PITTSBURGH – The Pittsburgh Steelers are 6-2 in first place in the AFC North heading into their bye week. It's difficult for the team to go into the break with a good feeling. However, the team's win over the New York Giants wasn't perfect, but it had many positive aspects.

So who were the winners and losers of the Steelers' sixth win of the season?

Winners: Calvin Austin III and Van Jefferson

Both players deserve praise for obvious reasons. Jefferson made several plays, including a great back-shoulder catch on 3rd-and-11, which set the team up perfectly for more points. He finished the game with four receptions for 62 yards. Austin needs no introduction. What a play from the Memphis product. He had two touchdowns, including a 73-yard touchdown return. What will go under the radar is the punt after the touchdown return. He stretched the Giants coverage to allow the Steelers a touchback.

While there was so much talk about the Steelers needing another wide receiver, these two guys argued and stated that the Steelers didn't need that move after all.

Loser: Donte Jackson

Donte Jackson is dealing with a shoulder injury. There is no doubt about that. Jackson is never afraid of tackles, but on Monday he seemed hesitant to join the fray and missed too many tackles. The Steelers asked Jackson to drop into man coverage more than he had all year, and the results weren't great. Darius Slayton caught almost all of his 108 yards against him, including both big plays. All in all, Jackson will want to forget about this and get healthy coming off the break.

Winner: The EDGE Duo

TJ Watt and Alex Highsmith were just great. They seemed a little too gassed at times, which is why this team is missing Nick Herbig, but Watt and Highsmith combined for 22 pressures and four sacks in the game. That's an impressive statistic, but it shows their dominance as a duo. Watt and Highsmith completely took over this game for the Steelers. No matter who the Giants had at offensive tackle, these guys created pressure, and they did so while stepping out of their comfort zone.

The Steelers began having both players switch sides to provide variety rather than remaining immobile at the line of scrimmage. All of this allowed the Steelers to apply even more pressure. Highsmith and Watt deserve to be in this group.

Loser: Keeanu Benton

If Tyrone Tracy does what he did, not all run defense problems can be attributed to one player, but the Giants were clearly trying to run right at Keeanu Benton. Benton is an entertaining player when split into a 3-technique spot, but when you ask him to play from a tilt and two-gap at nose tackle, his run defense fades. With Montravius ​​Adams out for the foreseeable future with a knee injury, Benton will have to take on even more roles in run defense. That's his biggest problem right now, which is why the Steelers can't justify using him any more than they already have.

Winner: Najee Harris

Najee Harris continued to play like a running back. He's a little leaner this year, and it shows when he goes into space, but he still weighs just under 235 pounds and is an absolute tank in the open field. For the first time in his career, Harris had three consecutive 100-yard games.

It's not hard to see why. The offensive line has finally given Harris some breathing room and he has come alive in a way he simply couldn't earlier in the season. The Steelers now have the right schematic plan for Harris, and he benefits greatly from it.

Loser: Broderick Jones

To be honest, there's not much the Steelers can do about Broderick Jones. Sometimes he doesn't even use his hands when blocking. It's strange. I've never seen anyone like Jones and how he tries to block opponents. Whatever the case, a mouthguard call for denying a touchdown and numerous other pressures throughout the game marked another ugly game for Jones, who continued to struggle.

There will have to be a turnaround if the Steelers want to get better pass protection for Russell Wilson, but that seems unlikely at this point.

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