For the second straight week, the Pittsburgh Steelers find themselves preparing for a primetime game at Acrisure Stadium, this time against the New York Giants on Monday Night Football.
Unlike the last primetime matchup on paper against the New York Jets, this matchup — primarily on defense — looks rather lopsided in favor of the Steelers.
Pro Football Focus’ Trevor Sikkema believes that to be the case.
Appearing on the latest episode of the PFF NFL Show Thursday, Sikkema stated that the showdown with the Steelers on Monday Night Football is a “terrible matchup for the Giants” offensively.
“Thoughts and prayers to the Giants’ offensive line. Truly, because especially without Andrew Thomas, this one looks rough. [A] 54.4 blocking grade from this team in Week 7, 37.4 run blocking grade in particular last week,” Sikkema says of the matchup between the Giants and the Steelers, according to video via PFF on YouTube. “They’re going up against the Steelers’ defensive line that is many things with T.J. Watt and with Cam Heyward and with the rest of their edge rushers, Keeanu Benton and Nick Herbig and Alex Highsmith. Like, that whole unit is just, it’s fierce. They have the third-best run defense grade in the NFL for a defensive front at 73.3. They’ve got two defensive player of the year candidates in T.J. Watt and Cam Heyward — 35-year-old Cam Heyward.
“Yeah, it’s just true. It’s just, it’s hard to think that Giants are gonna do anything. I don’t know if the Giants score more than 10 points in this game. The way that they do is Malik Nabers absolutely goes off and Malik Nabers can get more than a 150, a 175 yards receiving. Yeah, maybe we’re having a different story. But outside of that man, it’s just a terrible matchup for the Giants.”
On paper, it is absolutely a terrible matchup for the Giants, who have really had issues in the trenches.
Last week alone against the Philadelphia Eagles, the Giants’ offensive line allowed eight sacks, and New York scored just three points. It’s fair to say the Steelers’ defense is better than Philadelphia’s, especially up front.
This week, the Giants will be without left tackle Andrew Thomas again. That will put Joshua Ezeudu in the lineup, where he’ll have to deal with Alex Highsmith off the edge. On the other side, Jermaine Elumeunor will have to match up against T.J. Watt.
Both look like clear matchup advantages — in a big way — for the Steelers. On the interior, Cameron Heyward is playing at an elite level, while Keeanu Benton and Larry Ogunjobi are playing good football, too. The Giants are going to need to find answers on the inside with guards Jon Runyan and Greg Van Roten, and center John Michael Schmitz.
They haven’t found answers this year, though, so that’s a problem.
It’s very clear on paper that the Steelers have a matchup advantage defensively. But that’s why they play the games. Anything could happen. This does look like a game the Steelers should win rather comfortably though. Considering they’ve done that in the last two weeks, taking care of lesser opponents in big ways, it feels safe to assume they’ll do that this week too.
But you know what they say about assuming.
