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preGame: Giants (5-1) at Steelers (5-1)

by Anthony De Rosa on October 26th, 2008 at 3:30 pm

The New York Giants and Pittsburgh Steelers face off this afternoon in Pittsburgh.

The Vitals:

Game: New York Giants (5-1) @ Pittsburgh (5-1)

TV: FOX. Dick Stockton will be in charge of play by play, Troy Aikman will provide color commentary, and Pam Oliver will be reporting from the sidelines.

Radio: WFAN (660AM). Pre game show begins at 2:15pm, Russ Salzberg will host pre and post game while Bob Papa will call the game with Carl Banks providing color commentary.

Time: 4:10 p.m. EST

Game Notes:

  • Plaxico Burress will not start the game and Dominek Hixon will get the start in his place. There are conflicting reports regarding if Plaxico will play at all today.
  • The Giants lead the regular season series with the Steelers 43-28-3. They last faced on December 18, 2004 when the Steelers won, 33-30, in Giants Stadium.
  • The Giants are 21-13-3 in Pittsburgh. Their last trip here was October 14, 1991, when they won, 23-20. 
  • The Giants are the second-ranked team in the NFL in terms of points (28.3 per game) and total yards (395 per game). The Steelers are first in the NFL on defense in terms of yards per game (228) and points allowed per game (14.8).
  • The Giants lead the NFL in rushing yards per game at 169.7. The lead the NFL in yards per carry (5.6), which is more than a half-yard better than second place Atlanta (5.0). The Giants have the most rushes in the NFL of twenty yards or more with 11.
  • The Steelers have the second best rushing defense in the NFL. They allow a 69.7 yards per game at 2.9 yards per carry. The Steelers are the only NFL team to not have not allowed a run of twenty yards or more the entire season. The longest run they’ve allowed this year is 15 yards.
  • The field is not expected to be in top condition due to a high school game played there Friday night, and Pitt-Rutgers on Saturday, along with the rain on Saturday night.
  • The Steelers hold teams to an NFL low 158.7 passing yards per game and have an NFL high 25 sacks. 

Inactives

GIANTS
K Tynes
CB McQuarters
RB Ware
CB Madison
T Koets
LB Wilkinson
WR Moss
DE McDougle

STEELERS
QB Dixon (3rd QB)
WR Holmes
RB Parker
CB McFadden
LB Fox
T Hills
T Starks
DE Roye

Quote of the Week:

“[If we play like we did last week] We will get beat hands down, no question about it. We have to go in there and be perfect. We cannot afford to make one mistakes against these guys. If it happens it has to be at the same time they make a mistake and nine time out of ten you won’t get that. In a game like this, against a team this good, a defense ranked this high, you can’t make those mistakes.” – Giants RB Brandon Jacobs

Chat:

As always, to chat with your fellow Big Blue fans, head on over to the Giants Tailgate.