By Charlotte Carroll, Mike DeFabo and Lauren Merola
After a halftime tie, a second-half surge propelled the Pittsburgh Steelers past the New York Giants 26-18 on “Monday Night Football” at Acrisure Stadium.
Within the first two frames, both teams hit three field goals to even the score at 9. In the touchdown-less half, an asterisk was put on the widely-thought rule that putting two feet down in the end zone after a catch accounted for a TD. Correction: Putting both feet down in the end zone equates a score.
Right, George Pickens?
The Steelers wide receiver had two touchdowns called back in the first half, and one for failing to land on both his left and right foot in the end zone. Instead, Pickens caught the ball in the end zone and landed on his right foot, but a push by Giants cornerback Deonte Banks toward out of bounds only allowed Pickens to drag his right foot on the ground once more.
According to the NFL rulebook, both feet must touch the ground inbounds to be considered a catch.
Deonte Banks did not let George Pickens get that foot down 😳
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With his two nixed scores, Pickens finished with a team-leading 74 yards. Calvin Austin III added 54 yards and one touchdown.
Giants running back Tyrone Tracy exploded for 145 rushing yards and a score. With less than four minutes to play, Tracy hit his head on the ground and later exited for the locker room.
Second-half Steelers do it again
While slow starts have plagued the Steelers throughout the season, they’ve also been one of the NFL’s best second-half teams. Through the first seven weeks, they ranked first in scoring defense and second in scoring offense in the final two quarters.
On Monday, a second-half surge propelled the Steelers to victory once again.
After three red zone trips resulted in just three field goals in the first half, the Steelers found a spark from third-year receiver Austin. With the score tied at 9, Austin showed off his track-caliber speed with a 73-yard punt return for a touchdown.
The following series, Austin scored his second touchdown when quarterback Russell Wilson found him from 29 yards out. While there were some nervous moments down the stretch, those plays helped give the Steelers the necessary cushion to secure victory. — Mike DeFabo, Steelers beat writer
Pittsburgh’s red zone woes
With Wilson at quarterback, the Steelers moved the ball between the 20s more fluidly than they have in some time. Running back Najee Harris picked up yards in chunks and Wilson spread the ball to several targets. However, red zone woes allowed the Giants to hang around.
Four times the Steelers drove inside the 20, including three times in the first half, but they were forced to settle for field goals on all four instances.
Different problems popped up in each series. On the opening drive, a Broderick Jones face mask penalty negated a touchdown pass to Pickens. Later, Pickens looked like he made a fantastic toe-tapping catch, but it was determined he got the same foot down twice. In the second half, the problems persisted as Wilson was sacked on third down to force a fourth field goal.
Wilson’s return from injury has mostly taken the offense to a new level. But they need to find ways to finish drives and clean up miscues. — DeFabo
A frustrating day for Giants offense
Giants quarterback Daniel Jones offered a rare angry outburst after a failed fourth-quarter two-point conversion in which none of the blockers blocked, simply watching Jones throw the ball.
It felt emblematic of the night.
The offense would do something right and then take two steps backward due to miscues and plenty of sloppy, penalty-filled football. Following that play, Jones was visibly upset on the sidelines, flailing his arms at one point in conference with coach Brian Daboll.
Jones was sacked four times, with the offensive line struggling to protect him from TJ Watt and Alex Highsmith. Late in the fourth quarter, the defense forced a fumble with game-tying potential, but right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor couldn’t hold off Watt, who forced a fumble of his own.
Jones went 24-for-38 for 264 yards and an interception. — Charlotte Carroll, Giants beat writer
(Photo: Justin K. Aller / Getty Images)
