In the aftermath of a lost 2019 season, Ben Roethlisberger returned to the helm of the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday night. But it was the Pittsburgh defense’s seven steel first-round picks that were the highlight of Monday night’s opener and led the Steelers to a 26-16 victory over the New York Giants. Afterward, it was the mistakes of Stephen Gostkowski that told the story for most of the night until the former Patriots star took the Tennessee Titans to a 16-14 victory over the Broncos. from Denver to end the evening.
1) Briefly at the start, the Giants’ offense showed its potential, going straight for a very ballyhooed Steelers defense in the night’s first practice. After being forced to clear, the New York offense received the ball to his 3-yard line, but that turned out to be only a showcase for the real Pittsburgh D to stand up. The Steelers held the Giants to a basket and set the tone for the night ahead in the process. Daniel Jones, Saquon Barkley and the group showed brilliance and potential, but were unable to keep it going. The Steelers’ defense has been fierce throughout – rocking a quaint Jones-to-Darius Slayton TD and High-reel Barkley catch-and-run – to flex its power. Led by their seven steel first-round picks, the Steelers led the league in sacks and takeaways last season and had three and two, respectively, on Monday. Perhaps no game was more emphatic than when Jones commanded a 19-game practice odyssey, but was squeezed by Bud Dupree and floated on a ball that Cam Heyward crashed into. The Giants had less than 3 yards in the first half, 29 for all 60 and held Barkley to a meager six for 15 carries. The Pittsburgh defense is brilliant chaos and showed it for four quarters on Monday.
