Position Ratings: Steelers vs. Giants

It wasn't pretty and there were definitely some jarring moments in the fourth quarter, but the Pittsburgh Steelers found a way to make the plays they needed late in the game to earn a 26-18 victory over the New York Giants on Monday Night Football. They are 6-2 this season and are starting the much-needed bye week with a good run.

Russell Wilson and the Steelers' offense once again performed impressively, moving the ball consistently and consistently scoring points against the Giants. The defense had two forced turnovers late to get the stops it needed to win a game in which the unit was not at its best.

They don't ask what it looks like; They only ask about the end result.

However, things looked better, especially on offense, than the final result would have suggested.

Let's get to some notes.

QB – B

Once again Russell Wilson put in a strong performance in the air. The veteran quarterback completed 20 of 28 passes for 278 yards and a touchdown. His stats should have looked even better as he had two touchdown passes to George Pickens thrown away, one because of a penalty against Broderick Jones and one after Pickens couldn't get a second foot down in the end zone.

It was certainly frustrating, but Wilson delivered all night long. In the second half, he threw a great deep ball to Calvin Austin III for a touchdown and also had a perfectly placed ball to Pickens that set up a Chris Boswell field goal.

However, Wilson took some bad sacks and made a puzzling decision to rush in what appeared to be a four-minute offensive situation and then fumbled the scramble, giving the Giants good field position. However, a few plays later he was saved by one Trent Jordan Watt.

Despite the sacks and the fumble, Wilson played well, taking advantage of what was there and hitting deep throws when he had the opportunity. All of this led to another strong offensive performance.

RB-B+

Najee Harris is currently on the heater and shows no signs of slowing down.

Harris rushed for a career-high 119 yards on just 19 carries, averaging 6.0 yards on the night. He got off to a fast start and never looked back. The offensive line opened up some gaps and Harris flew through them, breaking tackles along the way and setting up another great day.

Jaylen Warren also had a nice night, finishing the game with 46 yards, an average of 5.1 yards on nine carries. He ran hard, punched holes quickly and carved up the Giants when it mattered most. He was also dynamic as a receiver, finishing the game with two receptions for 13 yards and converting a big third down early in the game.

WR – B

Overall, a nice evening for the wide receivers, even if there were a few mistakes.

Pickens led the Steelers with four receptions for 74 yards. In the fourth quarter, he caught a huge 43-yard shot from Wilson down the left sideline that sparked the Steelers' offense. He also had a nice catch-and-run in the first half that appeared to set up a touchdown.

Instead, Pickens couldn't get both feet into the game and was thrown out of bounds, forcing the Steelers to settle for a field goal. Losing a touchdown due to a Broderick Jones facemask penalty wasn't fun either.

Van Jefferson finished the game with four receptions for 62 yards and made a great play with a back-shoulder ball for a 36-yard gain that breathed life into the offense. It was a great transition and great body control to stay inbounds and make the play. He is developing into an important receiver for Wilson.

Calvin Austin III finished the game with three receptions for 54 yards, including his 29-yard touchdown that seemingly opened the game for the Steelers. He ran a great route and won easily against man coverage, and Wilson dropped it in the bucket for him.

Scotty Miller also saw a few runs that night and was shot deep once, but the ball went through his arms. Still, it's nice to see him get a deep shot.

TE – B-

Things started well when Darnell Washington scored on a 29-yard catch-and-run from Wilson on the game's first drive, but he wasn't targeted again after that.

Pat Freiermuth only had two catches for 19 yards, while MyCole Pruitt had one catch for 10 yards. It was a quiet night in the passing game for the tight ends.

However, the group did a solid job in the running game, especially Connor Heyward, who served as a pseudo-fullback and helped open up the lanes. Washington, like Pruitt, controlled the battle line. Freiermuth also improved in that area of ​​his game, and it all added up to another strong rushing performance.

OL-C

Really tough night for Broderick Jones, who committed a penalty that negated a touchdown, allowed a sack, and was blown up on a draw, resulting in a big tackle for loss. This led to an orienteering guru criticizing his commitment and effort on social media.

Not good for Jones. The really worrying season continues for him.

Dan Moore Jr. was really solid once again on this night. He was a rock for the Steelers in the trenches. It was pretty telling that on the one play where he missed the backup, Calvin Anderson was beaten for a sack. Moore was good in the running game and was pretty solid in pass protection.

Isaac Seumalo also quietly had a strong game, aside from a puzzling false start penalty where he didn't appear to move. The same goes for the false start penalty against center Ryan McCollum, where it looked like he had the Giants offside but instead got a warning himself.

As expected, he had a fight with Dexter Lawrence that night. He was also battling an arm injury.

Mason McCormick was also really good on the night and continues to be a people mover in the run game. However, he quickly allowed Lawrence to be put under pressure, which resulted in Wilson being fired.

DL-C

Cameron Heyward played solid football in his record-breaking appearance with the Steelers. He finished the game with six tackles, one tackle for loss and two quarterback hits. But he had some issues in the running game, similar to many others. However, he was active around football and was strong when it mattered most.

Larry Ogunjobi quietly made three tackles while Keeanu Benton started the game quickly, played with good effort and kept chasing the football. But he had some trouble getting out of the blocks in the run game and wasn't a big factor.

Isaiahh Loudermilk and Dean Lowry were quiet and also struggled in the running game. It's a little disappointing to see the struggles in the defensive line's running game.

LB – B+

Alex Highsmith and TJ Watt were killjoys, period. The pair each had two sacks, while Highsmith blew a 2-point conversion and Watt had a crucial strip sack in the red zone in the fourth quarter.

The Giants had no answer to either as they continued to fire up Jones and the Giants' offense. It's remarkable to see the two of them rolling the way they are.

On the inside, Patrick Queen had some good plays in coverage, but he fell to the ground on the Giants' 46-yard touchdown run, taking out safety DeShon Elliott. Queen still had eight tackles, but it was some of the plays he didn't make that were frustrating.

Elandon Roberts played well at times when things went downhill against the run, finishing the game with three tackles and a tackle for loss. Payton Wilson had three tackles and two quarterback hits and was occasionally used as a blitzer. But make no mistake, the outside linebacker duo ruined this game for the Steelers.

DB – C-

A really tough and concerning night for the secondary, save for rookie Beanie Bishop Jr.'s game-winning interception.

The Steelers played soft, conservative coverage most of the night, which allowed Jones and the Giants to be successful on a number of plays.

Joey Porter Jr. led the Steelers in tackles with eight tackles, but he could often be seen throwing his hands up in off-zone coverage and appearing quite confused and frustrated about receptions being allowed.

Donte Jackson also had problems on the other end, including having to throw a long throw to Darius Slayton early in the game and being cornered after Jones missed safety Minkah Fitzpatrick to open the window.

When Jones tried Fitzpatrick, he made plays, including blowing up Slayton on the Giants' sideline to force a third-down incompletion in the first half.

DeShon Elliott had seven tackles and a pass breakup, but being picked off on Tyrone Tracy's touchdown run was frustrating, in part because he didn't attack downhill like he normally does. This allowed Queen to trip and take him out.

Terrell Edmunds also struggled in coverage as Jones targeted him multiple times.

Really a worrying performance against an offense that wasn't that good. However, the good news is that they shut down Malik Nabers for most of the game. He finished the game with seven receptions for 71 yards, but it was a quiet performance.

Special Teams – A

Once again, Danny Smith's special teams strike.

This time it wasn't a blocked kick, but a punt return for a touchdown.

Calvin Austin III raced home 73 yards for a punt return touchdown, getting some great blocks from Rodney Williams, James Pierre and Jeremiah Moon. It's a culture in Pittsburgh. Special teams are so important.

Austin’s punt return showed that.

In addition to the punt return touchdown, Chris Boswell went a perfect four-for-four on the night and remains on pace to set an NFL record. Corliss Waitman was pretty good at punting the football, averaging 43.7 yards on three punts and throwing two punts inside the 20-yard line.

The Steelers allowed a 47-yard kickoff return, which came immediately after Wilson found Austin for the 29-yard touchdown. That kickoff return led to Tracy's 46-yard touchdown run, as the Giants only had to go 55 yards on the drive.