The New York Giants (8-3) travel to Heinz Field to take on the Pittsburgh Steelers (6-5) Sunday in a game with huge implications for both teams.
Enjoying their best start to a season since 2008, the New York Giants enter Week 11 riding a six-game winning streak and currently hold the first wild card spot in the NFC.
Over those six games, the Giants are allowing just 17.5 points per game to opposing teams.
That trend will need to continue this weekend against a Pittsburgh offense led by the three-headed monster that is Ben Roethlisberger, Le’Veon Bell, and Antonio Brown.
Shut down the run.
Pittsburgh currently has the 18th ranked rushing attack in terms of total yards and yards per game.
Star running back Le’Veon Bell is coming off back to back 100 yard games.
Since returning from his three game suspension, Bell has rushed for 699 yards and three touchdowns on a 4.6 yards per carry average.
Pittsburgh is 1-4 in games they have rushed for less than 100 yards as a team, so taking away the running game must be a focal point.
The Giants’ run defense is top five in total rushing yards (980), yards per attempt (3.5), and yards per game (89.1).
Holding Bell in check will be essential to slowing down the Pittsburgh offense.
The front four must continue to win the war in the trenches and force the Steelers into third-and-long situations.
Limit the Steelers’ big play ability.
Steelers’ wide receiver Antonio Brown has four games of 100 yards or more this year, while the Giants have allowed just two receivers to hit the century mark all season.
With the big play ability of Brown, Eli Rodgers, Sammie Coates, and Darrius Heyward-Bey, the Steelers have the potential to blow the top off a defense.
According to SportingCharts.com, Pittsburgh has 25 pass plays of 25 yards or more, the eighth most in the NFL.
As a whole, the Steelers’ passing offense ranks eighth in pass yards per game (264) and fifth in passing touchdowns (24).
The Giants’ passing defense is also not nearly as dominant as their run defense, ranking 24th in pass yards allowed per game (265).
They are, however, limiting opposing quarterbacks to just a 58.6 percent completion percentage, third best in the league.
Preventing the deep ball will go a long way in influencing the outcome of the game.