4 takeaways from Steelers win over the New York Giants

The Pittsburgh Steelers took down the New York Giants on Monday Night Football. Here are four things we learned from the game.

After a concerning start that began with a Diontae Johnson muffed punt early in the game, things eventually turned the corner for the Steelers. Pittsburgh was electric all night against the run – holding Pro Bowl running back, Saquon Barkley, to just 6 yards on 15 attempts (0.4 yards per carry).

Offensively, the Steelers didn’t rack up the score, but Ben Roethlisberger and company did plenty enough to keep the game out of reach of a potential Giants comeback in the second half. Roethlisberger did about as well as we could have expected him to in his first action – throwing for 3 touchdowns and 0 interceptions to go with his 229 yards and 117.8 passer rating, according to ESPN.

There are many things we learned from this contest – some good and some bad. Here are my four biggest takeaways from the Steelers Week 1 win over the New York Giants:

Benny Snell looks better than James Conner

This took me a little by surprise. Though I thought it was possible that Snell could look impressive this season and steal some touches from Conner eventually, I didn’t expect this in Week 1. Before Conner left the game with an injury, he averaged just 1.5 yards per carry on his six touches. When Snell stepped on the field, the running game came to life.

The second-year back barreled his way for 113 yards on the ground and managed a thoroughly impressive 5.9 yards per carry against a powerful Giants defensive line. He has proven early in his career that he can handle a sizable load. Don’t be surprised to see him touch the ball a lot going forward – even when Conner returns.