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TJ Watt, Steelers hold off Giants, win Monday night slog

TJ Watt will one day be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, likely five years after his final NFL game. This is no longer an argument.

No defensive player in the NFL means more to his team. When the Pittsburgh Steelers found themselves in a tough spot against the New York Giants on Monday night and nearing the end of an ugly performance, Watt delivered the win. It's hard to rely on an edge rusher to make game-winning plays time and time again, but Watt has done it throughout his career.

Watt had a strip sack of Daniel Jones with 2:59 left and the Giants were deep in Steelers territory needing a touchdown and a 2-point conversion to tie the game. That was the big play of the night, and an interception with 34 seconds left sealed the Giants' victory in Steelers territory. The Steelers won 26-18, escaping a game against a bad Giants team in which the offense failed to make a splash. Pittsburgh has a surprising 6-2 record this season, while the Giants have a predictable 2-6 record.

Most division leaders have a star quarterback at the top of the table, be it the Buffalo Bills with Josh Allen, the Washington Commanders with Jayden Daniels or the Kansas City Chiefs with Patrick Mahomes. The Steelers don't have that type of quarterback, but they keep winning. A big reason for this is that they have Watt to make plays like he did on Monday night.

As a reference to how the first half went, the biggest topic of conversation was the touchdowns that didn't count.

The Steelers had to call back a George Pickens touchdown due to a facemask penalty on tackle Broderick Jones. Then the Giants appeared to score a touchdown against tight end Chris Manhertz, but there was an illegal substitution on Malik Nabers. ESPN rules analyst Russell Yurk explained that it was technically the right call, but it appeared to be the type of violation that is rarely reported.

In the second quarter, Pickens caught what looked like another touchdown. The NFL looked at the replay and found that Pickens never got his second foot down. It was incomplete and the Steelers settled for their third field goal of the night and a 9-6 lead.

At halftime it was 9:9. New York fans might have cheered on the Yankees game beforehand. Then the Knicks game. Then they probably went to bed.

Finally there was something to combat the boredom. Calvin Austin III took a punt outside the right hashmark, came all the way back to the left sideline, and no one on the Giants used the right angle to catch it. He scored a 73-yard touchdown, the first of the game, and the Steelers led 16-9. Austin followed with a 29-yard touchdown reception early in the fourth quarter. It seemed like a 14-point lead was far too much for the Giants to overcome.

But the Giants finally got a spark. Tyrone Tracy ran for a 45-yard touchdown, the first time in a few weeks that the Giants had something to celebrate on offense. That cut the Steelers' lead to 23-15. Then the Giants followed with an embarrassing 2-point conversion in which they lined up their linemen wide and no one responded to the snap, allowing the Steelers to easily break up a quick pass.

The Steelers couldn't quite defeat the Giants. A long pass to Pickens put the Steelers in the red zone, but they settled for another field goal. The Giants got a field goal and then, with 4:30 left, the door opened for victory with Pittsburgh leading by eight. Wilson attempted to scramble but was hit while running and lost a fumble. The Giants had the ball at the Pittsburgh 37-yard line. They were driving when Watt was inexplicably not double-teamed. He beat right tackle, hit Jones and caused a fumble that was recovered by Pittsburgh. It was Watts' second sack of the game and he has a 6.5 mark this season. He earned an NFL Defensive Player of the Year award and could be in line for another award this season.

The Giants got a stop and another chance to tie the game, but they had the ball on their own 7-yard line with no timeout. Jones got the Giants down, but a high throw was deflected and the Steelers had the win.

The Steelers aren't pretty, but they win. They lead the AFC North at 6-2 and while the offense still has a lot of work to do, it has been solid with Wilson at quarterback. And when all else fails, Watt usually makes exactly the play the Steelers need, at exactly the right time.

The live broadcast has ended45 updates

  • Final: Steelers 26, Giants 18

    The Steelers have now won three straight and now have a record of 6-2. The Giants, on the other hand, have lost three straight and four of their last five.

  • Steelers INT seals the game

    And that should be enough. Beanie Bishop just intercepted Daniel Jones after a pretty solid start to the drive, and Pittsburgh will come out to take a knee.

  • Well, the Giants will have one last chance. They stopped Wilson in a scramble to force a fourth-and-2, which led to a Steelers punt after the two-minute warning.

    Daniel Jones now has to go more than 90 yards with just 1:53 left to play.

  • The Steelers steal it right back

    TJ Watt just sacked Daniel Jones to force a fumble of his own, and the Steelers have the ball right back. This is a huge defensive effort for Pittsburgh to maintain its lead with 2:59 to play.

  • Giants force a fumble

    Russell Wilson just lost the ball trying to scramble and suddenly the Giants have the ball back at the Steelers 37.

  • Steelers 26, Giants 18

    Daniel Jones led the Giants into scoring position, but Malik Nabers dropped a pass that would have given them a first down. They settled for a 48-yard field goal and will need a quick stop here with just 5:06 left on the clock.

  • Steelers 26, Giants 15

    Ojulari sacked Russell Wilson on third-and-goal, forcing the Steelers to settle for a field goal. At 7:15 they now lead by 11 points

  • It's Russell Wilson's turn in the second half. He just hit George Pickens for a 43-yard gain, putting the Steelers back in scoring position.

  • That two-point conversion attempt was…not good.

  • Touchdown, Giants

    Finally, the Giants struck back. Tyrone Tracy just opened a 45-yard touchdown run to get the Giants on the field in the second half.

    They missed the two-point conversion, so the Steelers now lead 23-15 with 11:07 to play.

  • Calvin Austin again!

    Russell Wilson found Calvin Austin for his second touchdown of the night. Austin hit the corner of the end zone and landed a perfect 29-yard touchdown grab.

    The Steelers now have a 23-9 lead entering the fourth quarter.

  • End 3: Steelers 16, Giants 9

    The Steelers suddenly took full control of this game. Russell Wilson just hit Van Jefferson for a huge 36-yard gain to end the quarter and put them in scoring position.

  • Touchdown, Steelers

    That was a perfect punt return for Calvin Austin, who made it to the left sideline and ran it 73 yards for the game's first touchdown. The Steelers lead 16-9.

  • After having to beat himself, Highsmith again released Daniel Jones deep in his own territory. The Steelers will get the ball back after the Giants return to punting in the third quarter.

  • Finally TJ Watt arrives. He engineered a huge sack to force a punt and stop the Giants' first drive of the half.

  • Tyrone Tracy Jr. runs for 26 yards

    The Giants get the ball to open the second half. On the second play of the drive, Tyrone Tracy Jr. stormed down the middle for a 26-yard gain.

  • Halftime stats

    Giants

    Total offense: 183 yards

    Daniel Jones: 11-16, 141 yards

    Darius Slayton: 3 catches, 90 yards

    Tyrone Tracy Jr.: 9 carries, 35 yards

    Greg Joseph: 3-for-3 field goals

    Steelers

    Total offense: 237 yards

    Russell Wilson: 12-19, 149 yards

    Najee Harris: 10 carries, 82 yards

    Jaylen Warren: 6 rushes, 22 yards/ 3 catches, 31 yards

    Chris Boswell: 3-for-3 field goals

  • Halftime: Giants 9, Steelers 9

    The Steelers didn't kneel until the end and Russell Wilson completed two passes for 16 yards. But without timeouts, Pittsburgh can't stop time.

    Giants 9, Steelers 9 at halftime

  • Field goal: Giants 9, Steelers 9

    The Giants can't convert a 3rd-and-5 when a pass to Eric Gray only goes three yards before being pushed out of bounds.

    On 4th-and-2 from the 25-yard line and a timeout, Brian Daboll decides not to try with 25 seconds left. Greg Joseph made his third field goal of the game, this one for 44 yards.

  • Daniel Jones to Darius Slayton for 36 yards

    What started as a conservative two-minute exercise for the Giants now looks promising as Daniel Jones hits Darius Slayton for a 36-yard gain on 3rd-and-8 to the Steelers' 45-yard line.

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