The Pittsburgh Steelers have been going through injury trouble throughout the whole 2024 season. Every team goes through that, and it eventually becomes a game of who has the better depth and who adjusts to these losses more. While Pittsburgh’s offensive line depth has been tested throughout the season, they will go up against another unit that’s been beaten and battered. Both teams will be tested in how deep their lineups truly are.
On the New York Giants’ injury report, there seems to be a lot of concern for their defensive line. After Friday’s practice, they got some unfortunate news, as Brian Burns was downgraded from a limited participant (LP) to a guy that did not practice (DNP) at all with issues with his groin and Achilles.
In his first season with the Giants, Burns has four sacks and a forced fumble, to go along with 27 total tackles. He has also been a force as a guy you don't want to throw over, as he has tallied six passes defended, which is already his single-season record. He is not a guy that you want to deal with as a quarterback in any capacity. It will be interesting to see how New York adjusts to him being out or very limited if he does play.
This is where the question about depth comes in. With Troy Fautanu out for the whole season and Dylan Cook just now coming back from Injured Reserve (IR), will the tandem of Dan Moore Jr. and Broderick Jones be able to hold up against the Giants’ backups? There has been a lot of questions about them at times, especially Jones with how he has seemingly taken a step back from his productive rookie season.
Steelers May Or May Not Avoid Big-Time Defensive Lineman
Dexter Lawrence, the Giants’ star defensive tackle, was listed as a LP for Friday’s practice, as opposed to a DNP from the day before with a hip issue. There is no certainty on if he will play on Monday Night Football or not, but even if he does, his health could result in him being rotated out more. They don’t want to overuse him and risk losing him for an extended period of time.
Ryan McCollum, the Steelers’ third-string center, did well against another elite defensive tackle in Week 7 in Quinnen Williams. He was a non-factor as Pittsburgh blew the Jets out on Sunday Night Football. Williams only had one tackle, and one quarterback hit throughout the whole contest. If McCollum keeps that production up, it should not matter who gets a majority of the snaps at nose tackle for the Giants.
Based on that game, it seems like McCollum should be able to handle the depth of the Giants’ interior offensive line. Mason McCormick should be able to help out with him and Jones. He has been great depth after James Daniels suffered a season-ending injury. Whether Lawrence plays or not, the Steelers’ backups should hopefully hold their own and give Russell Wilson all the time in the world to make his reads.
If the Giants are without both Burns and Lawrence, the Steelers will have a big sigh of relief, as it makes their job much easier. They still have to prepare for whoever they will face, but as long as they do their job, Pittsburgh's offense should be able to move all over the field. Even if only one of them is out, it still lessens the burden of this unit. Everything should hopefully turn out alright for the Black and Gold.
