New York Giants ready for Pittsburgh Steelers – NFL Week 9 Preview
The defending Super Bowl champions New York Giants seem to be heading in the right direction as they are currently leading National Football Conference (NFC) East with six victories and two defeats, having a healthy edge over Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia
Eagles and Washington Redskins.
Pittsburgh Steelers, on the other hand, have now gradually started finding their rhythm back; after a 1-2 start, they have managed to win three of their next four games and are currently on a two-game winning streak.
Both teams have tremendous offences that are led by exceptional quarterbacks. The first overall pick of the 2004 draft quarterback Eli Manning represents Giants, while the 11th overall pick of the same draft quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is Steelers’
backbone.
Both sides will face each other in Week 9 game on Sunday, November 04, at MetLife Stadium.
Manning has an uncanny ability to perform well under pressure, especially in final quarters, in which he has led his team to a number of comeback victories.
Steelers cornerback Keenan Lewis said of Manning:
“He comes in the fourth quarter and makes splash plays and once you do that week in and week out you are going to be one of the greatest. He is a good quarterback. He makes the plays, the throws on the field.”
Meanwhile, Giants head coach Tom Coughlin has also appreciated Roethlisberger. Coughlin said of the quarterback:
“Obviously, he’s had a very, very good career. He has two Super Bowl championships. He’s a winner. He currently has a 117 quarterback rating on third downs, so he’s playing very, very well.”
Steelers are currently placed behind Baltimore Ravens in American Football Conference (AFC) North with a total of four victories in seven games.
Their playoff hopes are very much alive, but they must keep the winning run going as Ravens are going to give them a tough competition.
Although both teams can qualify for the playoffs, there is no guarantee of it.
The same is the case with Giants. Although they are leading NFC East, they know that one poor run can spoil their playoff chances, just like the last season.
That is why Giants are not getting complacent even though they are currently on a four-game winning streak and their lead in the division is quite secure as other teams in NFC East are struggling badly.
Giants just have to maintain consistency and ensure maintaining a better record in the second half of the season to qualify for the playoffs easily.
Coughlin has already said that Giants are not going to take any game lightly. He said earlier this week:
“We have a long way to go. We have a lot of work to do to be the team that we want to be.”
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