Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin spoke with Calvin Austin III before the small wide receiver went out for a punt return in the third quarter of a dull game against the New York Giants.
The Steelers were struggling. The offense was moving the ball, but they weren’t scoring touchdowns. Tomlin knew that the 5-foot-9, 162-pound Austin had come close to breaking a big return a few times this season.
The NFL’s longest-tenured head coach had a good feeling. “I thought it was his time,” Tomlin said. “And he thought it was his time. And he delivered.” Not just once, but twice.
Austin—who had texted his friends over the weekend that he was ready to make a big play—zoomed across the field and ran 73 yards for a touchdown right after Tomlin’s pep talk.
He then caught a 29-yard pass for another touchdown, giving the Steelers the boost they needed to win 26-18 against the Giants on Monday night.
Pittsburgh (6-2) won its 22nd straight home game on Monday nights thanks to Austin’s big plays and a couple of late turnovers. T.J. Watt strip-sacked Daniel Jones with less than three minutes left to stop one New York drive, and rookie cornerback Beanie Bishop intercepted Jones with 42 seconds remaining to seal the game.
“It wasn’t as fluid as we’d like but that’s football,” Tomlin said. “We’ve got to guard against (caring about) style points.”
Good thing, because there weren’t many style points on a night when three apparent touchdowns—two by Pittsburgh and one by New York—were called back, the teams had a total of 16 penalties, and drives often stalled near the end zone.
The Steelers won their third straight game and go into their bye week leading the AFC North by one game over Baltimore. After relying heavily on their defense early in the season, the Steelers’ offense has picked up since Wilson returned from a calf injury that kept him out of the first six games.
The 35-year-old completed 20 of 28 passes for 278 yards in his second home start as a Steeler. His only real mistake was a fumble with 4:42 left, which briefly gave the Giants (2-6) a chance.
Watt quickly shut that chance down when New York decided not to double-team him while they were driving for a possible tying score.
“He’s got a unique talent, a unique approach,” Tomlin said. “He gets unique results.”
Najee Harris ran for 114 yards, reaching over 100 yards for the third game in a row for the first time in his career. Chris Boswell kicked four field goals to help an offense that often stalled in New York territory.
Wilson also spread the ball around well, connecting with eight players, which is a positive sign for a team that has relied too much on George Pickens to make plays in the passing game.
Austin finished with three catches for 54 yards. Van Jefferson added four catches for 62 yards. Even third-string tight end MyCole Pruitt made a catch. “Guys are believers,” Wilson said.
Perhaps Austin believes the most. Before games, the third-year player spends time reading notes on his phone from doubters who think he’s too small to succeed in the NFL. Yet there he was afterward, listening to fans chant his name as Pittsburgh wrapped up a strong first two months of the season.
“We’re all competitors,” Austin said. “We are going to always bank on us, regardless.”
Giants rookie Tyrone Tracy rushed for a season-high 145 yards, including a 45-yard run early in the fourth quarter that brought New York within eight points. The Giants attempted a 2-point conversion, but a poorly planned play to rookie receiver Malik Nabers behind the line was easily blocked.
Jones, who was benched in the fourth quarter of a blowout loss to Philadelphia last week, completed 24 of 38 passes for 264 yards and threw a late interception.
Darius Slayton had four catches for 108 yards, and Nabers caught seven passes for 72 yards. Greg Joseph kicked four field goals for the Giants, who suffered from 11 penalties for 65 yards and a defense that allowed the suddenly strong Wilson-led Steelers offense to gain 426 yards.
“There was a lot of good things, just not enough of them,” New York coach Brian Daboll said.
This has been a trend for the Giants, who are now 2-6 for the second year in a row. Two years after a breakout season that led to a playoff appearance and a big contract for Jones, the team seems to be lost.
There were moments of improvement against the Steelers, but the Giants were hurt by the kind of mistakes—penalties, turnovers, and missed assignments—that have become too common during their decline.
“We hurt ourselves a lot tonight,” Jones said. “That’s the most frustrating part about it. We’ve got to be more detailed, starting with me. The good stuff that happened was negated by the mistakes.”
