The Steelers have blocked a kick in three consecutive games, putting them into some elite company when it comes to that particular part of the game.
Only the 2015 Ravens, who blocked a kick in five-straight games, and the 2007 Bears, who had a block in four consecutive games, have longer streaks than the one the Steelers have currently put together.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said earlier this week that the Steelers block kicks because they have a "block mentality."
What does that mean?
"Everyone just knows that whether it's in field goal block or punts, there's always a chance we're going to get one," said special teams ace Tyler Matakevich, who could return this week from injured reserve after missing the past five games with a hamstring injury. "It was like that when I was here years ago.
"Even when I left and went to Buffalo, we had a chance to play the Steelers every year I was up there, the whole week, it was just, 'These guys are going to come.' I think that's just how the Steelers are known throughout the league."
As Matakevich said, he began his career with the Steelers in 2016 before leaving for Buffalo in free agency in 2020. He was then re-signed this season to help bolster the Steelers' special teams units that had a lot of turnover from a year ago.
But one of the constants with that special teams units has been coordinator Danny Smith, who has been with the Steelers since 2013. The 70-year-old has been a special teams coach in the NFL since 1995, and all of that experience pays off on a unit that often has many younger players on the field who didn't necessarily play special teams in college.
And blocking kicks has become a specialty of his units.
If the Steelers can get another block this season, they'll set the franchise record. They also had three blocked kicks in 2018, 2022 and 2023.
Their 11 blocked kicks since the start of the 2021 season are the most in the NFL, one more than Dallas over that same span. No other team has more than seven in that period.
Safety Miles Killebrew earned All-Pro status last season as a special teams player after blocking two kicks. But this season, the Steelers have gotten blocked kicks from linebacker Jeremiah Moon and defensive linemen Isaiahh Loudermilk and Dean Lowry. And that doesn't count another kick that safety Minkah Fitzpatrick blocked in last week's 37-15 win over the Jets on which he was called for using leverage, a penalty that Tomlin said the league office later told him should not have been called.
Other teams have opportunities to block kicks. But the Steelers expect to block them.
"You can't be surprised when you come free. It doesn't happen often, but you've got to expect to block it," said Matakevich. "Like Moon a couple of weeks ago said, 'That never happens.' It does. The crucial thing is to expect to come free. That's what he did. He did a great job. You can turn on the film and see guys coming free. But they're not thinking to go get the block. You can see that they start coming and they have some hesitation and then try to speed up.
"By the time you do that, it's too late. Danny does a great job that if a blocker is able to get there, he prepares you."
And the players love him for the preparation he puts in to help them succeed. It was evident after Lowry's blocked field goal against the Jets last week. Following that play, a number of players crowded around Smith in celebration.
"He just gives you little nuggets throughout the week. They're soft on the edge. They're soft inside. Whatever it is," Matakevich said. "He's giving you those little nuggets. And then you count on guys to be professional and take that and go make a play.
"Danny is special. He's been here for years. He changed my life personally. I owe that guy everything. I think it's just the way he coaches, the way he carries himself. You see his passion and how much he cares about us, you don't want to let that guy down. That's definitely the mentality. I've got that mentality every time I'm out there."
• The Steelers have had some good running backs in the modern football era, which is considered 1970 until now, including a pair of Pro Football Hall of Fame members in Franco Harris and Jerome Bettis.
But if Najee Harris can get to 100 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown again on Monday night, he would become just the fifth Steelers runner to have 100 rushing yards and at least one touchdown in three consecutive games.
Franco Harris had six consecutive 100-yard rushing games in 1972. Barry Foster had three-straight in 1992 when he rushed for a team-record 1,690 yards. Jerome Bettis had three-straight 100-yard games in 1996, while James Conner did it in 2018.
The Giants allow 138.1 rushing yards per game, which is 25th in the NFL, while their 5.4 yards per carry allowed to opposing runners is tied for last with the Saints. They also allow 5.3 yards per carry on designed runs between the tackles, which is last in the NFL.
Harris, meanwhile, is eighth in the NFL in rushing yards with 478, one fewer yard than he had in his rookie season in 2021 when he ran for a career-best 1,200 yards.
• Anyone watching Russell Wilson complete 5 of his 7 downfield passes in last Sunday night's win over the Jets shouldn't have been surprised.
Since the NFL began utilizing NextGen Stats in 2016, Wilson has 1,500 more passing yards than any other quarterback in the NFL on downfield passes, which are passes that travel 10 or more yards past the line of scrimmage.
Wilson completed 2 of his 3 passes – both to George Pickens – that traveled more than 20 yards downfield. The Steelers had just six such completions – on 19 attempts – in their first six games.
Wilson also was under center for 62.1 percent of the Steelers' offensive plays last week. It was his highest total in a game since 2013 - his second season with the Seahawks - and the highest for a Steelers quarterback this season.
All of this could be significant Monday night against the Giants.
With a league-best 31 sacks, New York has a strong pass rush. But the Giants had better get home when they are rushing the passer because their secondary allows a league-worst 72.7 percent completion percentage and 154.4 passer rating on deep passes.
Wilson also was 9 of 11 for 157 yards when utilizing play-action, averaging 13.1 yards per attempt. His 157 yards on play-action were the most in the NFL in Week 7.
The Giants allow a passer rating of 122.2 against opponents who utilize play-action, the third-worst in the NFL.
• One other thing that Wilson unlocked was ball distribution.
Justin Fields had done a good job of getting everyone involved in the passing game, but sometimes it took him a while to get there.
For example, a few weeks ago in a loss to the Cowboys George Pickens got just two targets in the first half, while tight end Pat Freiermuth had none.
Veteran quarterbacks understand that it's never a bad idea to involve a lot of players early in a game to get their first hit out of the way, or at least let them know they're part of the game plan.
Ben Roethlisberger used to preach that. Wilson believes it, as well.
"Yeah, I think that's a big part of the game," said Wilson, who targeted seven different players in last week's win over the Jets despite attempting just 29 passes. "It's just everyone knowing that everyone is going to touch the football. Also, it makes it hard on the defense. When we've got playmakers all over the field, it makes it tough on the defense. So it's something I believe in, something I've always believed in.
"And guys do a great job, and it's all because of how hard they work. And when guys work their tails off in practice every day and get the extra work and pre-practice (work), it just makes it fun for me and fun for all of us."
• Dale Lolley is co-host of "SNR Drive" on Steelers Nation Radio. Subscribe to the podcast here: Apple Podcast | iHeart Podcast
• Since the advent of the Monday Night Football broadcast in 1970, the Steelers have appeared in scheduled Monday night games 78 times, the fourth-most in the league.
At 53-25, they have the best winning percentage (.679) of any team in the league on Monday Night Football. They are also tied with San Francisco for the most wins of any franchise on Monday night.
Included in that is a ridiculous 30-5 record in home games on scheduled Monday night games. Included in that is a 21-game winning streak at home that dates back to the 1991 season.
The last team to beat the Steelers in a home Monday Night Football game? The Giants, who edged the Steelers, 23-20, in what was Chuck Noll's final season as head coach.
That's right. Both Mike Tomlin and Bill Cowher are unbeaten on Monday Night Football in Pittsburgh. Tomlin is 10-0, while Cowher was 11-0.
That road win on Monday Night Football back in 1991 is a bit of a rarity for the Giants. Though New York has played the most road games on MNF with 50, the Giants have won just 17 times on the road in those contests.
The Giants also are 3-20 in games played in prime time since 2018, the worst record in the NFL. Included in that is an 0-7 record posted by quarterback Daniel Jones on Monday Night Football.
The Steelers are 23-20 in road Monday Night Football games in their history.
