The Pittsburgh Steelers had a season-high 426 yards of offense but needed a late interception to put away the New York Giants, 26-18, on “Monday Night Football.”
Rookie cornerback Beanie Bishop Jr.’s interception of Daniel Jones with 34 seconds left ended the Giants’ slim chances at a comeback in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter.
The Steelers held on to make it three wins in a row – including two in prime time – and enter their bye week at 6-2 with a one-game lead atop the AFC North standings.
The teams traded field goals and missed opportunities in the first half despite combining for 410 yards of offense. Each side had a touchdown called back by penalty and another ruled out of bounds.
The Steelers finally broke through in the third quarter with a touchdown on special teams, their first since Week 1 of the 2021 NFL season, behind wide receiver Calvin Austin’s 73-yard punt return touchdown. Austin scored on the ensuing Steelers drive on a 29-yard pass from Russell Wilson to give Pittsburgh a 23-9 lead.
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New York responded with a 45-yard touchdown run by rookie Tyrone Tracy on the next drive. A failed two-point conversion out of an unusual formation made it an eight-point game.
The teams traded field goals to make it 26-18 before trading fumbles as well. Wilson turned the ball over on a 2nd down scramble. Five plays later, Steelers star pass rusher T.J. Watt sacked Jones, forced a fumble, and recovered it to keep Pittsburgh ahead.
New York’s defense held strong to give the offense one last chance with 1:53 to go in the game. The Giants were driving before Jones’ pass intended for Devin Singletary was bobbled and eventually intercepted by Bishop Jr.
With the win, Pittsburgh maintains a lead over Baltimore (5-3) for the AFC North lead. Wilson moves to 2-0 as a starter in Pittsburgh and threw a touchdown pass for the 20th consecutive game.
New York drops to 2-6 with a home game against NFC East leader Washington in Week 9. The ground game looked good against one of the better run defenses in the league but penalties, sacks allowed, and turnovers in key moments kept New York from coming back in the second half.
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USA TODAY Sports provided live updates, highlights and more from the Steelers vs. Giants Week 8 “Monday Night Football” matchup below:
With the Giants out of timeouts and driving to potentially tie the game, Daniel Jones threw a game-sealing INT to cornerback Beanie Bishop.
The Steelers would take over and kneel out the clock to end the game.
New York’s defense held strong to force a Pittsburgh punt immediately after the two-minute warning. The Giants’ offense now takes over on their own 7-yard line with 1:53 left in the game and facing an eight-point deficit.
The Steelers’ top edge rusher beat the Giants’ right tackle and sacks Jones, forces a fumble, and recovers the ball all in a matter of second. The Steelers take over on their own 28.
On second-and-6 from the Steelers’ 34, Wilson dropped back and evaded pressure before scrambling upfield and fumbling. Giants linebacker Bobby Okereke recovered the ball to set the New York offense up on the Pittsburgh 37.
Tracy became the first Giants rookie running back to rush for 100 yards in a “Monday Night Football” game with his effort tonight. He’s up to 137 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries with five minutes to go in the game.
Malik Nabers couldn’t hold on to a Daniel Jones pass on third-and-7 from the Steelers’ 30 and New York opted for its fourth field goal of the game instead of going for it.
Greg Joseph made it from 48 yards out to cut Pittsburgh’s lead to one score with five minutes left in the game. Steelers 26, Giants 18.
Giants linebacker Azeez Ojulari got to Russell Wilson for his second sack of the game on 3rd and goal to force a Steelers field goal. George Pickens had the key play for Pittsburgh on the drive with a 43-yard catch into the red zone.
Chris Boswell knocks in his fourth field goal of the game from 27 yards out and New York gets the ball back on their own 30 with 7:15 remaining. Steelers 26, Giants 15.
New York went for two after their first touchdown of the game with quarterback Daniel Jones lined up in an unusual shotgun formation. Center John Michael Schmitz Jr., tackle Chris Hubbard, and tight end Theo Johnson were the only players on the line in front of Jones.
The rest of the linemen were split left in front of wideout Malik Nabers but were all watching for the snap, not Steelers linebacker Alex Highsmith who easily slipped through their front and knocked the ball out of Nabers’ hands.
The Giants’ rookie running back broke free against one of the top run defenses in the league for a 45-yard touchdown run. The Giants went for two but were unable to convert, cutting the deficit to eight points.
Malik Nabers made a crucial catch for the Giants on 3rd and 16 to extend the drive. Two plays later, Tracy scored.
Steelers wide receiver Calvin Austin gets it done on offense as well with an easy catch on a deep post to extend Pittsburgh’s lead. Chris Boswell’s extra point is good to give the Steelers a two-touchdown lead with 13:16 to go in the game.
Russell Wilson has now thrown a touchdown pass in 20 consecutive games dating back to Dec. 11, 2022. Steelers 23, Giants 9.
The third quarter closes with Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson finding Van Jefferson deep for a 36-yard gain on 3rd and 11. Pittsburgh is now across midfield to the Giants’ 31 and searching for their first touchdown on offense.
Daniel Jones’ primetime record fell to 1-14 after the Giants’ loss to the Bengals in Week 6.
Jones has played 67 games for the Giants since they drafted him in 2019, and his primetime struggles might show a national audience why he’s not a long-term solution under center.
Linebacker Patrick Queen made key stops on second and third down to force New York to punt for a third consecutive drive. Giants punter Matt Haack avoided another touchdown this time by booting the ball all the way to the Steelers’ end zone for a touchback.
The first touchdown of the game comes from special teams in this contest. After a three-and-out by the Giants’ offense, Calvin Austin takes a punt 73 yards for the score.
A penalty on New York was declined and Pittsburgh takes its largest lead of the game with 4:38 left in the third quarter.
Pittsburgh was facing third-and-eight from their own 18 when offensive linemen Ryan McCollum was called for a false start. Russell Wilson found Pat Freiermuth on a pass but the tight end couldn’t move the chains after an eight-yard gain. New York’s offense takes over on its own 26.
Banks, New York’s starting outside cornerback, has not taken the field in the second half. Backup Greg Stroman is into the game for the second-year cornerback.
Banks helped force the incompletion on a potential George Pickens touchdown in the first half and was later hurdled by Steelers running back Najee Harris.
T.J. Watt got home for his first sack of the game with the Giants facing second-and-10 at the Steelers’ 31. On the ensuing play, Alex Highsmith earned his second sack of the season to push New York to the Pittsburgh 43 and out of field goal range for Greg Joseph.
The Giants were forced to punt and Pittsburgh’s offense takes over on their own 16.
The NFL’s Monday Night Football game on Dec. 9 between the Cincinnati Bengals and Dallas Cowboys will include “The Simpsons Funday Football” alternate broadcast on Disney+ and ESPN+.
The broadcast will use the NFL’s Next Gen Stats player tracking and Sony’s Beyond Sports technology to create an animated version of the Bengals-Cowboys game in the style of “The Simpsons.”
Characters and voices from the show will be included in the broadcast. Peyton and Eli Manning as well as Stephen A. Smith are set to appear in the broadcast.
Red zone defense was the biggest decider in the first half between Pittsburgh and New York. The two teams combined for 410 yards of offense in the first half but had two touchdowns called back by penalty and another two called out of bounds.
“This is football,” Tomlin said of the red zone struggles for both teams on the broadcast. “This is ‘Monday Night Football.’ … We’ll keep working.”
The Giants were flagged for more penalties in the first half – five to the Steelers’ two – but each team had 30 penalty yards.
The Giants ended their fourth drive of the game with their third field goal of the contest. New York couldn’t convert third-and-five from the Steelers’ 29 and settled for a 44-yard field goal by Greg Joseph. Darius Slayton had a big catch on 3rd down early on in the drive to bring the Giants across midfield. Steelers 9, Giants 9.
New York’s pass rush got home twice on the drive with Azeez Ojulari and Brian Burns getting to Russell Wilson. The latter’s sack ended the Steelers’ drive and forced them to the other side of the 50 at the 2-minute warning. Pittsburgh punted for the first time all game and New York will take over with two timeouts at their own 17.
New York went three-and-out for the first time in the game after Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick hit Darius Slayton on third down to knock the ball out of his hands.
New York kicks the first punt of the game and Pittsburgh’s offense will take over on its own 18.
George Pickens had a crucial third down conversion to bring the Steelers into the red zone but later couldn’t get both feet down in bounds in the end zone for a touchdown. After review, the play was confirmed as an incomplete pass.
Chris Boswell makes his third field goal of the game to give Pittsburgh the lead again from 27 yards out. Steelers 9, Giants 6.
A disjointed Giants drive ends with another field goal to tie the game early in the second quarter.
The Giants declined a field goal from 47 yards in the first minute of the quarter and got a crucial fourth down conversion on a pass from Daniel Jones to Malik Nabers to keep the drive alive.
A pair of plays later, a touchdown pass from Jones to Chris Manhertz was nullified by an illegal shift penalty. Nabers corralled a pass in the end zone on the next play but couldn’t get both feet down in bounds. New York went with a 39-yard field goal to tie the game once again. Steelers 6, Giants 6.
New York overcame two early penalties to cross midfield thanks to Pittsburgh’s Alex Highsmith, who was flagged for a roughing the passer penalty. The Giants have called multiple screen plays on this drive, including to tight end Theo Johnson and running back Devin Singletary.
Big plays by Najee Harris and Darnell Washington brought the Steelers’ offense from their own 30 to the Giants’ 8-yard line. Two incomplete passes by Russell Wilson – the second of which was tipped by Isaiah Simmons – made the Steelers settle for another field goal. Chris Boswell made his second kick of the night with a 25-yarder. Steelers 6, Giants 3.
A deep pass by Daniel Jones to Darius Slayton for 43 yards set the Giants up at the Steelers’ 11-yard line. New York proceeded to lose yards on consecutive plays and had to settle for a field goal after failing to convert a 3rd and 12 from the Steelers’ 18. New York’s Greg Joseph scored his 10th field goal of the season. Giants 3, Steelers 3.
The Steelers are in for a different look on “Monday Night Football,” wearing their Color Rush alternate jerseys for the matchup. The uniforms feature a black jersey with gold letters, making for a sharp look.
Pittsburgh took the opening possession of the night to the red zone and nearly had a touchdown on a Russell Wilson pass to George Pickens. But a facemask penalty by Broderick Jones nullified the score and backed up the offense to the Giants’ 22. A third-down pass to Jaylen Warren set up a Chris Boswell field goal from 31 yards out. Steelers 3, Giants 0.
The longtime Pittsburgh linebacker and father of current Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. riled up the crowd by waving a “Terrible Towel” before kickoff. The Steelers received the opening kick to start the game after the New York Giants won the coin toss and deferred.
The Steelers vs. Giants matchup is the sole “MNF” game in Week 8. It will kick off at 8:15 p.m. ET at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh.
The next — and last “MNF” doubleheader of the 2024 season — is scheduled for Week 15.
ESPN is the broadcast home of “Monday Night Football”. Joe Buck (play-by-play), Troy Aikman (color commentary), and Lisa Salters (sideline reporter) will be on the call.
ESPN’s popular alternate broadcast, the “ManningCast” returns. Eli Manning will have a chance to speak on his former team alongside his brother Peyton. Monday night’s guests include Bill Belichick — who is a regular guest on the show for the 2024 NFL season — as well as Pro Football Hall of Famers Lawrence Taylor and Bill Cowher, and rapper/actor LL Cool J.
Here’s how the USA TODAY Sports staff feels the Week 8 “MNF” matchup between the Giants and Steelers will shape up:
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Fields (hamstring) was listed as questionable and was a game-time decision. Kyle Allen will be the backup quarterback to Russell Wilson.
Despite benching Daniel Jones in Week 7, the Giants appear ready to stick with their struggling quarterback. According to ESPN’s Jordan Raanan, Jones took all the first-team reps this week at practice. He added that the six-year veteran isn’t expected to be on a short leash.
Following the blowout loss to the Eagles, head coach Brian Daboll notably defended Jones after the benching and explained why he would remain the starter.
“I think he gives us the best chance, number one,” Daboll said. “I thought there were a lot of plays that he did exactly what he needed to do, and then look, there were some plays where it wasn’t just on Daniel [Jones]. It was a collection of things. It wasn’t just one person, a protection, or a route.” — Nick Brinkerhoff
In March 2022, the Giants signed Jones to a four-year, $160 million contract with $82 million guaranteed. The deal also included incentives for playoff appearances, divisional titles and playoff wins, so long as Jones played at least 65% of snaps.
The contract also included a potential out for the team after two seasons if the Giants were unimpressed by the quarterback’s performance.
The $82 million in guarantees includes only Jones’ 2023 and 2024 salaries, as well as a prorated signing bonus. After the 2024 season, the quarterback’s cap hit drops from $69 million to $22 million.
According to AccuWeather, game time temperatures are forecast to be around 60 degrees at Acrisure Stadium near the confluence of the Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio Rivers. There is no precipitation expected during the game.
The Steelers are tied with the New England Patriots for the most Super Bowl wins with six.
Pittsburgh and Dallas have the unique distinction of playing each other more than any other team combination in Super Bowl history with three matchups.
NFL franchises with most Super Bowl wins:
➤ Super Bowl winners: All-time scores, results for NFL title game
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➤ Best (and worst) from NFL Week 8: Hail Mary heroes, Gang Green zeroes
Russell Wilson isn’t considered to be among the NFL’s best quarterbacks anymore, but he is certainly one of the league’s best bargains.
The Pittsburgh Steelers starter is on a more-than-reasonable deal in 2024. He signed the one-year pact with the Steelers, hoping to revitalize his career after a disastrous couple of seasons with the Denver Broncos. -Jacob Camenker
The Giants currently hold the No. 10 overall pick entering “MNF.” The Steelers hold the 25th selection.
Here’s the order heading into the “Monday Night Football” matchup in Week 8.
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