PITTSBURGH – Deonte Banks had two hits against him when he took the field to face the Steelers on Monday night.

He scored a third and was subsequently benched by head coach Brian Daboll in the Giants’ 26-18 loss at Acrisure Stadium.

Banks went down in the second quarter and lunged at running back Najee Harris’ legs, allowing Harris to jump over him and gain a 13-yard ball.

The play took place right on the Giants’ sideline and enraged Daboll, who immediately chatted with Banks.

Not long after, Greg Stroman, a practice squad member for the game, was at cornerback and Banks was out.

This is a concerning development for the 2023 first-round draft pick.

Banks was taken out of the game twice early in the season for lack of action.

He failed to track down receiver CeeDee Lamb for a 55-yard touchdown reception in a loss to the Cowboys in Week 4, drawing the ire of defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson on the sideline.

Last week, Banks failed to make a play when Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts ran to the sideline.

After that, Daboll offered no further criticism of Banks, but nose tackle Dexter Lawrence said the issue was discussed with Banks and the entire team was aware of it.

Apparently the message didn’t reach Banks.

Rookie RB Tyrone Tracy had a strong game with 20 carries for 145 yards, including a 45-yard touchdown, but he left the field with 3:47 left to be checked for a head injury.

Once Andrew Thomas was out for the season with a Lisfranc injury that required foot surgery, Daboll admitted it was impossible to replace Thomas, one of the NFL’s better left tackles.

However, someone had to take that spot, and the first man for the Giants was third-year offensive lineman Josh Ezeudu.

Ezeudu struggled with the same task last season. That move didn’t last long, as Ezeudu was left out of the starting lineup and veteran Chris Hubbard entered the game Monday at left tackle.

Hubbard, 30, signed with the Giants on Oct. 16 from the 49ers’ practice squad.

He arrived as a nine-year veteran with 94 NFL games with the Steelers, Browns and Titans and 58 starts at various locations along the line.

It was telling that Hubbard was viewed as a better option than Ezeudu, a 2022 third-round draft pick, after such a short time with the team.

In his first start for the Giants, Hubbard faced fullback Alex Highsmith and it was a struggle for Hubbard early in the game.

Early in the third quarter, Highsmith had a sack from Daniel Jones. Later in the third quarter, Highsmith easily got around Hubbard and scored another sack.

The Giants introduced their version of the Eagles tush push on their first third down conversion, with rookie tight end Theo Johnson in motion and then pushing Jones from behind for a 2-yard gain for the first down achieve. … The Giants had to call a timeout on defense early in the first quarter when Lawrence’s shoe came off and he couldn’t get a tackle stop. … CB Nick McCloud started in place of the injured Cor’Dale Flott.

The Steelers are now 31-5 at home on Monday Night Football, the best mark in the league.

Most people don’t look forward to Monday, but Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has to love this day and night. His record as of Monday night is 21-3, also the best mark in the NFL.