New York Giants vs Pittsburgh Steelers Match Player Stats On Dec 04, 2016

The Sports Xchange
Dec 4, 2016

PITTSBURGH -- Ben Roethlisberger, thriving again in a matchup of quarterbacks from the 2004 draft class, threw two touchdown passes, and the Pittsburgh Steelers took advantage of repeated early New York mistakes to end the Giants' six-game winning streak with a 24-14 victory Sunday.

Roethlisberger, the last of the three star QBs drafted 12 years ago but arguably the best, found Antonio Brown for 22 yards and tight end Ladarius Green for 20 yards on scores to outplay Giants QB Eli Manning, who spent most of the first half backed up against his own end zone.

The Steelers (7-5) won their third in a row after dropping four straight. They were aided by a first-quarter holding call in the end zone against Giants left tackle Ereck Flowers -- an automatic safety -- and a Manning-thrown interception by linebacker Lawrence Timmons that helped Pittsburgh open a 14-0 lead at halftime.

Randy Bullock, who began the season as the Giants' kicker only to be cut after one game, made all three field-goal attempts -- of 44, 34 and 38 yards -- one day after signing with Pittsburgh. Starting kicker Chris Boswell, who injured his abdomen late in the practice week, warmed up before the game but was deactivated.

Manning, one of three 40,000-yard passers from that Class of 2004 that also includes Chargers QB Philip Rivers, finally got the Giants (8-4) into the end zone in the third quarter. Le'Veon Bell's fumble led to Manning's 13-yard TD pass to running back Rashad Jennings, making it 14-7. Manning ended 24 of 39 for 195 yards, two TDs and two interceptions.

Roethlisberger (24 of 36, 289 yards, two touchdowns, one interception) immediately matched that score by hitting Green for 33 yards on a seven-play, 88-yard drive ahead of his scoring throw to Green, the former Chargers tight end who sat out the first half of the season following ankle surgery. Roethlisberger is 3-1 in head-to-head play against Manning.

The Giants, down 21-7, had a chance to get back into it late in the third quarter when Roethlisberger threw an interception to Eli Apple, the first of the 2016 first-round draft pick's career. However, Manning was intercepted in turn by rookie safety Sean Davis -- the first interception of Davis' career -- and the Steelers wound down the clock mostly by handing off to Bell, the first 100-yard rusher against New York this season. He finished with 118 yards on 29 carries.

New York finally found the end zone again with 24 seconds to play on Manning's 1-yard toss to Sterling Shepard. Odell Beckham made 10 catches for 100 yards, but still had a mostly quiet afternoon as the Giants spent nearly the entire game fighting against a double-digit deficit.

The Giants' lack of offense -- they were outgained 389-234 -- was coupled by a series of injuries on defense that left them short-handed much of the game against a Steelers team that is 12-2 in December/January regular season games the last four seasons.

Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, the NFC defensive player of the week a week ago following a three-sack game against the Browns, left late in the first half with a groin injury, and New York safety Coty Sensabaugh sat out the second half with a rib injury. Giants defensive lineman Johnathan Hankins also left with a thigh injury.

The game started off badly and didn't get much better for the Giants when Flowers couldn't hold off an onrushing James Harrison and was called in the end zone for his eighth holding call of the season on a third-and-14 play.

After the ensuing free kick, Roethlisberger hit Green for 37 yards -- the tight end made six catches for 110 yards -- on a drive that ended with Bullock's 44-yard field goal. It was Bullock's first field goal attempt since Jan. 3 while with the New York Jets.

Later, Timmons' 58-yard return led to Roethlisberger's fourth scoring pass to Brown in two games, and Bullock kicked a 34-yard field goal just before halftime.

NOTES: Steelers S Shamarko Thomas and NT Javon Hargrave both left with concussions. ... Giants coach Ben McAdoo grew up about an hour away from Pittsburgh in Homer City, Pa. Four busloads of fans from his hometown attended -- not all of them Giants fans. ... Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger threw a touchdown pass for the 43rd consecutive home game, the longest active streak in the NFL. ... Giants QB Eli Manning made his 195th consecutive start. ... Steelers OLB James Harrison, who at 38 was a backup at the start of the season, made his third consecutive start and made his fifth sack in five games. ... The Roethlisberger-to-Antonio Brown TD pass play was the 49th for the duo, tying them with Terry Bradshaw and Lynn Swann for the most by a Steelers QB-wide receiver combination.