Calvin Austin's two touchdowns help lead the Steelers past the Giants

PITTSBURGH – On a Monday night when the kickers dominated, the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the New York Giants 26-18 thanks to two trips into the end zone by Calvin Austin III.

Austin not only scored the franchise's first punt return touchdown in nearly five years in the third quarter, but later caught another signature Russell Wilson Moon ball for his second receiving TD of the season in the fourth quarter.

And although the Steelers defense allowed Giants rookie running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. to post a career rushing night with 145 yards and a touchdown, TJ Watt came through – as he is wont to do – with a massive one Strip sack by Daniel Jones and fumble recovery to keep the Giants from capitalizing on Wilson's fumble in the fourth quarter. Beanie Bishop Jr. had a crucial interception on the Giants' final drive.

QB breakdown: In his second start as a Steeler, Russell Wilson had no trouble matching his 245-yard performance from a week ago with 278 passing yards and a touchdown. Wilson released his moonball several times in the win, most notably with two deep passes to Van Jefferson at the end of the third quarter and a 29-yard bomb to Austin early in the fourth quarter for both teams' first offensive touchdown. At the time of that touchdown, Wilson was 4 of 6 with a TD on passes of at least 20 air yards this season. Wilson was sacked four times and lost a fumble, but showed increased mobility and escape ability.

Promising trend: Despite scoring just nine points in the first half, the Steelers moved the ball at an impressive rate, recording 14 plays of at least 10 yards. According to ESPN Research, it was the most in a half since Week 2 of 2018 against the Kansas City Chiefs, when they also had 14. Before this week, the Steelers struggled to move the ball in the first half, but they recorded 237 yards of offense in the first two quarters – including 104 rushing yards – a sign that they may have put the slow starts behind them. The Steelers also scored field goals on each of their first three drives, marking the first time since Week 10 of the 2023 season against the Packers that they opened with three consecutive scores.

Key game: Home visit. Austin's 73-yard touchdown in the third quarter was the Steelers' first punt return for a touchdown since Diontae Johnson scored one against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 14 of the 2019 season. Not only did it give the Steelers their first touchdown of the night and a 16-9 lead after their first two were called back, it was another tour de force from longtime Steelers special teams coach Danny Smith, whose unit blocked three kicks in a row Games start on Monday evening. Austin found the end zone again a quarter later with a 29-yard moonball from Wilson.

Next game: on Commanders (1 p.m. ET, November 10)

Sloppy, sloppy, sloppy. The Giants are a team that has to play almost perfectly in order to beat strong opponents like the Steelers on the road. They didn't do that on Monday night.

Far from it. The Giants and their struggling offense committed six penalties on their first two drives. One negated a touchdown.

And then their special teams, which appears to be competing with their offense for the worst unit on the team, allowed a 73-yard punt return to Austin for a touchdown. That's how you lose six of your first eight for the second year in a row.

QB breakdown: Daniel Jones had a productive first half despite being under a lot of pressure. He completed 11 of 16 passes for 141 yards but failed to get his team into the end zone. In the second half, however, the pressure was too great. Jones was sacked four times, including a strip sack by Watt in the fourth quarter. Jones completed 24 of 38 passes for 264 yards with no touchdowns and an interception in Steelers territory in the final moments. Not good enough. Jones fell to a miserable 1-15 record in prime time, which included seven straight losses.

Biggest gap in the game plan: Where is the run defense? The Giants still can't seem to get it done. Coach Brian Daboll continues to lament the team's running fits. Again, not good enough as they allowed 104 yards and 6.5 yards per carry in the first half alone. The Giants came into the contest ranked 32nd in the NFL allowing 5.43 yards per rush. They allowed 167 yards on the ground on Monday.

Most surprising performance: Tyrone Tracy Jr. The Giants appear to have found a running back. Tracy, a fifth-round rookie, had his second 100-yard game in four weeks and first against the Steelers this season. He ran for 145 yards on 20 carries before leaving with an injury. That includes five runs of at least 10 yards, with a 45-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Stunning statistics: 34.2 air yards for Darius Slayton. The Giants had to make some explosive plays, and Jones and Slayton connected on a deep ball on the Giants' opening drive that gave them a 43-yard gain. It was only the second pass Jones has thrown for more than 30 yards this season. Before Monday's first-quarter throw, he was 1 of 11 passing for throws of more than 30 yards. The Giants finished the game with three explosive plays (more than 20 yards), but Jones was just 1 of 3 on deep balls.

Worrying trend: The play by Deonte Banks. The Giants' second-year cornerback was taken out of the game in the second quarter after some shaky tackles and soft coverage. The team reported no injuries. Instead, the 2023 first-round pick was replaced by Greg Stroman Jr., just a week after Banks put up a feeble effort trying to tackle Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts. Not encouraging.

Next game: vs. Commander (1 p.m. ET, November 3)