Giants - Steelers: Players to Watch

Pat Ragazzo identifies which players we should keep a close eye on in the Giants' Week 1 matchup against the Steelers.

The New York Giants will kick off their 2020 season at home against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday Night Football, and Giants Country has a look at the key players that will determine the outcome of the game.

Let’s look at who our players to watch are in this opening week NFC East vs. AFC North heavyweight battle.

Quarterback Daniel Jones

All eyes will be on Daniel Jones as he enters his second season in the NFL. Jones will face a Pittsburgh defense that was ranked sixth in the league last year.

The Steelers defense is known for being complicated to decipher given its disguises and wrinkles that disrupt the passing game. Last year as a rookie, the Giants kept things relatively simple for Jones, who threw to his first read on an estimated 71% of his pass attempts, per Pro Football Focus.

But the key for Jones will be avoiding the turnovers. The Steelers’ defense produced 22 forced fumbles last season while Jones led the league with 18, a stat accomplished largely due to his not keeping two hands on the ball while under duress.

Jones has been working on this and on trying to speed up his decision-making process while ensuring he doesn’t find himself being baited by defenses. Jones stepping up and playing a clean, efficient game Monday night is paramount to the Giants’ success.

Running Back Saquon Barkley

Giants superstar running back Saquon Barkley is a generational talent, but you wouldn’t exactly know it from having watched his first two seasons in the NFL.

That’s because he was underutilized in the passing game, where the ability to create mismatches against linebackers and defensive backs can be used to the offense’s advantage.

Barkley caught 155 passes during his first two years in the league and is a matchup nightmare for linebackers or defensive backs.

Barkley has to do his part as well. Per Football Outsiders, his catch rate last year was a pedestrian 71%, which put him toward the bottom of running backs with at least 25 pass targets.

“We are going to spend a lot of time preparing to minimize his impact,” Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said this week.

“Five to 10-yard runs can quickly become 50- and 60-yard runs when you’re facing a guy with the talent of Saquon.”

The Steelers will also need answers for Barkley’s possible use as a receiver out of the backfield where they could get him out on quick underneath patterns to loosen up the defensive front.

Offensive Tackle Andrew Thomas

The first career start for rookie Andrew Thomas is a huge one as he is projected to step in at left tackle against the Steelers defensive front.

Thomas certainly had his ups-and-downs in camp as he struggled with his hand placement. Offensive line coach Marc Colombo cited this as a deficiency in his game, so Thomas must deliver the first blow against his opponents.

Thomas is likely to see a lot of Cam Heyward and edge rusher Bud Dupree. According to Pro Football Focus, Dupree tied for the league lead with 13 sacks from the right side in 2019.

Offensive Tackle Cam Fleming

Another new face on the offensive line is veteran Cameron Fleming, who projected to start at right tackle Monday night.

Fleming will have his hands full with the almost impossible assignment of stopping the William Hill Sportsbook Defensive Player of the Year favorite outside linebacker T.J. Watt.

With 27.5 sacks combined in the last two seasons, Watt leads all pass rushers with 18 sacks from the left edge per Pro Football Focus.

According to PFF, he is also tied for the third-best pass-rush productivity rate at 10.4 from the left side.

As a result, the game plan should call for help on the right side of the line if Fleming struggles.

The coaching staff must utilize their running backs and tight ends to chip off the edge to assist Fleming and Thomas to slow down Watt and the rest of the Steelers’ pass rush.

Cornerback James Bradberry

Cornerback James Bradberry, the Giants' biggest free-agent signing this offseason, is arguably one of the most critical Giants this week and beyond.

While Patrick Graham did not specify whether Bradberry would be shadowing the Steelers’ top receiver, don’t be surprised if he’s assigned to travel with Juju Smith-Schuster.

Playing his first four seasons in the NFC South, Bradberry successfully matched up with some of the game’s top receivers.

Per PFF, Bradberry gave up 12 of 20 for 157 yards and ten first downs to Mike Evans of the Bucs. Against Julio Jones of the Falcons, Bradberry gave up seven of 11 pass targets for 97 yards, 38 of which came on one pass play.

Against Michael Thomas of the Saints, Bradberry limited the receiver to just five receptions on nine pass targets for 51 yards, and one touchdown, while drawing two pass interference penalties.

Bradberry usually traveled with the top receiver in these matchups. If he had that kind of success before, it would be hard to imagine defensive coordinator Patrick Graham not using Bradberry the same way.

Ben Roethlisberger

Flipping to the Steelers’ side of things, all eyes will be on quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, returning from a season-ending elbow injury suffered in Week 2 last year.

Since he has not played a regular-season game in nearly a year and has had no pre-season, Roethlisberger could potentially show some signs of rust in his first contest back.

However, he is still entering his 16th NFL season and can spot a weakness on the field or hole in coverage that works to his advantage.

He knows the Giants have some weak links in the secondary, and once he figures out how to capitalize, he should settle in. Roethlisberger has various weapons to throw to, including Smith-Schuster, Dionte Johnson, Chase Claypool, James Washington, and newly-signed tight end Eric Ebron.

The key for Pittsburgh is ensuring the typically stationary quarterback has a clean pocket to step into.

In 2018, Roethlisberger completed 48.9% of his passes when under pressure instead of 71.6% in a clean pocket per Pro Football Focus. 

This means the Giants’ four-man pressure package must consistently disrupt the pocket if they hope to succeed against Roethlisberger.