Steelers vs Giants: 5 matchups to watch in Week 1

The Pittsburgh Steelers open the season on Monday night against the Giants and there are matchups on the field to take notice of heading into the game.

The Steelers are finally ready to kick off their 2020 campaign on Monday. They will travel to the home of the New York Giants for the first Monday Night Football game of the season.

Pittsburgh is out to prove they are still contenders with Ben Roethlisberger back at the helm. The defense is mostly intact from last year aside from the loss of Javon Hargrave in free agency and the offense is ready to turn around their 2019 season to be more supportive of that defense.

It is no mistake that the defense led the Steelers in 2019 and kept them in or won most of the 8 games they managed to win, despite their offensive woes. The 2020 team has a chance to bring balance to that load and help support the defense with points and the ability to keep the ball longer.

The matchups within the game are often the most exciting and intriguing part of each week. Here are five matchups to watch for in the season opener.

Devin Bush vs. Saquon Barkley

The Steelers took Devin Bush in the draft in 2019 to replace the now-retired Ryan Shazier. His job was to provide the lightning next to Vince Williams‘ thunder and he did that in his rookie season.

He is also expected to help cover backs and tight ends and, while he did struggle somewhat in his zone assignments, he had a great season in man coverage. Bush has the speed to keep tabs on Barkley, who will be one of his toughest matchups all season.

Barkley is a speedy, elusive back that poses as much of a threat in the passing game as he does the run game. Bush has a tall task but he’s got the speed and instincts to help reduce the impact Barkley has on this game.