This is the first in a 13-part weekly series examing the history of the Pittsburgh Steelers versus their 2020 opponents.
When the Steelers face the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium in September, they will be four seasons removed from their last matchup. Four years is a long time, especially in football — both teams look a little different than they did in 2016. Notable Steelers goners are wide receiver Antonio Brown, running back Le’Veon Bell, offensive coordinator Todd Haley, and defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau. The Giants are now without quarterback Eli Manning and wide receiver Odell Beckham, Jr.
Let’s take a look at the history between these two storied franchises.
Their first-ever matchup was played on Sept. 20, 1933, at Pittsburgh’s Forbes Field. The Steelers weren’t yet known as the Steelers, though — they were the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pirates never found their own endzone and lost 23-2.
The Giants reigned victorious the next five times the two teams met, with Pittsburgh finally winning, 10-7, on Sept. 27, 1936. The year Pittsburgh became the Steelers, in 1940, the two teams tied for the first of two times, playing to a 10-10 standstill. It wasn’t until 1942 — their 10th season in the league — that the Steelers had their first winning record, and defeated the Giants twice that year.
The biggest blowout of the series occurred in 1952 when the Steelers gave the Giants a stern whoopin’, 63-7.
There have been seven series shutouts and Pittsburgh was on the losing end of all but one. The biggest shutout took place in 1957, with the Giants coasting to a 35-0 victory.
Overall, the Giants lead the series 44-30-3. In the Ben Roethlisberger era, however, the Steelers have a 3-1 edge.
Their last meeting, in 2016, was at Heinz Field and started off with the Steelers forcing a safety three minutes into the game. New York would remain scoreless until the second half. Kicker Randy Bullock was perfect on the night going 1-for-1 in extra points and 3-for-3 in field goals. Bell had 118 yards on the ground and 64 yards receiving, but tight end Ladarius Green scored the Steelers only touchdown.
It was a 24-14 win for the Steelers, but it wasn’t pretty. Thankfully Bullock was on and so was the defense. They held Manning to just 195 yards while intercepting and sacking him twice.
The last time Pittsburgh traveled to New York was in 2012 and it was a nail-biter.
After a scoreless first quarter, a four-yard pass from Roethlisberger to WR Emmanuel Sanders put the Steelers on the board first.
The Giants scored a rushing touchdown on their next two drives and held onto the lead until the end. A one-yard rushing TD from RB Isaac Redman in the final minutes gave the Steelers the win. Redman recorded 147 rushing yards on the night.
Roethlisberger committed two turnovers (one interception, one fumble) and was sacked four times, but the Steelers managed to come away with a 24-20 win and a 5-3 record.
This year’s contest is sure to be an exciting one; not only is it primetime to open the season, but it’ll be Roethlisberger’s first game back in nearly a year. We’ll finally get to see if all the rehab pays off.
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