As we do every week to get you ready for the upcoming game, our X-factor of the week. Sometimes it’s a player, unit, concept or scheme. Here’s our Pittsburgh Steelers’ X-factor of the game against the New York Giants.
STEELERS VS. GIANTS X FACTOR: STEELERS’ PASS RUSH
Over the past two weeks, the Steelers have really seemed to find their groove. Bouncing back from back-to-back losses, the Pittsburgh has now put together a winning streak of its own. The Steelers earned dominant victories over both the Las Vegas Raiders and New York Jets the past two weeks. They’ve got a 5-2 record, tied atop the AFC North with the Baltimore Ravens.
Now, Pittsburgh gets its first Monday Night Football appearance of the season this week. The Steelers host the New York Giants, who aren’t nearly in as good of a position. The Giants are reeling, with two straight losses, including a demoralizing 28-3 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 7.
While the Steelers’ offense has exploded, scoring 30 points in each of the last two weeks, their defense deserves credit as well. The unit has held its own, limiting opponents to just 28 combined points during the same span. The defense will need to play well again this week, especially when it comes to getting after the quarterback. The Steelers have a decided advantage in that department this week, as the Giants’ offensive line has been subpar in 2024, to say the least.
In the play above, both the center and the left guard are immediately beaten off the line of scrimmage. Giants quarterback Daniel Jones never had a chance here. While Jones has made plenty of his own mistakes, he hasn’t had much of a chance throughout the season, and a lot of that is due to the offensive line. Even with that said, Jones doesn’t have the best pocket presence.
The Giants’ offensive line is tied for third-most sacks allowed in the NFL with 22, a little more than three per game. For the Steelers, this is an area where the defense should have a massive advantage Monday night. With just 15 sacks through seven games, the Steelers haven’t been quite as dominant in this department as they’ve been in the past, although some of that can be chalked up to a rash of injuries across the roster.
This does represent an excellent opportunity for Pittsburgh to get back on track, though. The Giants have rushed for only 711 yards this season, 22nd in the league. As a result, they’re throwing the ball more than they would prefer.
With that in mind, plus the fact that Pittsburgh has allowed the fourth-fewest rushing yards in the NFL (567), the Steelers have a good shot at forcing the Giants to be one-dimensional on offense. At that point, their pass rush can completely neutralize New York from there.
