Advantage continues to grow for Steelers in Week 1 vs. Giants

The Pittsburgh Steelers were already at a bit of an advantage in Week one against the New York Giants. Here’s why that edge just got bigger.

The Steelers aren’t a team that is usually in mid-season in Week one. Last year, there were trampled by the New England Patriots in a 30-point loss. In fact, Pittsburgh is just 3-5-1 in their last 9 season-openers dating back since 2011, according to Pro Football Focus.

This year, the Steelers have been tasked with taking on the New York Giants in Week. Though they were once a Super Bowl-winning squad that demanded some respect, the Giants have gone just 12-36 in their last three seasons – earning a record of just 4-12 in 2019.

Though this is a game Pittsburgh would usually run away with if it were played later in the season, historical trends indicate that this won’t be a walk in the park for the Steelers. Fortunately, Mike Tomlin’s team has a bit of an advantage this year.

The 2020 football season will be unusual for several reasons. While it’s possible that Pittsburgh could have their home field advantage taken away if fans are not allowed in the stadiums, it could work in their favor on the road. Earlier this offseason, the Giants and the Jets jointly announced that there will be no fans at MetLife Stadium this year due to the Coronavirus outbreak. With the Steelers traveling to New York in Week 1, the Giants’ advantage will be nullified.

But this isn’t the only advantage Pittsburgh could have over New York in the season-opener. Recently, the Giants announced that two key players suffered serious injuries at training camp practice.

Safety Xavier McKinney, the 36th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, recently suffered a fracture in his left foot and is expected to undergo surgery. Likewise, the 2019 starting linebacker, David Mayo, has a torn meniscus and is also expected to miss time after surgery.

Obviously, we would never wish these injuries on players, and the Steelers witnessed last season just how devastating injuries can be. No team dealt with an injury as big as losing Ben Roethlisberger for the season. However, New York’s misfortune could be Pittsburgh’s gain in 2020.

Though losing in Week one isn’t going to make or break the season, each game is important when you only get 16 all year. The Giants are a team that the Steelers would be expected to beat 4 times out of 5, but their historically slow starts to the season could have derailed a would-be win this year.

We still don’t know how Roethlisberger is going to look in his first regular-season action since Week 2 of last year, but as long as Pittsburgh’s offense doesn’t drop the ball, this game is looking more and more like a win with the early advantages the Steelers have been afforded.