Steelers vs. Giants: Preseason – Week 1

In the first game of the season for the Steelers and the Giants, we get a glimpse at what’s to come during the regular season.

Steelers:

If Big Ben retires after the 2017 season, the Steelers starting quarterback will be Landry Jones. Friday night’s game gave us a view into how the Steelers QB depth chart might look. Josh Dobbs and Bart Houston combined to complete a total of ten passes against the Giants defense, mostly because of terrible throws. The receivers, however, did a good job of getting open. Neither quarterback was able to make a good throw to the open receivers at their disposal, which could pose a problem if Roethlisberger is injured. The best player on either team was WR Cobi Hamilton. His two receptions for 72 yards and a touchdown accounted for more than half of Pittsburgh’s 124 passing yards.

The defense recorded 7 sacks, two by rookie T.J. Watt. Arthur Moats had three sacks and an interception. The Steelers allowed the Giants to get into the red zone twice before stiffening and holding them to field goals.

Photo by Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports

Giants:

The Giants offense could not do anything in the red zone. They stalled out twice, a big reason why they lost. The running game never took off, either. Geno Smith was the best QB in the game, but he was never able to crack the end zone. Also, the offensive line failed to execute. You can’t allow seven sacks and expect to win a football game. But the worst was when Donte Deayon muffed a punt. On the next play, Pittsburgh scored, and momentum shifted.

The defense played well, but had difficulty applying pressure. Also, if the Steelers hadn’t made so many errant throws, the game wouldn’t have been as close.