Cruz in midseason form as Giants top Steelers

Associated Press

pittsburgh

Eli Manning hit Victor Cruz for a 57-yard touchdown pass and the New York Giants beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 18-13 in the preseason opener for both teams Saturday night.

Cruz slipped by William Gay and Troy Polamalu, then outran Ryan Clark to score on his first reception since signing a $43 million contract in the offseason. Manning finished 2 of 5 for 73 yards. The Giants scored on both drives the offensive starters were in the game.

Ben Roethlisberger completed 4 of 8 passes for 36 yards for Pittsburgh, leading the Steelers to a field goal on their second possession. Rookie linebacker Jarvis Jones, the 17th overall pick in the draft, recovered a fumble in his professional debut. Running back Le’Veon Bell, the team’s second-round pick, did not play due to a sore left knee.

Cruz is coming off a Pro Bowl season in which he established himself as one of the best deep threats in the game. He provided the lone highlight in a game that felt more like an extended scrimmage.

On third-and-4 from the New York 43 late in the first quarter, Cruz lined up in the slot and hauled in a rainbow from Manning. Gay, who returned to Pittsburgh in the offseason after a one-year stint in Arizona, tripped trying to keep up. Polamalu and Clark had no chance and Cruz strolled into the end zone.

The score helped make up for a miserable opening series by Manning and company after a blocked punt by Damontre Moore gave the Giants first and goal at the Pittsburgh 5. Three plays produced a run by David Wilson that went nowhere and two incomplete passes.

The Steelers weren’t much sharper. Playing behind a reconstituted offensive line that includes Mike Adams at left tackle barely two months after the second-year tackle was stabbed during a failed carjacking, Roethlisberger was sacked on Pittsburgh’s first possession. He found a bit of a rhythm the next time the Steelers had the ball, leading a 13-play, 58-yard drive that ended with Shaun Suisham’s field goal.

Roethlisberger and offensive coordinator Todd Haley spent a portion of the offseason searching for middle ground after a somewhat bumpy 2012. Pittsburgh kept it conservative against the defense that finished a woeful 31st in the league last fall. Roethlisberger only went down the field once, but Antonio Brown was unable to keep his feet inbounds on what could have been a 20-yard touchdown pass.

Pittsburgh was hoping to get a look at Bell after the 48th pick in the draft sparkled during the first two weeks of training camp. He was limited during the week after feeling a twinge in the knee, and Steelers coach Mike Tomlin held Bell out as a precautionary measure.

The two guys fighting Bell for the starting job — Jonathan Dwyer and Isaac Redman — did little to threaten Bell’s bid to start the season opener against Tennessee on Sept. 8. Redman ran twice for 7 yards, and Dwyer managed 15 yards on six carries.