Something special: The Steelers got strong play from all three phases as they won their 22nd consecutive home Monday Night Football game with the 26-18 win over the New York Giants at Acrisure Stadium.
The offense got contributions from a multitude of players, the defense came up with big plays when they were needed the most and special teams, well, they were special.
Coach Mike Tomlin liked what he saw up and down, but also knows, there were some areas where work needs to be done.
"Really appreciative of our efforts," said Tomlin. "It wasn't as fluid as we'd like, but that's football. We've got to guard against style points and things of that nature. It was primetime television, football against a team that came in here with a good mindset.
"We shot ourselves in the foot some early settling for three. We gave up a couple big plays that allowed them to generate some scoring drives. They kicked three.
"But I just liked the overall look of the group at halftime. We acknowledged where we were. We acknowledged we needed some plays to break this thing open. I had a bunch of guys that wanted to be the reason why we were successful."
And that is an accurate statement.
Running back Najee Harris had 19 carries for 114 yards, his third straight 100-yard game. Receivers George Pickens and Van Jefferson had four receptions each, coming through with some clutch grabs. Quarterback Russell Wilson completed 20 passes for 278 yards and a touchdown. Kicker Chris Boswell had three first half fields goals.
Linebacker T.J. Watt had seven tackles, two sacks, including a strip sack that he recovered near the end of the game to keep the Steelers ahead, while fellow linebacker Alex Highsmith had four tackles, two sacks and six quarterback hits. Nickle back Beanie Bishop had an interception with just 34 seconds to play to seal the win.
And then, there was Calvin Austin III.
With the game tied, 9-9, Austin returned a punt 73-yards for a touchdown on a play that sent Steelers Nation into a frenzy and turned the tide in the game. And he wasn't done yet. Austin also pulled in a 29-yard touchdown catch, finishing the night with three catches for 54 yards, and the first two-touchdown game of his career.
"Can't say enough about Calvin," said Tomlin. "I thought that's a big play, that punt return. It was a catalyst for us.
"I talked to Calvin on third down before he took the field. He'd just been close for a couple of weeks. I thought it was his time. He thought it was his time. He delivered."
Special teams has delivered for the Steelers as of late, with three blocked kicks in the previous three games, and the punt return for the touchdown on Monday night. And it's because of one reason. They work at it.
"It's a legitimate phase of the game for us," said Tomlin. "We give it that respect, not only in words but in our approach, in how we work. The guys make it real with their efforts.
"Not only Calvin, but I saw a couple of guys that secured really, really sharp blocks. They're blocking toward their inline and they shielded as opposed to forcible blocks. It's just a display of football understanding.
"We're not going to be great unless we're not only good at techniques but display football understanding. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention those guys. I think one of them was (tight end) Rodney Williams."
The win puts the Steelers at 6-2 and in first place in the AFC North, a good place to be heading into the bye week.
"We're just thankful to be 6-2 at the turn," said Tomlin.
Controlling your work ethic: Coach Mike Tomlin probably said it best about Russell Wilson after the Steelers Monday night win over the New York Giants.
"I just thought he didn't need to warm up to it," said Tomlin.
And that was accurate.
Wilson came out strong against the Giants, even though having to settle for field goals early might have made it look otherwise. Wilson had a touchdown pass to George Pickens on the opening drive nullified by a penalty, while another touchdown was reversed because Pickens didn't get both feet down.
Wilson showed no signs of rust, fully back after dealing with a calf injury in the early part of the season.
"I felt more fluid," said Wilson. "I haven't really missed many games in my lifetime. You miss five, six games, you've got to get your rhythm.
"The last game, the first game (I played), I felt like we had a great rhythm the first drive. The second drive we had some things there. Third and fourth drives, ugh. That's just ball sometimes. It's not easy every possession, especially when you are going against good teams.
"You just respond. I think the most important thing is just response. A relentless belief in one another, relentless faith and understanding that this game is a process, each drive tells a story, each game tells a different story.
"You got to be able to adjust and move and respond. I think that's the part about these kind of games. As you go on in the season, as we get down the road, each game is going to continue to be a heavyweight fight. The thing with heavyweight fights is you've got to respond. I think sometimes you're going to get hit in the mouth, sometimes you are going to get back up and respond.
"I think that's going to be key as we move forward, head up, chin up, keep going, keep making plays, believing in the next play, the next play is going to be the best play. Understand you're not getting too high, too low, staying neutral and trusting it all.
"I think that for me, in this game in particular, was really key. We all stayed in control of what we're seeing, what we're doing, how we're going after it. I thought Arthur (Smith) called a great game. I wish we had those two touchdowns back. That would have really broken it out.
"We have great confidence in our team, what we're doing."
That confidence showed in the way Wilson spread the ball around, starting with the opening drive when he hit four different receivers and both Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren carried the ball.
"I think the versatility of our guys, how they get open, how they work, showed up a lot tonight," said Wilson. "I thought the running backs did a really good job of running the ball. The offensive line did a great job. That's a really good defensive line that they have.
"It was a full team effort. That was fun."
Two receivers who stepped up big for a unit looking for just that were Calvin Austin III and Van Jefferson. While George Pickens had a normal George Pickens night, making amazing catches and whatnot, Austin had three receptions for 54 yards and a 29-yard touchdown, while Jefferson had four receptions for 62 yards.
"I'm not surprised," said Wilson. "They do it in practice every day. Their work ethic, they've been doing it since the summertime, offseason, the springtime. All the work that we were able to do in the offseason together in San Diego, all that.
"I know who they are. They're competitors, playmakers. Van's catch down the sideline was amazing. Giving him a chance down there. Calvin made some great plays, the touchdown. GP, he really had a great, great night. He had two touchdowns. Unfortunately got called back. He was special tonight, too.
"I think it's the work ethic, the work ethic of those guys. They're putting all the work in every day. It's not a surprise when it shows up on the field. I think that's the key part."
Austin said after the game some of the success they had can be credited to work the receivers do with Wilson after practice, something the quarterback thoroughly enjoys.
"I think the extra work before practice, the extra work after practice," said Wilson. "We've got tremendous football players. We believe in the guys we've got. We've got some special guys. Their work ethic is really remarkable.
"It makes it fun, to be honest with you, to play quarterback here, be around tremendous guys that love the game of football. Obviously, George is a tremendous football player, who he is, what he brings to the table. Calvin, you guys got to see who he is, what he means to this football team, the star that he is going to be and already is. It's in him. The punt return that he had, the touchdown. These are things that are special plays.
"Van Jefferson, he's a guy that I remember watching him back in his college days, watching his college highlights and everything else. Obviously, he went to the Rams. I had to watch him make plays over there. To have him on our team, his family means the world to me, too. Just watching his work ethic every day.
"It just makes the game fun when you get to be around great guys. The huddle is great. Guys are believers. We're working our tails off every day.
"The only thing that you can control is your work ethic. You really get to control that part of it. Then it shows up in the game. When you're able to make plays like that, it's not a surprise that hard work pays off."
Getting it done: The defense might not have shut the Giants down in the way that they had hoped, with running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. carrying the ball 20 times for 145 yards and a touchdown, but when the game was on the line, the defense came through.
After a Steelers turnover late in the fourth quarter, the Giants were moving into scoring position when linebacker T.J. Watt sacked Giants quarterback Daniel Jones, forced a fumble and recovered it, giving the offense the ball right back.
"He's what Coach (Mike) Tomlin calls an 'A player,'" said linebacker Alex Highsmith. "'A players' are built for those moments. I knew that play, I saw they had the tight end over with me, I saw him one-on-one with that guy. He's about to make a play. And he did. And he got the ball.
"That's just what he does. That's why he's the best in the world. Just an honor every single week to go to war with him and the rest of this team."
And then, with the clock ticking down and the Giants driving, rookie Beanie Bishop intercepted Jones to seal the win.
"It just shows that we're resilient," said Highsmith. "I think we've just got to start better because we've had a trend this year of starting slow, then really picking it up in the second half. We just got to play more consistent throughout the game and just be more detailed.
"I think a lot of stuff, we're hurting ourselves. When we go back and watch the film, we'll analyze it before we head out. We've just got to be more detailed, and have a certain level of detail that it takes to be a winning team. Just got to lock in on the little things. Just getting the win was huge."
And the win came from contributions all around. Watt, Highsmith and Bishop are just a few of the players who came through, as has been the case the entire first half of the season.
"I think we're built for those moments," said Highsmith. "Coach Tomlin does a great job during camp of providing a lot of competition, whether it's in drills or team periods. Through those we're built for these big moments.
"It seems like a lot of times when we have the lead, on too many drives we're either ending the game with a sack or we're getting a pick. That's what happened tonight. Shout-out to Beanie for getting his third in two games.
"Just finishing well, but we've got to start faster."
Bringing you the action: For fans who don't want to miss any of the action, NFL+ is here, which means you can now watch the Steelers live and on the go! Watch live local and primetime regular season games on mobile, plus NFL RedZone, NFL Network, live audio and more - all in one place.
