The Pittsburgh Steelers were back on the field Monday for the eighth time of the 2024 regular season when they traveled to play the New York Giants in Week 8 of regular season action. The Steelers were winners in the contest, but that doesn’t mean every player had a good or bad performance.

Players who play well can be considered ‘Winners’, while those who left a lot to be desired can be called ‘Losers’. It may sound harsh, but it is the crux of this exercise.

Let’s check in to see who fell on which side of the ledger after the latest game…

Winners

Najee Harris
Stat Line: 19 carries, 114 yards, 6.0 ave., 0 TD, 26 long / 3 catches, 17 yards, 4 targets

I don’t know what’s gotten into Harris the past three games, but he looks like a completely different running back the past three weeks. I’m not sure if the change has been scheme, or Harris just changing his approach, but it is working. If I’m being completely honest, Harris looks like a player who is worthy of a second contract. Not just because he’s a 1st Round draft pick, but because he’s playing at a level worthy of a second contract. That’s a conversation for another time, but right now Harris is playing out of his mind.

Calvin Austin III
Stat Line: 3 catches, 54 yards, 18.0 ave., 1 TD, 29 long, 4 targets / 73-yard Punt Return TD

Did anyone have Calvin Austin III having two touchdowns, one of which being a punt return, on their BINGO card? I didn’t, especially considering it was the first punt return touchdown since Diontae Johnson did so at the Arizona Cardinals in 2019. Austin’s return broke the field goal fest in the first half, and started to tilt the game in the Steelers favor. But while the punt return will get all the attention, Austin’s route running, which was on display during his touchdown reception, is vastly improved. With Russell Wilson at quarterback he looks like a different player. It’s great to see.

T.J. Watt
Stat Line: 7 tackles, 5 solo, 2 sacks, 2 TFL, 2 QB Hits, 1 FF, 1 FR

Last week after the Steelers primetime win over the New York Jets Mike Tomlin was asked about his decision to go to Russell Wilson over Justin Fields, he answered it’s why he is “highly compensated”. For Watt, plays like his strip-sack and recovery is why he is highly compensated. You could feel the play coming, and it couldn’t have come at a better time after Russell Wilson’s fumble. Watt had been quiet in the pass rushing department the past few games, but got back to his usual level of play on Monday night.

Russell Wilson
Stat Line: 20/28, 278 yards, 9.9 ave., 1 TD, 0 INT, 4 sacks-for-19 yards, 114.9 Rating / 3 carries, 7 yards, 1 Fumble

I’m not going to pretend I was not apprehensive about the Steelers turning away from Justin Fields and going to Russell Wilson two weeks ago. I was. But what I’ve seen the past two weeks is more than just “competent quarterback play”, it’s been a high level of play which has transformed the Steelers offense. When I think about it, it really does feel like a night-and-day comparison. Like a completely new offense. I do have to put the fumble was brutal, but the good outweighed the bad by far from Wilson vs. the Giants. I’m ecstatic about the future of the offense if Wilson can keep up this style of play.

George Pickens
Stat Line: 4 catches, 74 yards, 18.5 ave., 0 TD, 43 long, 5 targets

Pickens’ stat line could have been huge if two touchdowns weren’t negated, but Pickens still had himself a great game. It may just be me, but it seems like Pickens is finding his way through being a professional and realizing his time will come. That’s the difference to me, Pickens isn’t wondering, “Will my time come?” but is saying, “My time will come.” He believes in this quarterback, and is starting to believe in the offense, and that makes a world of difference. Big things coming for Pickens and this offense after the bye week.

Defensive Pass Rush
Stat Line: 4 sacks, 12 QB Hits

The Steelers defense didn’t necessarily play lights out, but they certainly got after the quarterback. The Giants offensive line was beat up and bad, and the Steelers pass rush got to Jones on more than one occasion. They were extremely close early on, but started to get home in the second half when Jones was forced to go down field more than just check down passes and let his player make plays underneath. Alex Highsmith had himself a game with two sacks of his own, but it was the collective 12 quarterback hits which had Jones concerned about the pass rush in the waning minutes and throw an ill-advised pass which was picked off by Beanie Bishop to seal the win.

Van Jefferson
Stat Line: 4 catches, 62 yards, 15.5 ave., 0 TD, 36 long, 5 targets

Jefferson hasn’t had the best season to date, but he’s starting to play better with Russell Wilson at quarterback. In fact, Jefferson is starting to make key plays in key moments. His 36 yard reception along the sideline on a back-shoulder throw was not just a difficult catch, but a key conversion on 3rd down. If Jefferson can continue on this trajectory, he will be a huge boost for the Steelers offense moving forward. Has Jefferson and Austin’s performance proven to the Steelers they don’t need a WR at the trade deadline?

Chris Boswell
Stat Line: 4/4 FGs, 2/2 XP

Just another day at the office for Boswell. He creates points again for the offense, and I don’t think his stellar play, even with chip shot field goals, should go unnoticed.

Danny Smith
Stat Line: Another special teams gem

Gotta give this man his due. He absolutely has created gem after gem this season on special teams. Blocked field goals, blocked punts, blocked point-after-touchdowns, and now you can add a return to the list. It’s almost to the point where you expect the Steelers to have a splash play on special teams every week. Those are lofty expectations, but this is where we are with Danny Smith’s units, and it’s a good problem to have.

Red-Zone Defense
Stat Line: NYG 0-for-3

While the Steelers red-zone offense was atrocious, the Steelers red-zone defense was tremendous. The Giants hit the red area three times, and weren’t able to convert once. It’s this type of performance which makes a defense a bend-don’t-break unit, and the defense keeps an opponent off 20 points once again. It wasn’t pretty, but they tightened up when it mattered most.

Losers

Red-Zone Offense
Stat Line: 0-for-4

The Steelers red-zone offense wasn’t bad going into the Week 8 game, but that will change prior to Week 9. Yes, they should have had a couple touchdowns, but this is a coulda, shoulda, woulda situation. The goose egg in this category is what allowed the Giants to stick around, and these missed opportunities absolutely killed the team. It’s a reason why a key to victory heading into this game was to get touchdowns, not field goals, and Chris Boswell was called on for way too many chip shots.

Broderick Jones
Stat Line: Penalty negated TD

While Jones’ play leveled in the second half, he continues to be a roller coaster ride on a weekly basis. Consistency is what eludes the young man, and while I don’t think he is ruined, I do think he is teetering on having his confidence shattered. Jones’ facemask penalty, which seemed unnecessary for his hands to be anywhere near the lineman’s helmet, negated a touchdown and those are the penalties which absolutely kill you on a regular basis. Jones play has been trending in the wrong direction since Troy Fautanu’s season-ending injury.

Run Defense
Stat Line: NYG – 157 yards rushing, 6.3 ave.

The games the Steelers have been on the ropes have been games they’ve given up yards on the ground. In this contest it was a 6.3 yard average, and as Cam Heyward said after the game, the tape is out there. In other words, they just need to fix the issues before going through the proverbial gauntlet after the bye week. But make something clear, this team won’t go anywhere unless this defense can make teams one-dimensional and force teams into obvious passing situations.

Officiating Nonsense
Stat Line: Don’t know what to say anymore

I know this is a broken record topic, but the officiating continues to make me shake my head on a weekly basis. This week it was the officiating crew using the replay assist, not telling Mike Tomlin they did, and then letting him challenge an unchallengeable play. The result wasn’t Tomlin being told to put the red hanky back in his pocket, but they forced the Steelers to burn a timeout. On top of that, there were 16 total accepted penalties (11 NYG / 5 PIT), and there are some times when you just have to shake your head watching these games.

If you want a more detailed look at the above list, check out my “Let’s Ride” podcast in the player below where I outline each Winner and Loser, and MORE!