The Giants’ first offensive possession of the game sputtered out near midfield, but punting turned out to be part of the path to an early lead.
Steelers wide receiver Diontae Johnson muffed the punt and Giants linebacker Devante Downs recovered on the Steelers’ 3-yard-line. It was a prime opportunity to put six points on the board, but the Steelers defense helped make Johnson’s miscue less painful.
Saquon Barkley was stopped after a short game and Daniel Jones threw a pair of incompletions that forced the Giants to settle for a Graham Gano field goal. One of the incompletions looked like it could have been ruled a fumble as Jones was hit while in the throwing motion and the Giants recovered the ball near the end zone, but there was no challenge of the call on the field.
Assuming the Steelers don’t botch the kickoff, Ben Roethlisberger’s long-awaited return to action is on deck.