Pittsburgh Steelers: 5 things to watch for against the New York Giants

Pittsburgh Steelers: 5 things to watch for against the Giants

PITTSBURGH, PA - OCTOBER 23: Darrius Heyward-Bey #88 celebrates his touchdown reception with Antonio Brown #84 of the Pittsburgh Steelers in the second quarter during the game at Heinz Field on October 23, 2016 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /

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ARLINGTON, TX – JANUARY 02: T.J. Watt #42 of the Wisconsin Badgers celebrates after a play during the 81st Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic between Western Michigan and Wisconsin at AT&T Stadium on January 2, 2017 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

4. Pass Rushers and Linebackers

Something I’ve noticed this camp is the backup linebacker play. Guys like L.J. Fort and Tyler Matakevich are favorites to fill the backup spots behind Vince Williams and Ryan Shazier, but we can’t forget about Steven Johnson, Arthur Moats, and Anthony Chickillo.

When I was at training camp it didn’t seem like L.J. Fort was just a backup; he plays like the ‘man amongst boys’ I was talking about and made play after play in the run game. Expect him to make big time plays tonight.

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Rookies T.J. Watt and Keion Adams will also be intriguing watches, both up against their first NFL opponent. I don’t expect James Harrison to get much playing time, which could free up the starting spot for first round pick T.J. Watt, giving him an opportunity to fulfill some of those lofty expectations.

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