Giants vs Steelers: What to watch for in week 8

The NFL season is passing us by in the blink of an eye, and the Giants are stuck in a familiar routine that has plagued the team since Tom Coughlin's departure; consistent losing. 

The Giants head to Pittsburgh for a Monday night clash against a surging Steelers team that may have found their groove with Russell Wilson under center in Week 7. He outperformed expectations against the Jets in primetime and is set up to do the same this week.

How will the Giants react to an absolute gut-wrenching loss to the other team from Pennsylvania? Morale was low against Philly, so how does Brian Daboll rally the locker room around the biggest question mark on the team in the quarterback position? Can the Giants defense create havoc like we have seen flashes of this season, or will the run defense crumble against the Steelers running attack, which is ranked ninth in the league in yards per game (134)?

Here are a few things to watch for in the week 8 matchup.

What do the Giants do at quarterback?

This is the million dollar question that has the tri-state area in a chokehold. Frankly, this argument has lingered among Giants fans for as long as Daniel Jones has been the starter on this team. How can they keep winning games with him under center?

Last week's loss felt like the icing on the cake to set up Jones' benching. Although he was benched in the fourth quarter, Coach Daboll insisted after the game that "Daniel will be the quarterback moving forward", per Jordan Raanan. I know I raved about Jones in previous previews after a few strong weeks against the Browns and the Seahawks, but he hasn't been consistent enough to warrant me trying to be a Daniel Jones truther any longer. The fans have seen too many of these games where he just can't make decisions, throws for 150 or 100 yards or less and is sacked far more often than what even feels possible. It may be time to pull the plug if things get uglier.

Monday night is the ultimate test of Jones' career, not only as a starter on the Giants, but probably as a starter in the NFL. He has been too up and down yet again this season, and that inconsistency is not to be rewarded. Quarterbacks are known to have some of the longest leashes in the NFL given the time it takes to develop a true difference maker under center. But six years on - minus the unicorn 2022 season which still baffles me - we are still debating whether or not he is the guy. That is not encouraging for anyone inside the Giants building or for the fans, and there has to be a sense of urgency from Jones in this game, or Daboll will bench him and put in Drew Lock. The Steelers defense is not to be taken for granted and Mike Tomlin has them in a good place heading into this matchup. It's been another rollercoaster ride this season and the stats back it up to prove it; change may be a quarter of football away.

The run defense needs to show up

I mentioned above that the Steelers have a top-10 rushing attack, and even with Justin Fields benched, they are still a team that can run the ball effectively. Last week against the Jets, they ran for 149 yards, 102 of those yards credited to Najee Harris. He is slowly getting back to his 2021 self with consecutive games of 100+ yards the last two weeks. The Giants run defense is on shaky ground after the explosive game Saquon Barkley had last week, which makes for two weeks in a row allowing 120+ yards from opposing teams. Their approach must change quickly or they will be vulnerable yet again.

After a few solid weeks stopping the run against the Browns and Seahawks, the Giants are back to the same old run defense we have seen in recent years. They rank last in the league in yards allowed per attempt (5.4) and are now 25th in yards allowed per game (138.4). Defensive coordinator Shane Bowen was brought in to change the way the Giants play run defense after a few successful seasons in Tennessee. So far, they have been up and down in stopping the run, and it feels like we won't have a good pulse on how good they really are if they cycle through good and bad games. They have allowed 31 running plays of 10+ yards through seven weeks, tied for last with the Colts in the NFL. They're giving up a ton of chunk yardage on the ground and that opens up other areas of the field for opposing offenses to attack. For change to happen, someone needs to step up.

Giants X-factors

Tyler Nubin and Dru Phillips. Seeing these guys continue to develop and blossom has been really fun week over week. They are slowly becoming the focal points of this Giants defense and they are competitors through and through. Nubin is sliding right into the hole that Xavier McKinney left when he signed with the Packers this offseason and Phillips is a tackling machine who is unafraid of using his quickness and agility to make plays around much larger offensive personnel. Their development will be key as the weeks go on and they get another test with the Steelers this week.

Per a recent New York Post piece on the dynamic duo, Nubin leads the Giants defense in snaps (425) and has 49 tackles through seven weeks. Phillips is allowing an NFL cornerback best 4.2 yards per reception on just 51 yards receiving allowed this year. The two have the potential to be difference makers and I'm excited for them to continue their strong play in a tough matchup.