In Week 8, the Pittsburgh Steelers are heavy favorites to beat the New York Giants. That probably makes some fans more worried than anything though. Under Mike Tomlin, it feels like the Steelers have one or two letdown games every year. Last year, they lost to the Arizona Cardinals and New England Patriots, two of the worst teams in the NFL. The Giants have some solid players too, which is why analyst Chris Simms doesn’t believe this game is a sure thing for the Steelers.
“I’m gonna pick the Steelers to win the game, but I don’t think it’s definite,” Simms said recently on his podcast. “Do I see ways in which the Giants can win this game and pull off an upset? Yeah, I do. I think this Giants defense will pose more problems for the Steelers’ offense than the Jets did last week.”
In the NFL, anyone can win any game, no matter their record. Even though the Giants are 2-5, they do have some talent along their defensive front. Dexter Lawrence might be the best defensive lineman in all of football. Brian Burns is a premier pass rusher. Azeez Ojulari has been a decent player when healthy. The Giants could exploit the Steelers’ wounded offensive line.
The Giants may have some great players on defense, but their offense has been dreadful. Rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers has been sensational, but besides him, the Giants have lacked playmakers. With the Steelers’ defense being as elite as it is, that’s where Pittsburgh should really win. There’s no reason that the Giants’ offense should have a good game Monday night.
The Giants’ offensive line is also in shambles. They lost Andrew Thomas, their star left tackle, for a significant amount of time. Without him, their bad offensive line has only gotten worse. They allowed eight sacks last week, and Daniel Jones is the second-most sacked quarterback in the league.
Simms is correct to still acknowledge there’s a path to victory for the Giants, but it isn’t very probable. However, all it takes is one or two lucky bounces, and suddenly, they could be in control. That sort of thing happened for the Steelers against the Jets. This is a game the Steelers should win, but that means nothing once the pads go on. Everyone in the NFL is a professional, which means nothing is definite.
