Giants 21, Steelers 14: Now Everyone Knows Who Greg Warren Is

Who would have thought that the Eli-Big Ben battle would be decided in large part by Steelers long snapper Greg Warren.

Maybe that's going too far, but when Warren blew out his knee covering a punt in the fourth quarter, the game changed. The next time the Steelers lined up to punt, we quickly discovered that the Steelers don't have a backup long snapper. Linebacker James Harrison won the open audition on the sideline for a long snapper, but his attempt sailed way over punter Mitch Berger's head for a safety.

The Steelers 14-12 lead was immediately turned into a 14-14 tie with the Giants getting the ball back. Eli Manning and the Giants then drove down for the go-ahead touchdown and the Giants pass rush feasted on Ben Roethlisberger to pick up their sixth sack of the game before Roethlisberger threw his fourth INT of the game.
Up to then, it was clear that the two teams' defenses were dominating what are two of the better offenses in the league., The Giants pass rush harrassed Roethlisberger all day while the Steelers front seven held Brandon Jacobs and Derrick Ward to 84 yards on 31 carries (2.7 yards per carry).

I'm sorry if this sounds like a glass-half full Steelers fan (which makes me one of the minority of Steelers fans), but this is a game where both team's fans can come out feeling pretty good about their teams. The Giants went on the road and beat one of the best teams in the AFC. The offensive line proved its mettle by holding the league's leading defense sackless, and the defense proved once again that the Giants pass rush can make quarterbacks melt--Roethlisberger's four interceptions came after he had thrown three in the past eight games.

For the Steelers, it was proof that they could play with the Super Bowl champs even when injuries left them severely shorthanded. The Steelers came into the game missing No. 1 tailback Willie Parker (knee) and No. 2 tailback Rashard Mendenhall (Ravens bounty/shoulder), starting right guard Kendall Simmons (Achilles), starting cornerback Bryant McFadden (arm), starting wide receiver Santonio Holmes (wacky weed) and starting punter Daniel Sepulveda (ACL). And during the Giants game they also lost starting free safety Ryan Clark (shoulder), long snapper Warren (knee) and had punter Mitch Berger (hamstring) and Ike Taylor (knee?) limping around. It's safe to say the Steelers fans would love to get a rematch in the Super Bowl with a healthier team.

But the Steelers also proved that they could shut down one of the game's best running attacks, and even without Holmes around, Nate Washington showed he's a legitimate deep threat, catching one 65-yard touchdown pass and having another 53-yard bomb called back on a Willie Colon holding call.

Both teams have things to work on, and both teams proved they have enough talent to be around come January. The Steelers have more work to do to get there, while the Giants have a tougher road thanks to the difficulty of the NFC East, but both proved today that they are teams to worry about.