Victor Cruz upset about lack of targets in Giants’ loss

General manager Jerry Reese overhauled the defense but failed to upgrade the offense in the offseason. NY dealt the Cowboys a 1-point loss in September, but Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott have dominated the league since then.

Le’Veon Bell went over 100 yards for the third straight game, posting 118 yards on 29 carries. Sure, the Steelers won their last two games, but they beat the winless Browns and the (Andrew) Luck-less Colts. Late in the first quarter, the Giants were pinned back to their own 9. “Absolutely, there’s always opportunities for everybody to get the ball out there and I didn’t get those today”.

Did anyone else feel that uneasy little pit in their stomach start acting up around breakfast on Saturday?

The Giants receiver seemed to insinuate that the refs are against the Giants.

The Giants were poised to take the lead as Eli Manning led a drive from the NY 29 to the Steelers’ 9. He added six receptions for 64 yards but did not score a touchdown for the first time in almost a month. There’s only so much Antonio Brown can do when facing double and triple teams, he said. Funny, of all the blatant holds James Harrison has wrought that have gone uncalled over the years, he scored two points with a ticky-tack call.

“He can make some throws that most guys can’t or certainly couldn’t even attempt to make”, Brees said of Stafford this week. It was another weekend of offensive struggles for “Big Blue” whose offense hasn’t been bad this year but is a far cry from what was supposed to be a prolific unit. On a 3rd and 17 at the Giants 42, Roethlisberger found wide receiver Eli Rogers for 18 yards to the Giants 24.

Giants: Played the second half without defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, who left in the second quarter with a groin injury.

The Pittsburgh Steelers ended the New York Giants’ winning streak with a familiar formula. They were No. 21 against the run going into Week 13, before getting gashed by the Raiders for 139 rusihng yards.

The Steelers aced a test against the Giants. Shazier broke up a pass at the goal line on fourth down to turn the ball over on downs.

On the next drive, Bell was carrying the ball. The Steelers started off hot again. Getting the ball back, Roethlisberger then threw a 37 yard pass to Ladarius Green before the drive stalled in NY territory. You got to go out and get it.

After seven comeback wins, the Lions didn’t come close to needing a fourth-quarter rally.

“It’s that time of year that we have to be our best self, offense, defense, special teams”, Roethlisberger said. Manning had less than 200 passing yards (195 yards) with two TD passes on the afternoon. Bell then had to big runs for 19 and 12 yards to get the Steelers down to the Giants 35.

One mistake can be forgiven, though, if it means Bell has hit his stride for the season, along with fellow Steelers stars Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown. Shortly after, Steelers end Stephon Tuitt was flagged for unnecessary roughness after a shove to Giants guard John Jerry, who sold his fall to the ground. Beckham went and caught a 25 yard pass.

“They brought a lot of pressure”, said Manning, whose season passer rating of 90.9 deflated to 69.9 against Keith Butler’s schemes.

The Pittsburgh Steelers moved quickly after longtime starting tight end Heath Miller retired last winter, signing former San Diego Chargers starter Ladarius Green to give Ben Roethlisberger another dependable downfield threat.

We’ll see if Beckham listens to Manning’s advice when the Giants take on the Cowboys on Sunday night.

New York’s offense will have to get back on track quickly with NFC East-leading Dallas looming next week.

The Steelers will travel up north to face the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, Dec. 11, with kickoff commencing at 1 p.m.