Phew, we made it.
I’ll be honest, that game was a lot closer than I would have liked it to be, but in the end the Steelers took care of business in Pittsburgh, and belittled the New York Giants 26-18.
Pittsburgh moves to 6-2 on the back of their 22nd consecutive Monday Night Football win, the longest streak in the NFL. The team heads into the bye week in sole possession of first place in the AFC North.
Let’s get into it:
1: Russ Is Still That Guy
The base line stats do a good enough job backing up the performance of Russell Wilson. He went 20/28 for 278 yards and a touchdown pass, nailing the deep ball on most tries and commanding a Steelers offense.
But what the box score won’t show are the two touchdowns that Wilson should have to his name that were called back. If both of George Pickens’ touchdowns end up counting, instead of the penalty negating one and Pickens not being able to get a second (or third?) foot down on the other, Wilson’s numbers look even better.
Point is, Russ is absolutely still that guy. His ball to Pickens early in the fourth quarter was the most perfectly placed ball we’ve seen a Steelers quarterback throw in years.
2: The Calvin Austin Coming Out Party
Calvin Austin has been putting his name on the map this season. Austin has been pigeonholed as the team’s WR2 this season (I consider him the WR2 over Van Jefferson), and while we all want the Steelers to still upgrade the position, we need to give Austin his flowers for what he is doing this year.
Austin nabbed 3 passed for 54 yards, including this beauty for a touchdown:
But the biggest play of the night from Pittsburgh’s gadget guy was his punt return for a touchdown. Austin became the third player to record a passing touchdown and a punt return touchdown on Monday night in the last 20 years, and he did so in amazing fashion.
This guy is better than we are giving him credit for.
3: Wilson Getting Everyone Involved
I singled out Calvin Austin, but one of the benefits of having Russ take over at QB is his ability to spread the wealth to his receivers. Monday night saw 8 different players record a catch for the Steelers, and everyone from George Pickens to MyCole Pruitt got involved in the passing game for Pittsburgh.
Russ has found a way to get Austin more involved, but has found a new gear in Van Jefferson as well, who recorded 4 catches for 62 yards – both of which are season highs. The last two weeks for Jefferson has been what the most optimistic fans of the Steelers were hoping Jefferson could be.
Wilson has found a way to simultaneously keep a player like Pickens happy, while unlocking the potential of his lower-tier receivers. It’s a gift for this offense that also keeps any opposing defense on their toes.
4: A Scouting Report On Darius Slayton
I know that the focus of the game should be on the Steelers, but I couldn’t help but keep a very close eye on one of the few receivers left for the Steelers to target in the trade market.
Slayton was New York’s yardage leader, catching 4 passes for 108 yards with Daniel Jones as his quarterback. On the year, Slayton has 25 catches for 312 yards and a touchdown to his name. I can’t help but think he’d be a fine plug-in for the Steelers’ offense.
Slayton made a beautiful grab from Jones in the middle of the field back in the first quarter, an aspect that would be amazing to have alongside Pickens in Pittsburgh’s offense.
Look, the market is wearing thin. Every day it seems that the options for Omar Khan get fewer. Slayton now finds himself near the top of the list in potential targets for the team, and with the bye week coming up, get ready for the Steelers to get left at the altar three or four more times before the trade deadline is here.
5: Mike Tomlin Made The Right Fourth Quarter Decision
Look, there was going to be an incredible amount of criticism over whatever Mike Tomlin had decided to do if the Steelers found a way to lose this game.
Staring at a 4th & 2 late in the fourth quarter, Tomlin had a decision to make: go for it and try to ice the game, or punt it away and make the Giants march down the field.
Tomlin played it safe, sending Corliss Waitman out there to boot it away to New York. As much as it intrigued me to try and go for the kill shot on 4th & 2, Tomlin made the right decision. Even if the Giants somehow found a way to score 8 points, it still would have been the right call.
He was banking on the belief that Daniel Jones and the Giants offense couldn’t go 90+ yards against this defense. He was right.
Fifth Avenue Sports 
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