PITTSBURGH – Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin pulled Calvin Austin III aside before the undersized wide receiver took the field for a punt return in the third quarter of a somewhat lifeless game against the New York Giants.

The Steelers fought. The offense moved the ball, just not into the end zone. Tomlin knew that the 5-foot-10, 170-pound Austin had come close to making it big several times this season. And the NFL’s longest-serving head coach had a feeling.

“I thought it was his time,” Tomlin said. “And he thought it was his time. And he delivered.”

Not once, but twice.

Austin — who texted his friends over the weekend that he was going to break a big throw — sprinted down the field and raced 73 yards for a touchdown after Tomlin’s little pep talk. He later added a 29-yard grab over the shoulder to give the Steelers the boost they needed to beat the Giants 26-18 on Monday night.

Pittsburgh (6-2) won its 22nd straight home game under the lights Monday night behind Austin’s playmaking and two late turnovers. TJ Watt sacked Daniel Jones with under three minutes left to end a New York drive, and rookie cornerback Beanie Bishop picked off Jones with 42 seconds to play to end it.

“It wasn’t as fluid as we would have liked, but that’s football,” Tomlin said. “We have to be careful of style problems.”

Good thing, because style points were in short supply on a night when three apparent touchdowns – two by Pittsburgh, one by New York – were canceled, the teams combined for 16 penalties and drives regularly stalled near the end zone.

The Steelers won their third straight and enter their bye week with a one-game lead over Baltimore in the AFC North. After relying heavily on their defense in the first month, the Steelers’ offense has found new gear since Wilson returned from a calf injury that forced him to miss the first six games.

The 35-year-old completed 20 of 28 passes for 278 yards in his second home start as a Steeler. His only real mistake was a fumble with 4:42 left that briefly opened the door for the Giants (2-6).

Moments later, Watt tied the game after New York opted not to play him with the Giants battling for the potential tie.

“He has a unique talent, a unique approach,” Tomlin said. “It achieves unique results.”

Najee Harris ran for 114 yards, surpassing 100 yards for the third straight game for the first time in his career. Chris Boswell kicked four field goals to rescue an offense that regularly stagnated in New York territory.

Wilson also distributed the ball and faced eight players, a promising development for a team that has relied heavily – perhaps too much – on George Pickens to make an impact in the passing game.

Austin finished the game with three receptions for 54 yards. Van Jefferson added four receptions for 62 yards. Even third-string tight end MyCole Pruitt caught a pass.

“Men are believers,” Wilson said.

Maybe Austin most of all. Before games, the third-year pro spends his time reading notes hidden on his phone from doubters he found online who said he was too small to make the NFL. And yet, after Pittsburgh put the finishing touches to a promising first two months, he listened to fans chant his name.

“We’re all competitors,” Austin said. “We will still always rely on ourselves.”

Giants rookie Tyrone Tracy ran for a season-high 145 yards, including a 45-yard dash early in the fourth quarter that pulled New York within eight points. The Giants attempted a 2-point conversion, but rookie receiver Malik Nabers’ ill-conceived play behind the line of scrimmage was easily negated.

Jones, who was substituted in the fourth quarter last week after a blown loss to Philadelphia, completed 24 of 38 passes for 264 yards and was the late pick. Darius Slayton finished the game with four receptions for 108 yards and Nabers caught seven passes for 72 yards. Greg Joseph kicked four field goals for the Giants, but they were negated by 11 penalties for 65 yards and a defense that allowed the Wilson-led Steelers’ suddenly potent offense to gain 426 yards.

“There were a lot of good things, but not enough of them,” New York coach Brian Daboll said.

It’s been that way for the Giants for a while now, and they’re 2-6 for the second straight year. Two years after a breakout season that ended with New York making the playoffs and the Giants gifting Jones with a lucrative extension, the franchise appears to be on the rocks.

There were flashes of progress against the Steelers, but the Giants were undone by the kinds of mistakes — flags, turnovers and missed assignments — that were far too common during their free fall.

“We hurt a lot tonight,” Jones said. “That’s the most frustrating thing about it. We need to go into more detail, starting with me. The good things that happened were wiped out by the mistakes.”

Injuries

Steelers: Justin Fields served as the emergency quarterback behind Wilson and Kyle Allen after suffering a hamstring injury in practice on Saturday.

Next

Giants: Host Washington on Sunday.

Steelers: After a bye, visit the Commanders on November 10th.

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