we also need to pay some attention to their special teams. The third unit provided the spark they so desperately needed to push their winning streak to three.
4. Does this loss change the Giants’ approach going forward? Look, by now we’ve identified and identified the Giants’ limitations. This team is in no danger of making the playoffs. They’re limited offensively for a number of reasons that extend beyond their quarterback, and even after scoring 18 points against a stingy Steelers defense, there’s little reason to believe they’ll figure it out in time to win the keep the whole band together. They also have a defense that has talent, especially up front Azeez Ojulari has done a lot to increase its shares in recent weeks. He recorded two sacks Monday night and has quietly been on the heater, especially while playing in place of the injured Kayvon Thibodeaux. There are some contenders (Detroit, for example) that could use rushing help. Will this loss, which dropped the Giants to the cellar of the NFC East at 2-6, motivate general manager Joe Schoen to move one or two players (like Ojulari) in exchange for assets? Considering Giants owner John Mara has already said he doesn’t expect any changes at GM or coach, will the Giants accept the reality for 2024 and build for the future?

Next Generation Giants-Steelers Stats (via NFL Pro): Monday night marked the Steelers’ second game of over 400 yards in as many weeks, both with Russell Wilson starting. They had just one in six games with Justin Fields as the starting quarterback.

NFL Research: Alex Highsmith generated a career-high 12 pressures and two sacks on 38 pass rushes, with 11 pressures and a sack against the left tackle Chris Hubbardwho was signed off the 49ers’ practice squad just ten days ago.