Giants top 49ers, Steelers up next

When was the last time that the Giants were mentioned in the same breath as Super Bowl preview during Week 8 of the NFL season? Well, not in my conscious lifetime, and probably not in yours. Is this week’s game really a statement game? No. Is it a possible Super Bowl preview? Yes. But next week’s Green Bay/ Tennessee game is a possible Super Bowl preview also. It is early so, let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

Nonetheless, the Giants are 5-1 going into a 3 week stretch that could make their season. The Giants face the Steelers, the Cowboys, and the Eagles through the next three weeks. They face an away, home, away schedule that has them playing the 2006 Champs, and 2 NFC East rivals. If they come out, 3-0; or 2-1 the Super Bowl chatter will get louder.

After losing to Cleveland on Monday night in Week 6, the Giants came to work for their short Week 7 against San Francisco. After looking lost on offense and lethargic on defense against the Browns, the Giants offense clicked and the defense punished on the way to beating the 49’ers more soundly than the score board reflected. That is how championship teams operate. Championship teams lose a regular season game they should have won, and they recover the next week. The Giants recovered in week 7. Week 8 will be a bigger test.

The Keys to beating the Steelers

• Be Physical - The Steelers are not the 49’ers. The Steelers are a tough, smash mouth football team. So, the Giants need to bring a smash mouth mentality to Pittsburgh, similar to the mentality that physically beat the New England Patriots in Arizona last year. This could be the Giants biggest test since that game. They will pass the test by raising the level of physicality on the defensive line of scrimmage. The Giants need to punish the Steelers offensive line. And to help linebacker Antonio Pierce back should play this weekend after missing last weekend with a quad injury. That will be a good distraction for the Steelers o-line who let up 19 sacks this season.

• Get Pressure on the QB - Punishing the Steelers’ o-line will lead to panic in the heart and mind of Ben Roethlisberger. This is arguably the biggest key for the Giants all year, but is especially important in this game. The Giants secondary was exposed against Cleveland. In that game the Giants secondary gave up almost 200 passing yards. Braylon Edwards alone lit them up for 154 and a TD on 5 grabs. Why? Because Derek Anderson had all day. Roethlisberger is much better than Anderson. If he has time, he will find open receivers and that will equal big gains, and big scores.
  Roethlisberger will not make mistakes. He needs to be forced into making mistakes. If the Giants can hurry him, and limit his vision of the field, they can force mistakes.

• Run, Run, Run - Controlling the ball will be important. The Steelers are +4 in the take away /give away category, 6 th in the NFL. The Giants can’t give the Pittsburgh secondary chances to pick the ball. Let’s face it; Eli is a little prone to making mistakes when there is too much emphasis on his passing game. And the Steelers are a little scary against the pass: the 1st ranked defense in the league when it comes to passing. Hmm, I say attack their weakness, the Run!
  Ok, they don’t really have a defensive weakness. They are 2 nd ranked in the league against the run. The Giants are a force on the ground however. They have the 2 nd ranked rushing offense in the league. And, keeping the ball on the ground will control the clock, limit Steelers offensive opportunities, and will let Eli find a rhythm and hopefully, keep his mistakes to a minimum. A good run game is crucial to the Giants play action passing game. If he Steelers linebackers are out of the way the middle of the field will be open for the Giants receivers. Maybe Plaxico and company could break one given the opportunity.

 

> Find NY Giants jerseys & merchandise through Pro Football Fans and check out our Fantasy Football updates @ ProFootball-fans.com!

Giants @ Steelers - The Pick

This will likely be a low scoring battle on the ground. The Giants can prevail if they maintain defensive intensity. I take the Giants 17-13. With a beat up Dallas team and a floundering Eagles team on deck, a win here and maybe Tampa Bay will be calling in February.

> Also check out our NY Giants @ Pittsburgh Steelers preview from our Pittsburgh Steelers Correspondent!

By Adam Wood
ProFootball-fans.com New York Giants Correspondent