Notebook: Shane Bowen to face close friend Arthur Smith

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Defensive coordinator Shane Bowen will face a close friend and former colleague Monday night when the Giants and Pittsburgh Steelers square off in Acrisure Stadium.

Bowen and Pittsburgh offensive coordinator Arthur Smith worked together on the Tennessee Titans coaching staff from 2018-20, the former as the team’s outside linebackers coach and Smith as the tight ends coach (2018) and offensive coordinator (2019-20). In 2021, Smith began a three-year stint as the Atlanta Falcons’ head coach that coincided with Bowen’s tenure as Tennessee’s defensive coordinator. Bowen moved to the same position with the Giants this year. Smith, who was fired by the Falcons after three 7-10 seasons, is in his first season with the Steelers.

“I spent a lot of time with him,” Bowen said. “Really, really good football coach. Really smart. I got a lot of respect for him and what he’s been able to do in this league. Our time in Tennessee was very successful there.”

The two friends faced each other last Oct. 29 when the Titans defeated the Falcons in Nashville, 28-23. Atlanta gained 342 yards, including 140 rushing and 202 passing. Bowen’s defense sacked quarterbacks Taylor Heinicke and Desmond Ridder six times.

The Steelers enter Monday’s game with a 5-2 record and consecutive victories in which they outscored Las Vegas and the Jets, 69-28, their highest two-game point total since 2020 and their largest two-game point differential (41) since 2016.

Bowen’s challenge can be distilled to trying to stop two facets of Pittsburgh’s offense: running and passing. Yes, it’s a bit more complicated than that. But running back Najee Harris leads a rushing attack that is one of the NFL’s best. And nine-time Pro Bowl quarterback Russell Wilson, who made his first start and appearance of the season last week, instantly elevated the passing game.

The Steelers’ 134.0 rushing yards a game place them ninth in the NFL. But in the last two weeks they ran for 189 and 143 yards, their two highest totals of the season. Bowen credits the “mentality” that Smith brings to the offense.

“They’re going to run the ball,” Bowen said. “We know that. They’re going to have their (play) action passes off of it. They’re going to be able to do their best to take their shots on us, off of some of those (play) action passes. I think how everything kind of marries up within his scheme, he does a really good job of marrying the run and marrying the pass. He’s committed to building that identity, to be able to run the ball and have his counter punches off of it.”

The 2-5 Giants are 25^th in rushing defense, allowing 138.1 yards a game. But their opponents’ average yards per carry of 5.4 yards is the league’s highest. Last week, Saquon Barkley ran for 176 yards against them.

Harris hasn’t had a game that big. But his 106 and 102 rushing yards the last two weeks mark the second time in his four-year career that he has consecutive 100-yard games. Bowen cited his time with the Titans for an example of what Harris brings to the Steelers’ offense.

“He’s running hard, and I think he wears on guys,” Bowen said. “It reminds me a lot, honestly, when we had Derrick (Henry) in Tennessee. They kept feeding him, kept feeding him, and they’re hoping those two to three-yard runs early turn into five and six in the third quarter and then comes the fourth quarter and they break one for 36 like they did against the Raiders. Or last week at the very end of the game, it breaks for (10) for a touchdown. I think there’s a little bit of method to the madness with that.

“They run hard and then being able to get (Jaylen) Warren in there and spell him at times for a change of pace. Both those guys are tough runners, and they run hard, and they fight for yards.”