Giants-Steelers: Led by Defense, New York Pulls Out Smashmouth Slugfest

In what may be a preview of Super Bowl XLIII, the New York Giants won back their status as road warriors by edging the Pittsburgh Steelers yesterday, 21-14 at Heinz Field.

The Giants defense was stifling, shutting down the Steelers offense with five sacks, four interceptions, two forced fumbles, and too many hits to count on "Big" Ben Roethlisberger.

Despite giving up two big plays for touchdowns, a 32-yard scoring run by Mewelde Moore and a 65-yard Roethlisberger strike to Nate Washington, they held the Steelers to less than 26 minutes of possession and 250 total yards.

In contrast, the Steelers defense didn't get to Eli Manning at all. The Giants line kept Manning upright all game, and, as has become his trademark, he kept the Giants close by not making any mistakes before bringing home the win in the fourth quarter.

But make no mistake, this was a defensive victory. The Giants "D" came out hitting and didn't stop until the final whistle. Kenny Phillips began to live up to his reputation as a punisher with a huge hit on Washington. Mathias Kiwanuka had three sacks and a forced fumble and James Butler put a kill shot on Limas Sweed that led to a Bryan Kehl interception.

Switching gears to offense, the story is more spotty. Although the Giants moved the ball well, they couldn't break through with any touchdowns until late in the game. John Carney was his usual steady self, going 4-for-4 on field goals, keeping the game close.

The Giants were stymied repeatedly by a stout Pittsburgh defense in the red zone, going 0-for-their-first-4 chances before breaking the ice with a Manning-to-Kevin Boss four-yard touchdown pass with 3:11 left in the game.

The offensive line did a great job all day. Although the running game never achieved any consistency, it kept Manning safe in the pocket. Pittsburgh came in with an NFL-leading 25 sacks, but, thanks to the O-line, didn't get to pad that statistic.

The Giants have entered into what most observers believe is the tough part of their schedule. The next two weeks bring games against two division rivals, first at home against the Cowboys and then a road game against the always-tough Philadelphia Eagles.

After two more tough games with Baltimore and Arizona, it's on to another showdown with the Washington Redskins, which could ultimately be for NFC East supremacy.

The victory against the Steelers will be one to savor, but not for long. It's on to the real business of winning the NFC East, and the road to that title starts now.