Pittsburgh Steelers Team Grades: Steelers' Defense Ends Giants' Six-Game Winning Streak
By Danny Cox
The Pittsburgh Steelers stunned the New York Giants and ended their six-game winning streak on Sunday. The offense displayed an above-average performance by spreading the ball around and running a balanced offensive attack. At the end of the day, however, the defense truly got the job done. They hounded Eli Manning and shut down the Giants in a 24-14 victory.
Offense: B
Balance was key for the Steelers' offense Sunday. Ben Roethlisberger had 24 completions for 289 yards and two touchdowns. He was sacked twice and threw one interception. Ladarius Green was Big Ben's top target on the day with six receptions for 110 yards and one score. Roethlisberger also passed the ball to seven different Steelers' players in the game. Finally, the run game was all Le'Veon Bell. He racked up 118 yards and kept the Giants' defense on their toes by running hard and strong.
Defense: A
Pittsburgh's defense is what won this game for them, as they tightened up and shut down the Giants' offense. Manning was hounded throughout the day, which resulted in a mere 195 yards on 24-of-39 passing. He also threw two picks and was sacked twice by Ricardo Mathews and the ever-dangerous James Harrison.
New York's running game was held to just 56 yards with Paul Perkins leading the team with 38 yards on just seven carries. The only person who the Steelers couldn't stop on Sunday was wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. who had 10 receptions for 100 yards. While he racked up a lot of yards, the Steelers kept the explosive player out of the end zone.
Special Teams: B+
It was a good day all around for special teams who did well in the return game even though they had limited opportunities. There were no punt returns, but Antonio Brown had one kickoff return for 23 yards and Sammie Coates had one for 24 yards, which set up the Steelers' offense nicely.
Jordan Berry did well punting the ball, as he pinned the Giants inside their own 20-yard line twice. Randy Bullock had a good game as well. He hit his lone extra point attempt and nailed all three field goal attempts, including a 44-yarder.
Coaching: A-
Mike Tomlin has been working hard at fixing the multiple problems that he said were plaguing the Steelers a few weeks ago. Now, the team is finishing plays, wrapping up on tackles and completing what they start. The team executed a great game plan and the defense never stopped grinding.
Coming up next, the Pittsburgh Steelers will travel to take on the Buffalo Bills. The Steelers must win in order to keep pace with the Baltimore Ravens in their division. Roethlisberger and the Steelers are hitting their stride at just the right time, as the playoff push is in full swing. Every win counts considering there are only four regular season games left and one is a showdown with the Ravens, which could end up deciding the AFC North.