The New York Giants are limping into their Monday Night Football matchup in Pittsburgh after losing two straight at home. The road doesn’t get any easier, as the Steelers have won 21 straight home games on Monday Night Football. Their .679 winning percentage on MNF is the best in the league, and they’re 20-3 on MNF under coach Mike Tomlin.
Perhaps the only good news for the Giants (2-5) is they’ve been better on the road this season. Here’s a closer look at the matchup:
Safe? Or safe for now?
General manager Joe Schoen and coach Brian Daboll got a vote of confidence this week from co-owner John Mara.
“We are not making any changes this season, and I do not anticipate making any changes in the offseason either,” Mara said at the premiere of a documentary on his father, Wellington Mara.
Those comments obviously provided some reassurance for Schoen and Daboll, but there are still 10 weeks left in the season. They only need to look to the recent past to understand how quickly things can change.
Mara and co-owner Steve Tisch issued a statement on Nov. 13, 2017, that they wouldn’t decide on coach Ben McAdoo’s future until after the season. McAdoo and general manager Jerry Reese were fired three weeks later after the controversial benching of Eli Manning.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Dec. 26, 2021, that the Giants were planning to bring back coach Joe Judge for a third season. Judge was fired two weeks later after an embarrassing finish to a 4-13 season.
McAdoo and Judge were fired due to self-inflicted wounds. Daboll should be safe if he can avoid those types of missteps, but Mara’s use of the word “anticipate” gives him room to change his mind. And with 10 games left, there’s certainly the possibility that he could if the product on the field doesn’t improve.
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Desperately seeking stability
The Giants and Steelers have deep connections. The Mara family has owned the Giants since their inception in 1925, while the Steelers were founded by the Rooney family in 1933. The marriage of Chris Mara, who is currently the Giants’ senior player personnel executive, and Kathleen Rooney deepened the ties.
Each of the historic franchises have been successful, with the Steelers’ six Super Bowl championships tying for the most by any team. The Giants are tied for fifth with four Super Bowl titles.
But the Giants have been no match for the Steelers’ stability. Pittsburgh has had three head coaches since 1969: Chuck Noll from 1969-91, Bill Cowher from 1992-2006 and Tomlin from 2007-present.
It’s easy to maintain that level of continuity when a franchise has had a losing record just 10 times over that 55-year span. The Steelers haven’t had a losing season since 2003.
Compare that to the Giants, who are on their fourth head coach since Tom Coughlin was cast aside in 2016. The Giants have had a losing record in nine of the past 11 seasons.
Mara desperately wants to replicate the Steelers’ continuity. A desire to be more patient is at the heart of his commitment to Schoen and Daboll. But the only way to duplicate the Steelers’ stability is to win. That crucial ingredient has been missing for the Giants during this tumultuous stretch.
Two paths diverge
The Giants and Steelers both landed quarterbacks in the first round of the 2004 draft and enjoyed stability at the position for over a decade. Eli Manning won two Super Bowls with the Giants before retiring after the 2019 season, while Ben Roethlisberger won two Super Bowls with the Steelers before retiring after the 2021 season.
There have been some similarities and some striking differences between how the franchises have handled life after the retirement of their iconic quarterback.
With Manning’s career winding down, the Giants picked Daniel Jones with the No. 6 pick of the 2019 draft and immediately enacted a succession plan. Jones replaced Manning in Week 3 of the 2019 season and is now in his sixth season as the Giants’ starter with a 24-41-1 career record.
The Steelers took Kenny Pickett with the 20th pick of the 2022 draft following Roethlisberger’s retirement. Pickett went 14-10 in his first two seasons before the Steelers traded him to the Eagles this offseason. The Steelers got a 2024 third-round pick and two 2025 fifth-round picks and sent the Eagles a 2024 fourth-round pick along with Pickett.
The Steelers pivoted to Russell Wilson, who is only getting $1.2 million from Pittsburgh because the Broncos are on the hook for the rest of the nine-time Pro Bowler’s salary. The Steelers then traded a conditional sixth-round pick to the Bears for Justin Fields, who was bumped out of Chicago by No. 1 pick Caleb Williams.
For just $4.8 million combined (plus $3.7 million in dead money from Pickett), the Steelers overhauled their quarterback room with Wilson and Fields. It paid off to acquire two capable starters, as Fields went 4-2 while Wilson was sidelined with a calf injury. Wilson reclaimed the starting job last week and led the Steelers to a 37-15 win over the Jets.
The Steelers’ future at the position is unclear because Wilson and Fields are both slated to become free agents. But for this season, they cheaply upgraded the position to give them a chance to maximize a dominant defense.
Danger-Russ past
The Giants hosted Wilson for what was termed an “exploratory meeting” before the start of free agency. The exploration didn’t get far, as Wilson visited the Steelers the next day and ultimately signed with Pittsburgh.
The Giants weren’t a serious contender for Wilson because they viewed him as the backup to Jones. The Steelers offered Wilson an opportunity to win the starting job in an open competition. They followed through, as he still became the starter even after missing six weeks with the calf injury.
Daboll chooses his words carefully. He chose the word “explosive” twice… https://t.co/b9aRPAFajW
— Dan Duggan (@DDuggan21) October 24, 2024
Wilson, who threw for 26 touchdowns and eight interceptions last season in Denver, certainly would have been a superior backup option than Drew Lock, who signed a one-year, $5 million contract with the Giants this offseason.
Of course, it’s entirely possible Wilson could have beaten Jones out in a quarterback competition. But that wasn’t presented as a possibility, so the Giants weren’t a serious option for his services.
Looking ahead, Wilson and Fields could be on the Giants’ radar as potential bridge quarterback options in free agency next offseason.
Tackle trouble
Daboll hasn’t committed to sticking with Josh Ezeudu for a second start at left tackle in place of Andrew Thomas, who is out for the season with a foot injury. Ezeudu will compete with veteran Chris Hubbard, who was signed off the San Francisco 49ers’ practice squad last week.
Ezeudu gave up two third-down sacks in the first quarter of the Giants’ 28-3 loss to the Eagles last Sunday. That performance reinforced the concern over having the 2022 third-round pick as Thomas’ replacement after Ezeudu struggled so much in the same role last season.
It seems unlikely the Giants will pull the plug on Ezeudu after one shaky showing considering he has been the backup left tackle all offseason. Hubbard has mostly played right tackle during his 58 career starts, but he said he worked at left tackle with the 49ers during training camp, so he’s comfortable at the position.
It seems like Hubbard is the insurance policy at left tackle if Ezeudu continues to struggle. The Giants explored another contingency plan this week by hosting former Cardinals left tackle DJ Humphries for a visit.
Humphries left without signing, and Daboll said there’s “nothing on the horizon right now.” Humphries tore his ACL in Week 17 last season, so he may not be physically ready to play.
The Giants gave Ezeudu plenty of help from tight ends and running backs last week, and that will likely be necessary again on Monday against Pittsburgh’s Alex Highsmith, who has combined for 21.5 sacks during the previous two seasons.
It’s scary to send help to the opposite side of the tackle who will be blocking TJ Watt, who has led the NFL in sacks in three of the past four seasons. Right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor will be tasked with blocking Watt, who tallied two sacks in their matchup last season.
‘Not acceptable’
Cornerback and wide receiver were the two obvious targets for the Giants in the first round of the 2023 draft. When four receivers went off the board with picks 20-23, the Giants could have stuck at No. 25 and been assured of landing Maryland cornerback Deonte Banks or Penn State cornerback Joey Porter Jr.
The Giants coveted Banks and didn’t leave anything to chance, dealing No. 25, a fifth-round pick and a seventh-round pick to move up No. 24 to land him. Porter slid to the second round, where the Steelers took him with the 32nd pick.
Porter has had the better start to his career, finishing fifth in the defensive rookie of the year voting last season. He’s the top corner on the second-best scoring defense in the league this season.
Banks has had an up-and-down second season as the No. 1 corner for the league’s 12th-best scoring defense. He’s drawn the daunting assignment of covering opposing No. 1 receivers each week. Banks’ effort has been more of a concern than his coverage.
Banks was called out by defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson for loafing on a 55-yard touchdown catch by Cowboys receiver CeeDee Lamb in Week 4. Then Banks showed an appalling lack of effort on a scramble by Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts during Sunday’s game.
Defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence said the play against the Eagles is “not acceptable.”
“We addressed it, and now everybody knows that’s not acceptable,” Lawrence said.
Daboll hasn’t publicly criticized Banks’ effort and hasn’t shared if there has been any discipline for the lack of hustle. The most obvious punishment would be a benching, even if only for a quarter of Monday’s game. But there are no indications Daboll will go that route.
Jinx
Henderson apparently didn’t find wood to knock on when he was discussing cornerback Cor’Dale Flott before last week’s game. As Henderson was explaining Flott’s improved play in his third season, the assistant coach provided an explanation that was unfortunately prescient.
“The thing with Cor’Dale for me has always been just remaining healthy,” Henderson said last Friday. “Because when he’s healthy and he plays, the more he plays he just continues to get better and better. I just hope that he continues to stay healthy so he can just continue developing and growing.”
Flott promptly suffered a groin injury in the second quarter against the Eagles that sidelined him for the rest of the game. Flott didn’t practice on Thursday and Daboll expressed skepticism that he’ll be ready for Monday’s game.
Flott isn’t the only Giants cornerback dealing with an injury. Adoree’ Jackson missed the Eagles game with a neck injury and didn’t practice Thursday. It would be a surprise if he’s ready for Monday. Tre Hawkins suffered an ankle injury against the Eagles but finished the game. Hawkins didn’t practice Thursday, but he is expected to play Monday, according to a league source.
Banks, Dru Phillips and Nick McCloud were the only healthy corners during Thursday’s practice. Hawkins and McCloud alternated at the corner spot opposite Banks after Flott’s injury with Phillips remaining in the slot against the Eagles.
George Pickens is the unparalleled top target for the Steelers. Pickens has 474 receiving yards; the rest of the Steelers’ wide receivers have 320 yards. Pickens has 31 catches; the rest of the Steelers wide receivers have 24 catches.
Prediction
Steelers 20, Giants 13. This will be a gritty game in a tough environment. I might be giving the Giants too much credit to expect them to keep it close, but they should put up a fight against a mediocre offense.
(Photo of Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll: Chris Pedota / NorthJersey.com via USA Today Network)
