EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — In a game billed as the battle of two first-round quarterbacks from the Class of 2004, the Steelers’ Ben Roethlisberger outlasted the Giants’ Eli Manning by copying Manning’s fourth-quarter comeback act to steer Pittsburgh to a 24-20 win over New York at MetLife Stadium on Sunday.
The Steelers (5-3) won their third game in a row, while the Giants (6-3) saw their four-game winning streak end.
Roethlisberger, whose record against NFC teams improved to 24-7, overcame some early-game obstacles that included four sacks, one interception and one fumble, all of which contributed to 10 Giants points. He powered the Steelers to a come-from-behind drive in the fourth quarter. The nine-play, 51-yard march ended on a one-yard touchdown run by running back Isaac Redman with just over four minutes remaining.
Roethlisberger completed 21 of 30 passes for 216 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Redman ran for 146 yards on 26 carries.
Manning was just 10-for-24 for 125 yards with an interception and no touchdown passes.
“I’m sure he’ll come and tell you that he didn’t play as well as he’d like to play,” said head coach Tom Coughlin of Manning’s struggles this week. “We have to get him back on track. He’s our guy and we have to get him back playing the way he was a couple weeks ago, and we have to do it in a hurry.”
Roethlisberger got his team on the scoreboard first with a four-yard touchdown pass to receiver Emmanuel Sanders. An interception by Pittsburgh cornerback Ike Taylor set up the 58-yard, first-quarter drive.
The Giants responded with 14 unanswered points, thanks to Steelers miscues.
New York’s first scoring drive, capped by a one-yard touchdown run by running back Andre Brown, featured a 41-yard pass interference call against Steelers cornerback Keenan Lewis and then a personal-foul penalty called against safety Ryan Clark in the end zone against receiver Victor Cruz.
The second Giants score came when defensive end Osi Umenyiora sacked Roethlisberger, who fumbled the ball. Linebacker Michael Boley scooped it up and returned it 70 yards to give his team a 14-7 lead.
“That’s a great defense that we had to go against,” said Roethlisberger. “You have to give them a lot of credit. To rise up and get this ‘W’ is big”.
The Steelers, who made it 14-10 on kicker Shaun Suisham’s 30-yard field goal with five seconds left in the first half, went three-and-out on their first drive in the third quarter. The Giants then added field goals of 50 and 23 yards by kicker Lawrence Tynes, who earlier in the game had come up short on a 51-yarder.
With the Giants up 20-10, Roethlisberger connected with receiver Mike Wallace on a 51-yard touchdown pass at the start of the fourth quarter to make it 20-17. However, following a 63-yard Sanders punt return that put the ball on the Giants’ 12, Pittsburgh came away empty as a fake field-goal attempt went awry with Suisham dropped for a one-yard loss by Michael Coe.
“I took a shot,” said Steelers coach Mike Tomlin of the fake field goal and the opportunity to take the lead earlier in the fourth quarter. “The Giants did a nice job. I tip my hat to (Giants special teams coordinator) Tom Quinn and that group over there. They were ready for me and did a nice job.”
With 4:02 left in the game, the Giants and Manning had plenty of time to mount a fourth-quarter comeback of their own, but the offense’s struggles continued as Manning missed on passes with Cruz and tight end Martellus Bennett before being sacked for a nine-yard loss by linebacker Lamar Woodley, who also knocked the ball loose.
“I grabbed our defense before they went out for the Giants’ last series and told them, ‘Listen, you guys kind of carried us all day. Do what you do, get off the field, and we won’t put you back on the field,’” Roethlisberger said. “So they got off the field, and we kept (the Giants offense) off the field.”
The Giants will face the Bengals next week in Cincinnati. Pittsburgh will return to Heinz Field to host the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday, Nov. 12.
NOTES: Giants defensive end Justin Tuck, who tripled his season sack total to three, had his first multi-sack game since Super Bowl XLVI. … Giants tight end Travis Beckum, who was activated off the physically unable to perform list Saturday, made his season debut, replacing Bear Pascoe, who missed a game for the first time this season due to a high ankle sprain. ..Pittsburgh receiver Antonio Brown suffered a left ankle injury in the first quarter and did not return. … Manning’s eight-game winning streak over AFC teams was snapped. The streak dated back to a September 2010 loss to the Tennessee Titans.