Live Game Grades

Steelers vs. Giants: Live Game Grades for Pittsburgh





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[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.](Featured Columnist) on November 4, 2012



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There's not going to be anything normal about this afternoon's showdown in the Meadowlands. Due to Superstorm Sandy and the chaos that continues in the New York/New Jersey area, the [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] will be flying in this afternoon for the much-anticipated battle between draft-mates [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] and [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.].

We'll be giving you live grades and updates on the game following each quarter including post-game reaction for each individual player, so keep your computer on this screen and remember to refresh and reload!





Quarterbacks



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Joe Sargent/Getty Images

Obviously Ben Roethlisberger and Eli Manning are going to be the talk of this game.

The [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] secondary has been questionable at best this season, and the Steelers will look to take advantage of that. They have, however, forced a lot of turnovers, including four interceptions on Cowboys QB [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] last week.

I look for the Steelers to continue their "dink-and-dunk" attack and possibly work the deep ball in as offensive coordinator Todd Haley sees fit.




Offense



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Justin K. Aller/Getty Images

This afternoon's matchup is a big one for the Steelers, and their offense will have to be on top of their game.

Pittsburgh suffered a blow this week when it was announced that Jonathan Dwyer would be inactive today with an injury. Dwyer was coming off two straight 100-yard efforts and looked to bring the Steelers' run game back to life. The ground attack will fall on the shoulders of Isaac Redman.

The Steelers would do well to use the short passing game as their take on a "run game." They've also got to keep an eye on Jason Pierre-Paul if they want Roethlisberger standing by the end of the game.




Defense



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Justin K. Aller/Getty Images

Last week, the Steelers' defense was reborn, becoming the first team this season to rattle rookie phenom RGIII en route to a victory over the [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.].

Also last week, despite the loss, the Cowboys' defense had a really good game plan against the Giants.

There's no doubt the Steelers' staff was watching that tape and took some notes. Shutting down Ahmad Bradshaw is the first key to success against the Giants' offense.

Reportedly, LaMarr Woodley will play, but you'd have to think he's not going to be at full strength. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] again sits with a calf injury, leaving what used to be the best safety tandem in football a man down.




Special Teams



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Justin K. Aller/Getty Images

Outside of an egregious error by punt returner Antonio Brown that cost him $10K from the league, the Steelers played another pretty clean special teams game.

Shaun Suisham has been excellent this season for Pittsburgh, hitting on all but one of his field goals in 2012.

This is the kind of game in which the Steelers won't be able to settle for field goals, however. If the coverage unit can pin back return man David Wilson and force the Giants into bad starting field position, it'll go a long way towards a win.




Coaching



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There's no question the coaching decisions this season have been questionable at times, but last week they came together nicely.

Many have complained that head coach [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] has been too soft on his guys, leading to fans pleading for the rough-and-scruff days of Bill Cowher. But the simple fact is that Tomlin isn't Cowher, and Tomlin's way did win a Super Bowl in the 2008 season and another appearance following 2010.

One coach who's definitely not on the hot seat is offensive coordinator Todd Haley. He's done a great job with the passing game and finally brought the ground attack back to life in the last two weeks.

The coaching staff will have to be all hands on deck as they'll be facing off against a coach many consider the best coach in the game today in Tom Coughlin.


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