My Steve Smith Blog

The Steelers came into this game looking very questionable as they have been injury prone. Also, their mistakes have added more doubt in the minds of a lot of people.

The Steelers surprised many people when they did a good job of playing defense and keeping the Giants out of the end zone. The Steelers appeared to be on the verge of winning the game.

Mike Tomlin said, "That was the first game I have been involved in that we didn't have a snapper."

Eli Manning completed a 2-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Boss with around 3 minutes left in the game to give the Giants their only TD of the game. They had just tied the game a few minutes earlier via a safety.

James Harrison snapped the ball out of the end zone to give New York the two points from the safety. The Giants came from behind to beat Pittsburgh for a 21-14 victory Sunday in a game of two division leaders.

The Steelers had backups all over the field. They tried to make up for Ben Roethlisberger's four interceptions and five sacks by turning two big-play scores into a slim lead they kept when they had a goal-line stand halfway through the last quarter.

The Giants tied the game with just under seven minutes left. Linebacker Harrison was playing center and he snapped the ball over punter Mitch Berger's head.

"Nobody has two long snappers on their team; what you have are emergency snappers," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. "James Harrison is regarded as the lead candidate. We got some snaps on the sideline and we felt comfortable. We just weren't able to get it done. That was the first game I have been involved in that we didn't have a snapper."

Giants coach Tom Coughlin knew Pittsburgh was without a snapper, saying, "That's why we brought the pressure. I don't know if it disturbed them, but the snap was high."

"I was nervous about snapping for the first time in a game," Harrison said. "But my feeling was that even if I shot it over his head, we still had a chance to stop them."

John Carney kicked four field goals for New York. He made field goals from 26, 35, 25 and 24 yards out. That shows how many times the Giants got in or near the red zone but couldn't get in the end zone.

"You want situations where they kind of have you in a corner and you have to come out swinging," Giants defensive end Justin Tuck said. "Obviously, we responded pretty well. Guys really understand what it takes to win in situations like this."

Manning finally took advantage of the worn-out Steelers defense by finding Steve Smith for 25 yards.

Brandon Jacobs had an 8-yard run. Plaxico Burress caught an 8 yard pass and then Derrick Ward ran the ball in for 7 yards.

"Things weren't going well at times and it's easy to get frustrated, but we didn't," Manning said. "We hung in there tough and found a way to win. Getting frustrated is not going to fix anything. Sometimes you've got to take the field goals and hope that the defense will keep playing tough."

The Steelers had a streak against NFC teams, having won nine in a row at home against them. Since the Giants won this game at the Steelers, it snapped their nine game home NFC win streak. Ben Roethlisberger had been 13-3 against the NFC.

Writer and editor, Freddie Brister, is a former high school football coach of 25 years. His love of the game of football is reflected in his words and memories of growing up in the South and playing football in the back yard with his brother, cousins and neighborhood friends. His biggest thrill is watching former high school players he has coached play at the college level. His favorite pastime is watching professional football on TV and attending the games in person every chance he gets. Freddie Brister is a huge fan of the NFL and the New York Giants. Check out his New York Giants comforter or his San Diego Chargers Watch