Three Primetime Predictions for Giants-Steelers

Here's what we think will happen on Monday night.

Oct 20, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence II (97) celebrates after a sack during the first half against the Philadelphia Eagles at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The New York Giants and Pittsburgh Steelers, two teams heading in opposite directions, will compete on Monday Night Football.

The 2-5 Giants are last in the NFC East and spiraling out of control with no end in sight. Their offense has been lackluster all season, but the last two games have been outright embarrassing, as they scored 10 total points in that span.  

The 5-2 Steelers have been through a unique seven weeks. Justin Fields was the starting quarterback, helping them to a 4-2 record, but with an offense that left much to be desired. They turned to veteran Russell Wilson last week, who threw for two touchdowns and rushed for another in the Steelers' 37-15 rout of the New York Jets.

This week, the Steelers are a heavy favorite to roll over the Giants in what’s sure to be a classic defensive battle. Here are our predictions for what will happen for the Giants and Steelers in Week 8.

Najee Harris Rushes for 100+ yards in 3rd straight game.

Najee Harris, the former 2021 first-round pick, has exceeded 1,000 rushing yards in each season he's played thus far. Two weeks ago, against the Las Vegas Raiders, Harris had 14 carries for 106 yards and one touchdown. He followed that up with 102 yards on 20 carries and another touchdown last week against the Jets.

The Giants have struggled to stop the run for numerous seasons, and that trend continues this year. Last week, they allowed former Giant Saquon Barkley to rush for 176 yards and one touchdown in their 28-3 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. The Giants allow a league-leading 5.4 yards per rush and 138.1 rushing yards per game, failing to stop opposing ball carriers.

Every offense has to think it can run wild against the Giants, and the Steelers have to think the same thing this week.

Giants Sack Russell Wilson 5 times

The Giants currently lead the league in sacks with 31. Led by defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence, who already has nine on the season, the Giants’ pass rush has been a bright spot so far.

They had five sacks last week against the Eagles, four the previous week on Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals, then a whopping seven against the Seattle Seahawks before that. 

With Wilson now starting for the Steelers, it'll be hard to contain him, given his ability to elude pressure and escape the pocket. However, the Giants have been able to collapse pockets quickly and get to the quarterback, as they did early last week against Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts. 

Lawrence, Brian Burns, and Azeez Ojulari should be able to combine for multiple sacks on the former Super Bowl MVP.

Giants Offense Scores Less than 14 Points

The Steelers defense allows the second-fewest points per game this season at 14.4. The Giants offense is averaging just 14.1 points per game this season. With a big question mark at both tackles--Joshua Eazeudu is trending toward getting his second start, and Jermaine Eluemunor has been dealing with a groin issue-- it's fair to wonder if the Giants can slow down the Steeler's pass rush.

This could very well be another game in which the Giants' offense looks out of sync. They throw well short of the sticks and fail to establish any sort of rushing attack. They've scored just 10 points over the last two games against defenses that weren't very good coming in. 

With Jones at the helm, this offense isn't going anywhere. That might light a spark if they can get the ball to star rookie Malik Nabers. However, scoring two touchdowns seems impossible for this offense right now.

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