The 5-1 Steelers have two fewer wins than the previous five Giants opponents combined.
So starts Big Blue’s treacherous stretch, after beating up on the worst the NFL has to offer.
The Steelers come in with the NFL’s top-ranked defense, one of the toughest quarterbacks in the NFL, and RB Willie Parker returns to Pittsburgh’s backfield Sunday after missing four weeks with a knee injury.
“It is big game and obviously playing against a great team; a team that has been good for a number of years and a lot of talent all over the field,” Eli Manning said. “So hopefully we can just come out, play sound football and get the game into the fourth quarter and hopefully have a shot to win it then.”
Manning will be going up against Ben Roethlisberger, the quarterback to whom he is most compared. Both were drafted in 2004 and both have one Super Bowl ring.
“I have a lot of respect for him and the way he plays the game and the way he competes out there,” Manning said.
The Steelers defense allows 228 yards per game, best in the NFL.
“You have to play sound football,” Manning said. “Try to run the ball as well as we can. They are tough up front. They get pressure on the quarterback. We have to get the ball out in a timely fashion and guys have to get open and just to take what they give me and be patient. They are talented; they are very good. And we have to try to play perfect football if we want to have a chance to win.”