PITTSBURGH – On a Monday night when kickers dominated, the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the New York Giants 26-18 thanks to two trips to the end zone courtesy of Calvin Austin III.

Not only did Austin score the franchise’s first punt return touchdown in nearly five years in the third quarter, but he later caught another signature Russell Wilson moon-ball in the fourth for his second receiving TD of the season.

And while the Steelers defense allowed Giants rookie running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. erupted for a career-storming night with 145 yards and a touchdown, TJ Watt came through — as he is prone to do — with a huge sack of Daniel Jones and fumble recovery to prevent the Giants from capitalizing on Wilson’s fumble in the fourth quarter . Beanie Bishop Jr. had a game-tying interception on the Giants’ final drive.

QB breakdown: In his second start as a Steeler, Russell Wilson had no problem building on his 245-yard performance from a week ago with 278 passing yards and one touchdown. Wilson unleashed his moon ball several times in the win, most notably with a pair of deep passes to Van Jefferson to end the third quarter and a 29-yard bomb to Austin early in the fourth for either team’s first offensive touchdown. At the time of that touchdown, Wilson was 4-of-6 with a TD on passes of at least 20 air yards this season. Wilson was sacked four times and lost a fumble, but showed increased mobility and escapability.

Promising trend: Although they scored just nine points in the first half, the Steelers moved the ball at an impressive clip and recorded 14 plays of at least 10 yards. According to ESPN Research, this was the most in the half since Week 2 of 2018 against the Kansas City Chiefs, when they also had 14. Prior to this week, the Steelers had trouble moving the ball in the first half, but they recorded 237 yards of offense – including 104 rushing yards – in the first two quarters, a sign that the slow start may be behind them. The Steelers also scored field goals on each of their first three drives, marking the first time since Week 10 of the 2023 season against the Packers that they opened with three consecutive scores.

Crucial game: Home visit. Austin’s 73-yard touchdown in the third quarter was the Steelers’ first punt return for a TD since Diontae Johnson scored one in Week 14 of the 2019 season against the Arizona Cardinals. Not only did it give the Steelers their first touchdown of the night and a 16-9 lead after their first two were called back, but it was also a feather in the cap of longtime Steelers special teams coach Danny Smith, whose kicks unit blocked in three. back-to-back games starting Monday night. Austin found the end zone again fifteen minutes later on a 29-yard moonball from Wilson.

Next game: at Commanders (1 p.m. ET, November 10)

Sloppy, sloppy, sloppy. The Giants are a team that needs to play near perfection to beat quality opponents like the Steelers on the road. They didn’t do that on Monday night.

Far from it. The Giants and their struggling offense committed six penalties on the first two drives. One negated a touchdown.

And then their special teams, whose offense seems to be competing for the team’s worst unit, allowed a 73-yard punt return for a touchdown to Austin. So you end up losing six of your first eight for the second year in a row.

QB breakdown: Daniel Jones had a productive first half despite being under heavy pressure. He went 11-of-16 passing for 141 yards, but was unable to get his team into the end zone. However, in the second half the pressure was too much. Jones was sacked four times, including a strip sack by Watt in the fourth quarter. Jones finished 24 of 38 passing for 264 yards with no touchdowns and an interception in Steelers territory in the final moments. Not good enough. Jones fell to a dismal 1-15 in prime time, including seven straight losses.

Biggest hole in game plan: Where’s the run defense? It seems like the Giants still can’t get this right. Coach Brian Daboll continues to lament the team’s run-insults. Again not good enough as they allowed 104 yards and 6.5 yards per carry in the first half alone. The Giants came into the game ranked 32nd in the NFL, rushing at 5.43 yards per rush. They allowed 167 yards on the ground on Monday.

Most surprising achievement: Tyrone Tracy Jr. The Giants appear to have found a running back. Tracy, a fifth-round rookie, had his second 100-yard game in four weeks and first against the Steelers this season. He rushed for 145 yards on 20 carries before leaving with an injury. That includes five runs of at least 10 yards, with a 45-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Eye-popping statistics: 34.2 air yards to Darius Slayton. The Giants had to make some explosive plays and Jones and Slayton connected on a deep ball on the Giants’ opening drive, which yielded a 43-yard gain. It was only the second pass Jones threw for more than 30 air yards this season. He was 1 of 11 to pass on throws of more than 30 air yards prior to the coin toss in Monday’s first quarter. The Giants finished with three explosive plays (20+ yards), but Jones was just 1-of-3 on deep balls.

Worrying trend: The play by Deonte Banks. The Giants’ second-year cornerback was taken out of the game in the second quarter after some shaky tackling and soft coverage. The team has not reported any injuries. Instead, the 2023 first-round pick was replaced by Greg Stroman Jr. just a week after Banks’ poor take on Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts. Not encouraging.

Next game: vs. Commanders (1 p.m. ET, November 3)