The Giants winning streak came to a halt yesterday after a 24-14 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Giants defense got exposed yesterday and that could pose a problem for them in their upcoming schedule. The Giants also had some offensive miscues that cost them time of possession throughout the game, and the Steelers offense capitalized on that.
Time of possession is a big issue that the Giants offense has yet to address this season. The Giants play calling needs to change in order for the offense to keep drives alive. The Giants have 4 games left and they need to win to stay on top of the NFC wildcard race and make it into the playoffs.
The Giants lost this game on both sides of the ball. The Giants offense did not perform like they should have. Eli Manning had one of the worst games of his season with a QBR of 16.9. Manning threw 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions for the game, and he would also throw for 195 yards.
Manning made several mistakes to end drives early. He would also get sacked twice, and those sacks would occur when the Giants needed a big gain on third downs. The offensive line for the Giants struggled and that would show at the beginning of the game when they got a safety for holding in the end zone.
The wide receiving unit for the Giants had a productive day, but it would not be enough to win the game. Odell Beckham Jr. was targeted 16 times against the Steelers he would catch 10 passes for 100 yards. Sterling Shepard was a recipient of one of Manning’s two touchdown passes. He would have 4 catches for 21 total yards in the game.
Victor Cruz did not see any action against the Steelers and he needs to start getting more targets during games. Cruz could bring the offensive spark that the Giants need. The Giants running game was not good yesterday as Rashad Jennings and Paul Perkins would rush for a combined 56 yards.
The Giants defense was picked apart by Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Roethlisberger would have a great game throwing for 289 yards, 2 touchdowns, and an interception. Antonio Brown had a good game he was targeted 7 times, and he would catch 6 passes for 54 yards and a touchdown.
As the Giants tried to crawl back into the game the Steelers would have an answer on offense to keep possession of the ball. Le’Veon Bell played a huge role in why they Giants lost late in the game. He would power through their defensive line and gain big yards on the ground to prevent 3 and outs.
The Giants will play the biggest game of their season next Sunday night as they get ready to face off against the Dallas Cowboys. This will be a rematch of the first game of the season in which the Giants won 20-19. The game will have much higher stakes for the Giants because the Cowboys have not lost since that game.
The Giants will need everyone to play their best to beat Dallas. The Giants run defense will have to show up because Ezekiel Elliott has been running all over the league’s top defenses. A Giants win would be huge, and they would gain ground in the NFC East.