PITTSBURGH – – Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin pulled Calvin Austin III aside before the undersized wide receiver took the field for a punt return in the third quarter of a somewhat lifeless game against the New York Giants.

The Steelers were scuffling. The violation involved moving the ball, but not into the end zone. Tomlin knew the 6-foot-1, 162-pound Austin had come close to breaking a big return several times this season. And the NFL’s longest-running head coach had a feeling.

“I thought it was his time,” Tomlin said. “And he thought it was his time. And he delivered.”

Not once, but twice.

Austin — who texted his friends this weekend that he was going to break a big one — sprinted across the field and raced 73 yards for a touchdown after Tomlin’s little pep talk. He later added a 29-yard over-the-shoulder scoring grab to give the Steelers the boost they needed to beat the Giants 26-18 on Monday night.

Pittsburgh (6-2) won its 22nd straight home game under the lights Monday night behind Austin’s playmaking and a pair of late turnovers. TJ Watt sacked Daniel Jones with less than three minutes left to end a New York drive, and rookie cornerback Beanie Bishop picked off Jones with 42 seconds to play to end it.

“It wasn’t as fluid as we would like, but that’s football,” Tomlin said. “We have to watch out for (concerns about) style points.”

Just as well, because style points were in short supply on a night when three apparent touchdowns — two by Pittsburgh, one by New York — were negated, the teams combined for 16 penalties and drives regularly stalled near the end zone.

The Steelers won their third straight game and entered their bye week with an AFC North lead over Baltimore. After relying heavily on their defense in the opening month, the Steelers’ offense has found a new gear since Wilson returned from a calf injury that forced him to miss the first six games.

The 35-year-old completed 20 of 28 passes for 278 yards in his second home start as a Steeler. His only real miscue was a fumble with 4:42 left that briefly opened the door for the Giants (2-6).

Watt closed it out a few moments later after New York opted not to double-team him as the Giants drove for the potential tying goal.

“He has a unique talent, a unique approach,” Tomlin said. “He achieves unique results.”

Najee Harris ran for 114 yards and topped 100 for the first time in his career for a third straight game. Chris Boswell made four field goals to save an offense that was regularly bogged down in New York territory.

Wilson also spread the ball around and connected with eight players, a promising development for a team that has relied heavily — perhaps too heavily — on George Pickens to make anything happen in the passing game.

Austin finished with three receptions for 54 yards. Van Jefferson added four receptions for 62 yards. Even third-string tight end MyCole Pruitt caught a pass.

“Guys are believers,” Wilson said.

Perhaps Austin the most. Before games, the third-year pro spends time reading notes he has filed away on his phone for doubters he found online who thought he was too small to make it in the NFL. Yet there he was in the aftermath, listening to fans chant his name after Pittsburgh put the finishing touches on a promising opening two months.

“We’re all competitors,” Austin said. “We will always rely on us no matter what.”

Giants rookie Tyrone Tracy ran for a season-high 145 yards, including a 45-yard dash early in the fourth quarter that brought New York within the eighth. The Giants attempted a two-point conversion, but rookie receiver Malik Nabers’ ill-conceived play behind the line of scrimmage was easily batted away.

Jones, who was benched in the fourth quarter last week after a blowout loss to Philadelphia, completed 24 of 38 passes for 264 yards and the late pick. Darius Slayton finished with four receptions for 108 yards and Nabers caught seven passes for 72 yards. Greg Joseph scored four field goals for the Giants, which were canceled out by 11 penalties for 65 yards and a defense that allowed the suddenly potent Wilson-led Steelers offense to pile up 426 yards.

“There were a lot of good things, but not enough,” New York coach Brian Daboll said.

That’s been the case for a while for the Giants, who are 2-6 for the second straight season. Two years removed from a breakout season that ended with New York making the playoffs and the Giants giving Jones a lucrative extension, the franchise appears to be adrift.

There were flashes of progress against the Steelers, but the Giants were undone by the kinds of mistakes — flags, turnovers and blown assignments — that happen far too often during their freefall.

“We hurt ourselves a lot tonight,” Jones said. “That’s the most frustrating thing about it. We need to be more detailed, starting with me. The good things that happened were outweighed by the mistakes.”

Injuries

Steelers: Justin Fields served as a stopgap quarterback behind Wilson and Kyle Allen after adjusting a hamstring in practice on Saturday.

Next

Giants: Host Washington on Sunday.

Steelers: After a farewell, visit the Commanders on November 10.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl