ians called it rusty, and Mathieu himself?had similar opinions. I ge

NEW YORK GIANTS (8-3) at PITTSBURGH (6-5)Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET, CBSOPENING LINE -- Steelers by 6RECORD VS. SPREAD -- New York 6-4-1, Pittsburgh 6-5SERIES RECORD -- Giants lead 44-29-3LAST MEETING -- Steelers beat Giants 24-20, Nov. 4, 2012LAST WEEK -- Giants beat Browns 27-13; Steelers beat Colts 28-7AP PRO32 RANKING -- Giants No. 7, Steelers No. 12GIANTS OFFENSE -- OVERALL (21), RUSH (31), PASS (12)GIANTS DEFENSE -- OVERALL (16), RUSH (5), PASS (24)STEELERS OFFENSE -- OVERALL (12), RUSH (18), PASS (8)STEELERS DEFENSE -- OVERALL (18), RUSH (9), PASS (23)STREAKS, STATS AND NOTES -- Giants looking for first seven-game winning streak since 2008. ... Victory would give Giants Ben McAdoo first seven-game run by rookie coach since Jim Harbaugh in 2011 with San Francisco. ... Win would give New York season sweep of AFC opponents for first time since 2011. ... Giants won only visit to Heinz Field, 21-14 in 2008. ... Giants QB Eli Manning needs 98 yards passing to become fourth QB to reach 3,000 yards in 12 consecutive seasons. Manning is 33 completions away from passing Hall of Famer Warren Moon for ninth on all-time list (3,988). ... New York WR Odell Beckham Jr.s 252 career receptions are third most by player through first three seasons. ... Giants have not allowed 100-yard rusher this season. ... New York DE Jason Pierre-Paul had three sacks last week vs. Cleveland to become seventh Giant to reach 50 career sacks. ... Giants DE Olivier Vernon has sack in four straight games. ... McAdoo grew up in Homer City, Pa., about an hour east of Pittsburgh. ... Steelers have won two straight since four-game slide. ... Steelers have won six consecutive home games in December. ... Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is two wins shy of 100. ... Pittsburgh RB LeVeon Bell has topped 100 yards rushing in last two games. Steelers are 9-2 when Bell goes over 100 yards in career. ... Pittsburgh QB Ben Roethlisberger and WR Antonio Browns 48 career touchdown passes second most by QB-WR duo in team history (Terry Bradshaw-John Stallworth, 49). ... Brown is 2 yards shy of fourth straight 1,000-yard season. ... Browns 29 100-yard receiving games tied with Hines Ward for most in franchise history. ... Steelers have not allowed sack in each of past two weeks and are on pace to give up just 20 sacks on season, which would tie franchise low. ... Fantasy Tip: Roethlisberger is one of most productive QBs in league at home, averaging 336 yards per game at Heinz Field this season to go with 15 touchdowns against two interceptions.---For more NFL coverage: AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL.Wholesale Custom Baseball Jerseys . Artturi Lehkonen, Joni Nikko and Ville Leskinen had the other goals for Finland (1-0) while Juuse Saros stopped 28 shots. Tim Robin Johnsgard had the lone goal for Norway (0-2). 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I had blown out my knee less than a year before. It just gave way while covering a kick on a Sunday night game against the Baltimore Ravens. Boom. See ya next season.It takes a long time to get back on the field after popping an ACL -- and an even longer time to feel like yourself as a player. I learned that the hard way against Gore, who took that run 72 yards to the house, the first of many in his long career.You see, my plan was to knock him out of bounds. Just survive the play after taking a poor angle from the jump. But when I couldnt quite get there, I dove for Gores legs and came up with nothing. Zip. Well, except for a face-first landing into the grass at FedEx Field.Man, Mondays film session was brutal. I barely recognized the guy lumbering after Gore in an attempt to save that touchdown. Everyone in the meeting room knew the gig was up. Heck, I was still in recovery mode. The explosion, the burst, the acceleration? Nah. It just wasnt there yet. But you try to play through it. You have no choice when your job is on the line.That was a lonely moment for me -- a reality check, too. And I was just a guy at that point, a special teams dude playing some safety, trying to grind out a couple more years in the league.For defensive back Tyrann Mathieu, the situation is obviously different as the Arizona Cardinals get ready to play the New York Jets on Monday Night Football. Mathieu is one of the best overall players in the league. And I mean that. The versatility? The ball skills? The natural coverage ability? Off the charts, all of it. I love this guys game.But Mathieu tore up his right knee in December. Trust me, hes a straight-up warrior for being back in the lineup this soon, but you cant just expect him to go back to playing like himself immediatelly.ddddddddddddUntil Arizonas Week 5 matchup against the 49ers, Mathieu wasnt playing his normal role in the slot. Instead he was aligning over the top as a safety. That allowed the Cardinals to ease him back onto the field and to also limit the change-of-direction movements -- and stress -- put on his knee as a slot defender.Lining up as a slot corner is one of the toughest jobs in sports when youre healthy. But when youre less than nine months removed from ACL surgery, as Mathieu was when the season started, its a whole different ballgame.Mathieu has been here before, having torn his left ACL in 2013. Plus, Mathieu got some serious run in the slot against San Fran in Week 5: 71 snaps. Thats a big workload on a short week for a guy still working his way back. His performance? Head coach Bruce Arians called it rusty, and Mathieu himself?had similar opinions. I get it. All players do. This thing takes time.The positive sign here? The Cardinals are putting Mathieu in his natural role again. Its a start, a progression of sorts, as Mathieu continues on this road back.And thats the key thing to understand with Mathieu. Not everyone can perform like Adrian Peterson did coming off an ACL in 2012, when he nearly broke the single-season rushing record.That type of performance is super rare, and the narratives surrounding ACL injuries arent that simple. You dont just flip a switch and immediately start lighting up guys on the field after getting cut on and pushing through the rehab cycle.Nah, it doesnt work like that. Even when youre back practicing or playing, the daily maintenance is a grind. Ice. Stretch. Ice some more. Push through the stiffness, the drop in flexibility. Deal with the residual pain that lingers after practice, after games.Its constant.But I would bet big on Mathieu to push through. Hell be back wrecking game plans and dictating matchups in no time.ESPN.com NFL analyst Matt Bowen played seven seasons as a defensive back in the NFL. ' ' '