2024 NFL Season, Week 8: Four things to watch for in Giants-Steelers on Monday night on ESPN, NFL+

• WHERE: Acrisure Stadium (Pittsburgh)
• WHEN: 8:15 p.m. ET | ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, NFL+

The Giants are trying their best to keep up with the rest of the teams in the NFC East heading into Monday Night Football. 

New York is on a two-game losing streak and has put up 10 points in the last two weeks. In front of the Giants crowd at MetLife Stadium in Week 7, Saquon Barkley and the Philadelphia Eagles dominated, posting a 28-3 victory. Usually, a blowout at home would put a coach under the hot seat. However, Giants owner John Mara believes in head coach Brian Daboll despite a disappointing start to the season. 

Will the Giants turn the tables around soon?

Meanwhile, the Steelers shuffled the QB room last week. With Justin Fields leading Pittsburgh to a 4-2 record, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin handed over the keys to Russell Wilson against the New York Jets on Sunday night. In his Steelers debut, Wilson orchestrated the offense to a season-high 37 points and 409 total yards in the win over the Jets. 

Can New York pull off an upset on the road? Or will the Steelers continue to ride a winning streak heading into their bye week?

Here are four things to watch for when the Giants visit the Steelers on Monday night on ESPN and NFL+:

1) Jones must turn things around soon. Daniel Jones’ latest start was his worst of the 2024 season. In last week’s loss to the Eagles, the Giants QB threw a season-low 14 completions, 99 passing yards and zero touchdowns. Jones’ outing was enough to have backup QB Drew Lock enter the game to “create a spark,” according to Daboll. The Giants coach reiterated that Jones will be the QB going forward. For how long remains to be seen. The offensive struggles can’t be put on Jones’ shoulders. Jones has seen his left tackle Andrew Thomas ruled out for the rest of the season following foot surgery. The Giants’ top receiver, Malik Nabers, sat out two games after dealing with a concussion. Monday’s game provides a chance for Jones to prove he’s still a starter in the NFL. Jones will have a tall mountain to climb since the Giants QB is 1-14 in prime-time games, which is the worst win percentage in the NFL since 1970 with a minimum of 10 starts, per NFL Research.

2) Wilson takes the Steelers offense to another level. Yes, it’s only been one game that Russell Wilson has started, but it was a doozy for Pittsburgh’s offense. It was the first time since the 2021 season that the Steelers had four different players score a touchdown. Can Wilson have another “excellent” performance? Despite struggling early in his first start, Wilson added another element with his deep passing. The receiver that benefited the most from Wilson’s arm was George Pickens. Wilson was 5 of 7 for 149 yards and a touchdown with a 153.3 passer rating on downfield passes (10-plus air yards), per Next Gen Stats. Pickens led the Steelers with five receptions and 111 receiving yards. Wilson was efficient when the Steelers used him in play action. He led the NFL in play-action yards in Week 7. Wilson has a favorable matchup against a Giants defense that is allowing a 122.2 passer rating versus play action, which is third-worst in the league.

3) The Giants RBs need to step up. Replacing Saquon Barkley has not gone as the Giants envisioned it so far. It came back to bite New York when it faced Barkley last week, giving up a season-high 269 rushing yards. The free-agent signing of Devin Singletary has had some bright moments, but injury has caused the veteran RB to miss two games. In Singletary’s absence, Tyrone Tracy Jr. has emerged as a pass-catching back for Jones. In his first two starts in Week 5 and 6, Tracy contributed 100-plus scrimmage yards. New York ranks 25th in rushing yards and will need the ground game with Singletary and Tracy to get the offense going early against a tough Steelers defense. New York will need more contributors like Singletary, Tracy and others to pull off an upset in Pittsburgh. 

4) Steelers D must get back to its old ways. When the Steelers win, the defense is allowing 10.8 points per game compared to 23.5 points when they lose. It’s been a group effort, but T.J. Watt has been off to a stellar start by disrupting quarterbacks. The six-time Pro Bowl linebacker has 4.5 sacks, 12 QB hits, eight tackles for loss and three forced fumbles. Pittsburgh trading wide receiver Diontae Johnson for cornerback Donte Jackson in the offseason has benefited the defensive unit. Jackson leads the team with three interceptions and six passes defensed. The veteran CB is dealing with a shoulder injury but is slated to play in Monday’s game. If the Steelers would like to contain the emerging star in Nabers, Jackson could be the X-factor to limit the rookie wideout.