There was a big fear that the 5-2 Steelers would play down to their competition when they faced the 2-5 Giants in a Week 8 matchup at Acrisure Stadium on Monday Night Football.

Monday’s pre-bye clash scared many people into thinking it could be another “Mike Tomlin Special” or whatever they call the kind of upset loss Pittsburgh has endured a time or ten over the past 18 years. Dare I say it’s kind of entitled to feel that way about the Steelers of the post-Big Ben Boo Boo era? I mean, Pittsburgh hasn’t exactly produced a lot of rosters capable of hanging with the giants of the NFL over the past five years. Who are the fans and media to think the organization should beat the official New York Football Giants just because they happen to be struggling a bit?

Let’s face it, your modern Steelers are an “Any Given Sunday” franchise, meaning anything can happen in a game involving them on any given Sunday, Monday, Thursday or Christmas Wednesday.

Monday night’s contest vs. New York was another example that could have gone either way depending on the outcome of a few plays, bounces and calls by the officials.

Don’t get me wrong, the Steelers sort of looked like the better team, especially when they effortlessly marched right down the field on the game’s first offensive series and briefly appeared to take a 7-0 lead on an 11-yard touchdown pass from legit number one quarterback Russell Wilson to legit number one receiver George Pickens. Unfortunately, a facemask penalty on illegitimate first-round pick and starting right tackle, Broderick Jones (at least in the eyes of many), nullified the score and downgraded the result to a 31-yard field goal by Chris Boswell.

The Steelers sort of looked like the better team, but not entirely. New York had little trouble moving the ball against their highly-paid defense. The Giants’ first two possessions netted 104 yards and six points from the leg of kicker Greg Joseph.

In the meantime, Arthur Smith’s charges continued their effortless march up and down the turf of Acrisure Stadium. Unfortunately, despite over 200 yards of offense, Pittsburgh could only muster nine first-half points. The Giants mustered the same amount, and you just had this sinking feeling that the pesky little team from the Big Apple (adjacent) would hang around until the bitter end and find a way to ruin what felt like an inevitable 6-2 start for the good guys. Seriously, it seemed like the Steelers should have been ahead 21-9 heading into halftime and not tied at nine. How did Pickens not get both feet in bounds on what was originally called a nine-yard touchdown midway through the second quarter? I know, because two Giants defenders prevented this from happening. But didn’t it look like it SHOULD have been a score? Pickens got his right foot down twice. I believe the legendary Louis Lipps did the same thing in a game against the Lions way back in 1989, and they called it a touchdown. What changed since that day in Detriot 35 years earlier and this past Monday night? Oh, right, the NFL’s decision to over-complicate what looks like a legit reception to the naked eye and make it way too technical.

Anyway, that’s crying over spilled milk. Jones definitely grabbed the defender’s facemask on the one Pickens touchdown, and Pickens definitely did not get both feet down on his other touchdown, so what could you do?

I know what you could do, you could slug it out with the visitors for most of the third quarter until Calvin Austin, the diminutive receiver from Memphis University (I’m channeling Howard Cosell), rose to the occasion and returned a punt 73 yards for a touchdown to give the Steelers a 16-9 lead. On Pittsburgh’s next possession, Wilson found that man again, Austin, for a 29-yard touchdown to make it 23-9 early in the final period.

But just when you exhaled and maybe even screamed, “YES!” that defense, the highly-paid unit that would ultimately yield nearly 400 yards in total yards, allowed the Giants to stay in the game thanks to a 45-yard touchdown run by rookie Tyrone Tracy. Fortunately, New York’s head coach, Brian Daboll, decided to go for two points for some odd reason (it’s a good thing they don’t call him Brian “The Brain” Daboll), and the try was laughable and didn’t work.

The Steelers immediately increased their lead to 11 points on a fourth Boswell field goal, but New York immediately cut the lead back down to eight on a fourth Joseph field goal.

Then, Wilson coughed up the football on a scramble and gave the Giants possession in premium field position at the Pittsburgh 38. Then, T.J. Watt returned the favor by stripping Daniel Jones of the football and recovering it at his team’s 28.

That was pretty much it. Sure, New York had one more chance to drive 93 yards, score a touchdown and go for two points thanks to The Brain’s failed decision from earlier in the game, but Beanie Bishop ultimately put an end to that plan with yet another interception to preserve a 26-18 win and that inevitable 6-2 start.

Now, the Steelers can officially exhale and enjoy their bye.

You can, too.

Talk soon!